Communications Associate

Job Identification
‎15426
Locations
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Posting Date
‎12/‎31/‎2023, ‎08:47 AM
Apply Before
‎01/‎14/‎2024, ‎10:59 PM
Job Schedule
Full time
Agency
UNDP
Grade
NPSA-‎7
Vacancy Type
National Personnel Service Agreement
Practice Area
Economics
Bureau
Regional Bureau for Arab States
Contract Duration
‎1 Year
Education & Work Experience
Bachelor's Degree - ‎4 year(s) experience OR High School certificate- ‎7 year(s)
experience
Required Languages
Written and spoken proficiency in Arabic and English.
Desired Languages
French is a plus
Vacancy Timeline
‎2 Weeks

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value
diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where
we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are
empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in
all our actions. Taking a 'leave no one behind' approach to our diversity
efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who
identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly
encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and
inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of
harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected
candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background
checks.

The Knowledge Project is a joint initiative between UNDP's Regional Bureau for
Arab States and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF)
established in ‎2008 and aimed at producing high-quality knowledge products and
promoting knowledge sharing and dialogue. It builds on three Arab Knowledge
Reports, the Arab Knowledge Index, the knowledge4all portal and mobile
application, the Arab Reading Index, the Future of Knowledge Report series and
the Global Knowledge Index (GKI). Moreover, the project has recently launched
a three-year initiative to develop the skills of citizens in the Arab States
region, which will be piloted in eight Arab countries providing ‎5,500 training
licenses during the first year of its roll-out.
In ‎2023, the Knowledge Project plans to produce the GKI ‎2023, establish a
skills development programme, enhance its knowledge4all portal and mobile
application, introduce its pilot Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, and
implement an outreach and dissemination strategy to increase its impact of the
project outputs.
* The GKI offers a comprehensive roadmap of factors that drive knowledge competitiveness, focusing on six key sectors as the foundation of a knowledge society. These sectors encompass education at all levels, research, development, innovation, information and communications technology, and the economy, all supported by an enabling environment.
* Regional Skills Initiative: Having contracted a MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) provider in ‎2022 to enhance its skills development offer, this year, the project plans to design and implement the regional skilling initiative to prepare citizens to effectively enter the job market. The skilling initiative aims to provide accessible and quality training to individuals, particularly youth and women, to develop the skills needed to secure quality employment opportunities. The initiative will focus on key areas such as soft, entrepreneurial and technical skills development. By developing these skills, individuals can enhance their employability, productivity, and income-generating potential, contributing to poverty reduction and economic growth. The skilling initiative aligns with the project's overall mission of promoting knowledge societies and policies as transformative approaches to achieving sustainable development in the Arab States region and beyond.
* The knowledge4all portal and mobile app serve as digital reference hubs for researchers, professionals, academics, stakeholders, and the general public. They offer Arabic and English resources on various knowledge domains, including reports, indices, publications, and events. The platform also includes tools in development, such as data visualization, an AI tool, and a GKI simulation tool.
* The AI policy tool, that the Knowledge Project plans to introduce in ‎2023, will provide policymakers and stakeholders suggested policy recommendations to promote knowledge-based societies. As a pilot, the AI policy tool will only cover topics related to education. It will also provide information on best practices and case studies from around the world to help policymakers make informed decisions and avoid potential pitfalls.

Accordingly, UNDP's Regional Bureau for Arab States is seeking the services of
a Communications Associate to support in the planning, coordination and
implementation of the project's communications efforts and to ensure strategic
and impactful outreach on the project's flagship knowledge products.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Communications Associate will work as part of the Knowledge Project team
to ensure strategic communication on the knowledge products produced.
Key Functions:
a) Communications and advocacy:
* Design and facilitate the implementation of a robust marketing and communication strategy aimed at increasing awareness about the project and its achievements among the target audience.
* Produce and design various communication products, including press releases, briefing materials, fact sheets, videos, infographics, banners, and social media materials.
* Facilitate the drafting of a regular newsletter, incorporating updates, achievements, and key learnings from the project.
* Coordinate the organization of physical and virtual events and organize promotion and dissemination to raise awareness and visibility of the project.
* Advise on the use of the project's branding and adhere to the latest internal editorial guidelines in all communication and marketing materials.
* Advise on various designs and layouts used for advocacy and communications tools and ensure quality.
b) Stakeholder engagement and digital media management:
* Manage the project's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube), ensuring they are frequently updated, improved, and maintained.
* Stay up-to-date with the latest trends in communications, social media and algorithm changes to maximize outreach and engagement.
* Utilize Google Ads and social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) to boost visibility and engagement, planning and managing campaigns effectively.
* Facilitate effective communication with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, private sector organizations, academic institutions, civil society groups, and the general public.
* Manage the knowledge community, encouraging interaction, and ensuring that the latest and most relevant information is shared.
* Ensure that the project's communication channels, such as the portal, event page, and social media accounts, are updated, improved, and maintained regularly.
* Collect and categorize photos and pictures by theme for use across various communication platforms and materials.
* Leverage collected and categorized content to enhance communication and storytelling, providing a visually appealing experience for the audience.
c) Internal communications:
* Facilitate contact with other projects, country offices and Regional Hub in Amman for communications- related matters, ensuring effective and timely internal communication.
* Source, edit, review, and translate reports, press releases, presentations, or any other project document to ensure accurate and consistent internal communication.
* Implement effective knowledge management practices, ensuring that key information and learnings are captured, organized, and made accessible for team members.
* Facilitate the drafting of monthly reports reflecting analytics of the portal and social media accounts in coordination with the web editor.

d) Evaluation and reporting:
* Monitor media to analyse the effectiveness of the communications strategy, making necessary tweaks for continuous success of the visibility.
* Draft monthly reports reflecting analytics of the portal and social media accounts in coordination with the web editor, ensuring all communications efforts are trackable and measurable.
* Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy and communications strategies and adjust as necessary.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT
The Communications Associate will be working under the general guidance of the
Chief Technical Adviser/Project Manager and under the direct supervision of
the Project, Research and Communications Specialist. Collaboration and
coordination with the rest of the Knowledge Project team, Regional Bureaux and
Country Offices as well as the Donor will be required.

Competencies
Core:

Achieve Results: LEVEL ‎1: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes,
balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL ‎1: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches,
demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL ‎1: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others
and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL ‎1: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations,
involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL ‎1: Able to persevere and deal with multiple
sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL ‎1: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people
together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL ‎1: Facilitate conversations to
bridge differences, considers in decision making
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Thematic Area
Name
Definition

Business direction & strategy

Strategic thinking

Ability to develop effective strategies and
prioritized plans in line with UNDP's objectives,
based on the systemic analysis of challenges,
potential risks and opportunities; linking the
vision to reality on the ground, and creating
tangible solutions.

Communications
Social Media management
Ability to represent and promote the UNDP
brand in virtual communities and networks.

Communications
Multimedia
writing/editing

Ability to create and/or edit written content for
multimedia.

Communications

Digital strategy

Ability to plan the use of resources through
digital channels to reach and engage
target audiences effectively and to achieve
particular objectives.

Digital & Innovation

Data storytelling
and
communications

Skilled in building a narrative around a set of
data and its accompanying visualizations
to help convey the meaning of that detain
a powerful and compelling fashion.

Communications
Multimedia
production

Ability to create and combine images, text and
audio-visuals to produce multimedia content.

Prosperity
Inclusive
Growth

Future of work, automation and technology

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements
Secondary Education is required or;
University degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent)
in communications, marketing, digital marketing,
journalism, social science, international relations,
or other related fields.

Min. years of relevant work
experience

A minimum of seven (‎07) years (with secondary education) or ;
four (‎04) years (with Bachelor's degree) of relevant work
experience in delivering communication services to promote
the activities of an international development organization
is required

Required skills
Previous experience in developing communications strategies.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies
section
Familiarity with creative desktop tools such as Canva, Photoshop,
Adobe Premiere, PaintNet, Illustrator, InDesign, Lumen5 or other
graphics applications.;
Experience working in the field of development or
communications for a social development purpose is desired;
Extensive experience working in the Arab States region;
Previous experience in UN agencies or international organizations.

Required Language(s)
Written and spoken proficiency in Arabic and English.
French is a plus.

Nationalities
* National of the UAE or other nationalities with valid legal work permit and valid residency in the UAE or;
* Non-residents of the UAE (all costs related to visa/residency will be borne by the selected candidate).

Professional Certificates
Any certificate related to communications for development or
creative writing are considered valuable assets.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an
international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent
Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they
must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-‎4 visa, or
have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of
employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US
citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of
competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this
vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates
applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade
level and with similar job description, experience and educational
requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct,
sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will,
therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be
expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate
based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin,
sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or
other status.

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