Communications & Public Relations Officer

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Women’s leadership and political participation is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. Through its Leadership and Governance section, UN Women works to ensure that women lead, participate in, and benefit equally from governance systems.

A key strategic partner of UN Women in Liberia is the Women’s Legislative Caucus (WLC). The WLC was formed in 2006 to bring together women legislators around common issues and concerns to women, irrespective of political affiliation, religion, or ethnic background. The WLC aims at increasing the participation of women in decision making at all levels and at strengthening legislation, systems, and mechanisms for the protection and promotion of women and girls’ rights. Specifically, it aims to increase women’s presence and influence in national decision-making; to enhance the political, campaign, and fundraising capacities of its members and other women candidates; and to promote affirmative action for women’s political participation and leadership and contribute to gender responsive legislation. Currently it is comprised of 11 members comprising 2 women Senators and 9 women Representatives.

UN Women supports the WLC, its normative and legislative agenda, and its promotion of women’s political participation and representation in national decision-making. To this end, UN Women will support key personnel costs of the WLC Secretariat in support of its core functions.

Reporting to the Program Management Specialist, Women Political Participation, the Communications & Public Relations Officer (PRO) supports the formulation and implementation of the communications, advocacy, and media strategies to increase the standing and awareness of WLC with partners, the media, and the public. The Communications & PRO will help the WLC increase its visibility and communicate their mandate, strategic objectives, and achievements.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide support in the development of a coherent WLC communications and media strategy
Track and monitor print and social media and report relevant information to WLC Secretariat and members’ staff to inform communications and media strategy development and implementation
Gather substantive inputs from WLC Secretariat staff and members to develop, and if relevant, update the WLC’s communication and media strategy and action plan
Include guidance and support to WLC Secretariat and members’ staff on UN Women and donor’s corporate communications and visibility requirements
Provide support to the development and publication of WLC’s communications materials
Identify storylines and achievements within the WLC for online and printed publications
Prepare press releases, articles, key messages, and other advocacy materials, in cooperation with WLC and UN Women
Seek approval from WLC chair and UN Women and manage the publication of materials
Maintain library/ database of reference materials and photos and digital assets, as necessary

Provide substantive support in the management of the WLC’s social media presence and website
Identify stories, and develop/review content for the WLC’s website and social media channels
Update the website and social media channels, ensure consistency in branding
Research, compile and produce reports on web statistics on a regular basis and electronic surveys
Maintain files, databases, and systems relevant to the WLC’s digital presence, as necessary

Provide media relations support to the WLC
Serve as a focal point on WLC’s activities open to the press, as necessary
Establish and maintain relationships with press, maintaining and updating a database of relevant journalists/media houses, as necessary
Respond to requests for information and arrange interviews
Support media engagement by organizing press conferences and other publicity events and preparing briefing materials, talking points, and press releases

Facilitate knowledge management and sharing
Contribute to the identification of best practices and lessons learned
Conduct trainings and workshops on communication practices for WLC Secretariat and member staff, as relevant
Provide/exchange information with WLC members and UN Women

Other
Perform other tasks as assigned by supervisor

Competencies

Key Performance Indicators

Timely organization of discussions, conferences, briefings, information campaigns and other events
Timely provision of substantive inputs as requested
Timely delivery of developed communication and advocacy materials in high quality
Social media channels/website are up to date
Number of communication products developed and assisted in development

Core Values:

Respect for Diversity
Integrity
Professionalism

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
Accountability
Creative Problem Solving
Effective Communication
Inclusive Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement
Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

Ability to establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients
Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality
Excellent event planning skills
Excellent knowledge of social media and communications strategy and methods
Ability to identify relevant events and stories and communicate them to a mass audience
Strong multimedia skills
Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Completion of secondary education is required;
Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations or Journalism is an asset.

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in providing support to the formulation and implementation of internal and external communications and advocacy strategies and related plans;
Experience in the use of computers applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) as well as web-based management systems;
Experience in the use of social media and digital communications.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required