Communication Analyst, Individual Consultant

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.

Since 2018, UN Women ECA RO is implementing a regional component of the Flagship Programme Initiative “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” (Women Count)[1], developed by UN Women Headquarters (HQ). The Women Count programme aims to affect a radical shift in the production, availability, accessibility and use of quality data and statistics on key aspects of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It aims to provide technical support to countries to improve production and use of gender statistics for SDG monitoring and reporting, as well as to strengthen regional-level collaboration with key partners to better contribute to SDG monitoring at national and regional levels. At country level the programme works in close cooperation with National Statistical Offices (NSOs), National Women’s Machinery, civil society organizations (CSOs), UN Country Teams to ensure that gender statistics are available, accessible and analysed to inform and deliver policymaking, advocacy and accountability, as well as for the implementation of the Leave No One Behind principle. The work of the consultant will contribute to strengthening the content, availability, accessibility and use of data and statistics on key aspects of gender equality and women’s empowerment.  

To support the implementation of ECA Women Count programme, UN Women is seeking to recruit an International Communications Consultant to work under the direct guidance of UN Women Regional Gender Data Specialist and HQ Women Count Outreach and Visibility Specialist to lead the development of communications, outreach and visibility materials for the Women Count. The consultant will be working in close cooperation with the Regional Communication Specialist and Knowledge Management Consultant to ensure that knowledge products, communications strategies, social media and organizational outreach efforts are aligned with corporate communications policies and initiatives.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The main objective of the consultancy is to support the implementation of the project’s communication strategies and plans. Under the supervision of the Regional Gender Data Specialist, the Consultant will have the following responsibilities and tasks:

1. Support planning, design, and implementation of communication and advocacy strategies of Women Count in ECA region:

• Develop the outreach strategy and communication plan for 2025.
• Track the implementation of communication plan for regional and country lead activities in line with the Key Performance Indicators.
• Provide guidance to countries and implementing partners on communications related activities.
• Support the communication partnerships and alliances to amplify gender statistics and data work for increased visibility and GEWE.
• Lead the development of Women Count annual newsletter, quarterly and weekly updates. 

2. Support the development of data portals and other tools to improve access and use of gender statistics:

• Co-lead the finalization of time use data portal under development
• Support the design finalization for Gender Data Portal in Kyrgyzstan and UN Women regional webpage on gender data and statistics.
•  Support the development of customized communication package (thematic infographics) covering the 12 critical area of BPfA. 

3. Coordinate production, dissemination and outreach of communication products:

• Support the development of content for the ECA webpage to raise the profile of the project: human interest data stories, interviews, and feature narratives to highlight the work and impact of UN Women in advancing data and evidence related work.
• Lead the process of editing, designing, and dissemination of knowledge products following corporate guidelines
• In collaboration with the designers develop and promote social media packages to promote gender statistics at country and regional level, to be shared via country and regional social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• Provide technical support for the launch events and other gender statistics events in the region and/or country (draft press releases, lead production of promotional materials, social media visuals and posts).
• Contribute to the implementation of ECA communication strategy, particularly by providing guidance on data driven visuals, infographics, and narratives to strengthen advocacy, communication campaigns, and stakeholder engagement.
• Other tasks and activities, as assigned by UN Women ECA RO Gender Statistics Specialist.

Deliverables

The consultant will report to and work under direct supervision of UN Women ECA RO Regional Gender Statistics Specialist. The consultant will be paid upon monthly submission of the deliverables, certification of payment and timesheet for actual number of working days applied. Work plan will be set at beginning of the contract with clear scheduled monthly milestones/deliverables. This work plan will be agreed between the consultant and the ECARO supervisor.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. As part of this assignment, the travel-related costs will be covered separately. 

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree preferably in communication, public relations, gender studies, sociology or other related subjects. 
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• At least 2 years of relevant experience at national or international level in communication and outreach in the area related to data.
• At least 2 years of previous experience of content development for social media platforms, including articles and press releases is required.
• Previous experience of work with gender equality and women’s empowerment issues is required.
• Previous professional experience with development agencies and/or the United Nations is an asset. 

Languages:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Russian language is a strong asset.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Competencies in coordination, planning and teamwork.
• A commitment to quality product and deadlines.

How to Apply 

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)