Communication Officer (Polio), NO-B, Temporary Appointment (364 days) # 128317, Islamabad – Pakistan

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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For every child, Health!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives — being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

Job organizational context:

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is in its third year of implementation of the Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026: Delivering on a Promise which remains focused on the dual emergency of interrupting wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Pakistan and Afghanistan and stopping polio outbreaks. Pakistan is one of the two remaining polio endemic countries globally. There is cautious optimism about the progress made toward stopping polio in both countries, with cases at their lowest levels in history. Epidemiology confirms the impact of polio eradication  efforts. The proportion of children missed during immunization campaigns is decreasing, and overall population immunity is improving.

Working under the leadership of the Government, and through the One Team under One Roof approach,  UNICEF has been supporting the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Polio Eradication by  ensuring uninterrupted vaccine supply; increasing the number of children receiving polio vaccines in the most hard to reach districts through a communication Network (COMNet) which supports and prompts  evidence-based communication strategy that builds trust and increases demand of the communities to vaccination to reduce refusals.

Working under the leadership of the Government, and through the One Team under One Roof approach,  UNICEF has been supporting the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Polio Eradication by  ensuring uninterrupted vaccine supply; increasing the number of children receiving polio vaccines in the most hard to reach districts; and supporting evidence-based communication strategy that builds trust and increases demand of the communities to vaccination to reduce refusals.

Purpose for the job:

The Communication Officer reports to the Communication Specialist (Advocacy & Media Campaign Mgt.) for a general guidance and supervision and will work under technical guidance of the Senior Communication Manager (SBC) P5 and work within the provincial polio Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) framework and its relevant Areas of Work or/ Core Groups and Task Teams to support eradication of polio virus from Pakistan.

The Communication Officer Assists in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating an advocacy and communication strategy to get children’s and women’s issues into the public domain, strengthen political will in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives in the country, and enhance the organization’s credibility and brand.

How can you make a difference?

Within the delegated authority and the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be accountable for all or assigned areas of the following major duties and end results.

1. Communication materials

Ensure that the production of communication products and materials is timely executed and followed up to support country communication strategy, regional and global campaigns and priorities and to support resource mobilization as set out in the work plan.

Duties & Tasks   

• Implement the tasks in the country communication work plan and strategy as assigned.
• Gather content and coverage of relevant country efforts to identify effective relevant country programme activities and results. Develop complementary, country specific and local community materials and activities.
• Produce advocacy and communication materials (e.g. briefing notes, images, video. Web pages etc.) that meet the country and global standards as set out in the Communication Toolkit.
• Assist in drafting and editing articles, press releases, human interest stories and other advocacy/information materials for both web-based and traditional media, as appropriate.

• Follow up on the production of advocacy and communication materials (e.g., films, videos, audio-visuals, etc.), and oversee the qualitative aspects of production, (e.g., quality control, translations, reviews of layout and graphic design etc.) to meet standards as set out in the Communication Toolkit.
• Establish or maintain an up-to-date documentation centre for communication materials including publications, press releases and clippings, photographs, audio-visual materials, web resources etc.

• Recommend appropriate information and communication materials for use in media, and other advocacy and communication activities; recommend the appropriateness, quality and dissemination of printed and audio-visual materials.
• Recommend established contacts, networks, resources and processes to support communication activities.

2. Media relations

Effective and timely professional assistance and support are provided in developing, drafting and maintaining contact information, materials and relationships with journalists and media outlets covering all media – print, TV, radio, web etc. – in the country, to communicate the story of UNICEF’s cooperation to a wider audience.

Duties & Tasks

• Maintain and update media relations contact list/database. Ensure rapid and accurate information dissemination to the media.
• Assist in developing and maintaining close collaboration with mass media, as well as with groups and organizations whose support is essential to the achievement of advocacy and communication objectives.
• Assist in drafting and editing articles, press releases, human interest stories and other advocacy/information materials in all media formats, as appropriate.
• Prepare background communication and promotional materials for briefing and visits of media and other special interest groups. Assist in the planning, logistic and administrative arrangements for them.
• Assist in collaborating with the media through activities such as organizing project site visits, facilitating photo coverage and TV footage and utilizing both web-based and traditional media as appropriate.
• Monitor and evaluate the use and effectiveness of media materials. Maintain a library of coverage (clippings, coverage etc.)

3. Partnership and alliance building:

Ensure that the NEOC has a clear Partnership and Alliance building strategy and associated work plan to support polio eradication objectives and polio eradication into the public domain and strengthen political will.

Duties and Tasks

• Develop, maintain a Partnership and Alliance building strategy and associated work plan. Strategy and work plan include: a stakeholder assessment; objectives; target audiences;, activities; monitoring and evaluation of impact; success and opportunity for improvement; ongoing refinement of the strategy..
• Develop, maintain and update partners contact list/database.
• Help establish, document, review and refine process of working collaboratively with partners, including meetings, joint projects, information sharing etc.
• Share country-specific communication materials, activities, processes and messages shared with partners.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate training.
• Monitor, evaluate and share results and findings with partners.

4. Monitoring and evaluation

Regular monitoring and evaluation activities are undertaken according to the work plan to ensure maximum impact and continuous improvement of country communication efforts. Ensure results and reports are prepared and shared on a timely basis.

Duties & Tasks

• Contribute to developing an advocacy and communication strategy by coordinating appropriate audience research and compiling and analysing relevant data.
• Monitor and evaluate the appropriate and timely dissemination of advocacy and communication materials to target audiences, and participate in the evaluation of their impact. Monitor and evaluate the use and effectiveness of media materials. Maintain a library of coverage (clippings, coverage etc.)
• Monitor the public perception of UNICEF in the country and recommend appropriate action to maintain a positive image for the organization.

• Assist in providing feedback to DOC on the use and appropriateness of global communication materials such as publications, images and multimedia products.

5. Celebrities, partners and special events

Ensure that the Country Office’s contact list of individuals, groups, organizations and fora (including Government, UN, and bilateral counterparts), are maintained and further developed, whose support is essential to/can assist in achieving the advocacy and communication objectives and who support and are able to actively participate in special events and activities that further the country programme goals.

Duties & Tasks

• Help organize and generate public support for special events and activities to promote country programme goals.
• Assist in developing and maintaining close collaboration with mass media, as well as with groups and organizations whose support is essential to the achievement of advocacy and communication objectives.
• Maintain and update celebrity and partner contact lists/database for country office.
• Monitor/document process and effectiveness of working with these individuals/organizations.
• Prepare background communication and promotional materials for briefings and visits of media, Goodwill Ambassadors, donors, National Committee representatives and other special interest groups. The task includes preparing information materials (e.g., press releases, programme summaries, country fact sheets and media kits), and assisting in the planning, logistics and administrative arrangements.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

Education: A first university degree (equivalent to a Bachelor’s) from an accredited institution is required in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or a related field.

Work Experience: At least 02 years of relevant work experience in communication, print and broadcast media, or interactive digital media.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

The following desirables:

Field work experience and background/familiarity with Emergency situations is an asset

Language: Knowledge of a local language.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.
• UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

• Verified/ attested educational certificates/ degrees by HEC/ foreign institutions are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF, as the case may be.
• UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.
• Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
• UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.