The Director of the Strategic Communications Division reports directly to the Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Global Communications. The Strategic Communications Division is responsible for strengthening support for the United Nations by developing communications messages and strategies on priority issues, implementing global campaigns and coordinating communications activities between the Department and the wider United Nations system to support the substantive goals of the Organization. The Division also manages the network of 59 United Nations Information Centres and field offices around the world.
Within delegated authority, the Director will be responsible for the following:
•Directs the Strategic Communications Division of the Department of Public Information, which includes the Communications Campaigns Service, the Information Centres Service and multilingual assets.
•Contributes to the formulation of the Department's overall strategies and policies by introducing innovative thinking, participating in various committees, preparing documents on policy issues, and acting, as required, in an advisory capacity to the USG; contribute to the overall management of the Department's activities and operations.
•Provides leadership on the planning, development and execution of communications strategies, including for crisis communications across platforms and using a range of tools, as well as on organizational restructuring and change management initiatives.
•Builds relationships and fosters interactions with external and UN system partners to promote understanding of the Organization's priorities and issues through the integration of communications messages and campaigns between Headquarters and the 59 operational United Nations information centres in the field, as well as with other departments and offices and the information components of UN agencies, funds and programmes.
•Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Division under his/her supervision, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
•Oversees all administrative matters and the management of activities undertaken by the Division, including the the recruitment of staff for the Division taking due account of geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.
•Ensures that the outputs produced by the Division meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with relevant mandates, and that high-quality standards are maintained; and ensures that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data.
•Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; fosters collaborative teamwork and internal communication among staff in the Division, across Divisions and organizational boundaries.
•Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
•Plays a key role in senior management meetings; chairs meetings, seminars, etc., on substantive-related issues; works collaborately with senior communications official across the Organization and acts as its representative at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conference.
•Perform other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.
Professionalism:
Knowledge of communications and public information approaches and tools, including social media. Ability to think strategically and to develop and implement communications campaigns to broaden awareness of programmes and priorities, and to increase their visibility across key audiences, including the media. Ability and comfort in interacting with high-level representatives of governments and internal and external entities, and awareness of politically sensitive issues. Ability to produce reports and papers on substantive and technical issues and reviewing and editing the work of others. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
Accountability:
Takes ownership for all responsibilities and honours commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
Managerial Competencies:
Leadership:
Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; Empowers others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
Judgment/Decision-making:
Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.
Managing Performance:
Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority. Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member. Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills. Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines. Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff. Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative. Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff. Appraises performance fairly.
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in journalism, international relations, communications, political science or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Over fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in journalism, strategic communications, public information or international relations, of which at least five years were at the international level in a large multi-cultural institution is required. Experience in senior management, administration, operations and change management on organizational restructuring is required. Experience in development and implementation of strategic, multimedia public information campaigns is required. Experience in offices away from headquarters is desirable. Experience in leading a large team of diverse staff is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
Appointment at the United Nations is subject to mandatory adherence to the United Nations Financial Disclosure programme.
The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential.
For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 September 2017, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, China, Comoros, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Viet Nam.
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.