Consultant - Special Events

TERMS OF REFERENCE: CONSULTANT, SPECIAL EVENTS

ORGANIZATION:             UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information (DCPI)

DUTY STATION:              Nairobi

FUNCTIONAL TITLE:      Consultant – Strategic communication

DURATION:                      6 months

CLOSING DATE:              9 October 2012

Background:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.  UNEP's Division of Communications and Public Information (DCPI) communicates UNEP's core messages to all stakeholders and partners, raising environmental awareness and enhancing the profile of UNEP worldwide. This post is located in UNEP/DCPI at the Nairobi duty station. Under the direct supervision of the Head, Special Events Units and the guidance of the Division Director, the incumbent will support the strategic communication, planning and implementation of campaigns and other related projects in collaboration with other teams and Divisions and conduct evaluations on relevant campaigns as required.  In particular, the incumbent will:

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Special Events Unit and the guidance of the Division Director, the Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Support strategic communications planning and implementation in the Division in relation to campaigns, projects, activities and events that promote UNEP’s messages.

₋          Support the development and implementation of a cross-cutting campaign on Food Wastes under the framework of UNEP’s Sustainable Consumption and Production, including the coordination of the production of campaign tools, collaboration with partners, etc.

₋          Support requests for communications inputs and services of other Divisions and for other sub-programmes.

• Support the development and implementation of communications projects for the Resource Efficiency (RE) sub-programme, while also providing support to the broader engagement of DCPI in the overall programme of work process.

₋          Draft the relevant documentation for the concept and the final project for the review and approval process with the relevant sub-programme coordinators and the team in the Office for Operations.

₋          Coordinate with the contracted research company on the ongoing conduct of the market study and other agreed deliverables based on prescribed timeline.

₋          Explore maximum use of market study results and coordinate the dissemination of these to internal and external audiences as relevant, and potentially also to the media.

₋          Coordinate the development of a communication plan and strategy in support of the overall Resource Efficiency Sub-programme, informed by the results of the market study.

₋          Support the reporting requirements for the RE communication project.

• Contribute to the planning and execution of UNEP’s post Rio+20 communication strategies and plan under the guidance of the Strategy Team.

• Contribute to the update of the External Communication Strategy that will provide a general framework for UNEP’s external communications.

·         Coordinate with the News Desk in organizing media support for campaigns, outreach and corporate communication activities.

·         Conduct evaluations of the campaigns and communication activities undertaken, identify lessons and best practices from the results, and disseminate these to relevant teams in the organization.

Competencies:

Professionalism: Knowledge of information management, content management systems; Excellent coordination, organization and planning skills, with the ability to work under pressure; Knowledge of the UN system, including the UN common country programming process; Ability to manage complexities and adapt to changing environment; Focus on impact and results; Ability to operate effectively across organizational and country boundaries.

Teamwork:  Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; Ability to lead and gain assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavor; Ability to work independently and to participate effectively in a team based information sharing environment.

Communication: Ability to express ideas clearly, concisely and persuasively, including the ability to defend and explain difficult issues; Ability to draft/edit a variety of reports on UN policy issues and strategies.

Planning and Organizing: Ability to identify priority activities and assignments, handle multiple activities and projects concurrently and make necessary adjustments as required; Ability to foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.

Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibly within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organization regulations and rules; Supports subordinations; Takes personal responsibility for shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master's degree in communications, journalism, international relations, social science or development-related field. Experience: At least 5 years of progressively relevant experience in communications or media relations, in the area of environment or related field, of which three should be at the international level, preferably in the United Nations.  Experience in the development and implementation of campaigns, developing content for websites, management reporting and general communications activities such as writing and editing information materials is required.             Language:      English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage. Other Skills:  Excellent computer skills (Microsoft office, Internet, email) are required. Submissions: Applications and CVs to be forwarded to mellab.shiluli@unep.org no later than  9 October 2012.