Org. Setting and Reporting
The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy-oriented research and analysis, normative support and technical assistance and capacity building, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.
This position is located in the Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section (SCAS), and reports to the Office of the Executive Secretary. The incumbent reports to the Principal Officer of the Office of the Executive Secretary.
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Principal Officer of the Office of the Executive Secretary, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:
• Conceptualizes, designs and executes the overall public information strategy of ESCAP; provides policy guidance to the Principal Officer on the monitoring, strengthening and development and management of ESCAP’s strategic communications and knowledge development programme, which includes development of good practices for continuous improvement of institutional public information, external relations and knowledge sharing.
• Directs a team of public information officers and librarian; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors, and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment and selection of new staff, taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values, and in the development of training programs.
• Prepare and oversees the preparation of ESCAP advocacy materials (e.g. press releases, briefings, speeches, questions and answers, talking points, presentations, publication forewords, newsletters, etc.), coordinating with divisions, sub-regional offices and Regional Institutions, and with other organizations of the United Nations System and development partners.
• Creates and maintains networks of high-level communications contacts with the media, governmental agencies, development partners, civil society and businesses.
• Contributes to the development of institutional communications strategies.
• Assesses the overall effectiveness of the public information strategy and programmes and makes needed changes in approach and technique.
• Oversees (a) library and knowledge management services, including the digitization programme, (b) development of tools to make official documents, publications and records more accessible and visible and (c) servicing of the Editorial Board.
• Chairs an institution-wide Knowledge Management group which develops recommendations on improving knowledge management and sharing to improve the efficiency of service delivery.
• Develops high profile multi-media communications campaigns; sets quality and production standards for information dissemination.
• Ensures the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards.
• Prepares input for the work programme of the Office of the Executive Secretary, helping to determine priorities and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
• Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget and programme performance of the Office of the Executive Secretary SCAS and the library programme of work, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
• Carries out programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget and programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting.
• Carries out other related functions, as required.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, public administration, or related fields. A first-level university degree in the above fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in public information, journalism, international relations, public administration, or related areas. Experience in design and execution of a public information strategy is required. Experience in management of staff involved in different media or knowledge management is required. Experience in development issues, especially in Asia and the Pacific, is desirable. Familiarity with media in Russian and/or Chinese is an advantage.
Languages
English and French are the working language of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
How to apply:
To apply, please visit: https://www.unescap.org/jobs