UN Women: International Consultant – Communications to advance Governance Peace and Security in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, Consultancy

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), through its Governance, Peace and Security (GPS) Unit, leads policy and programme development and implementation in the areas of women’s leadership and decision-making and the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. This includes supporting peace building initiatives; facilitating the development, implementation, and monitoring of National and Regional Action Plans on WPS; promoting gender-responsive security sector reform; and advancing emerging and non-traditional WPS priorities such as Gender, Climate, Peace and Security and Women, Peace and Cybersecurity. The GPS Unit applies an intersectional approach across its work, with a strong focus on disability inclusion, youth engagement, and the meaningful engagement of men and boys as allies in advancing gender equality and sustainable peace. In line with CEDAW General Recommendation No. 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, the GPS Unit supports women leaders and women-led organizations to strengthen their participation, influence, and leadership across political, peace building, and governance processes.

In this context, the ROAP GPS team is looking to recruit an International Communications Consultant. The Consultant will report to the Regional Policy and Programme Specialist on Governance, Peace and Security.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under supervision of the GPS Policy and Programme Specialist for the Asia-Pacific Region, the Consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Strategic Communications and Advocacy

• Develop and implement a communications and advocacy strategy for the Governance, Peace and Security (GPS) portfolio, including sub projects aligned with UN Women's Strategic Note and corporate communications priorities.
• Position UN Women as a thought leader on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), women's political participation and leadership, access to justice, climate security, cybersecurity, peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
• Provide strategic communications advice to programme teams and senior management on advocacy and positioning.

2. Knowledge Management and Results Communication

• Translate complex policy and programme results into accessible and compelling communications products for diverse audiences.
• Develop stories of change, human-interest stories, case studies, policy briefs, fact sheets and multimedia products demonstrating the impact of UN Women's governance, peace and security work.
• Document lessons learned, innovative practices and evidence emerging from programme implementation.
• Support the preparation of annual reports, donor reports and corporate reporting products, ensuring strong reporting and evidence-based communications.
• Maintain a repository of communications materials, photos, videos, publications and success stories related to the GPS portfolio.
• Act as Knowledge Management Focal point for the GPS team.

3. Media Relations and Public Information

• In coordination with ROAP Communications team, develop and maintain relationships with national, regional and international media covering governance, peace and security issues.
• Draft press releases, media advisories, op-eds, speeches, key messages and briefing materials.
• Coordinate media engagement around major events, launches, reports, campaigns and high-level visits.
• Monitor media coverage related to women's leadership, peace and security, elections, conflict prevention, cybersecurity and other GPS priorities, and provide strategic analysis.

4. Digital Communications and Campaigns

• In coordination with ROAP Communications team, lead digital communications efforts for the GPS portfolio across websites, social media and digital platforms.
• Develop and implement campaigns on key thematic priorities, including Women, Peace and Security, women's political participation, ending violence against women in politics, climate security, cybersecurity and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
• Produce digital content, including videos, podcasts, social media toolkits, infographics and interactive communications products.
• Monitor analytics and audience engagement to inform communications strategies.

5. Strategic Partnerships and Donor Visibility

• Support donor visibility and communications requirements for GPS programmes and projects.
• Develop communications materials for resource mobilization and donor engagement.
• Coordinate communications efforts with development partners and UN entities involved in joint programming initiatives.

Expected Outputs and Timeline

Monthly progress reports are to be submitted, describing work completed and listing any outputs finalized during that month related to tasks outlined above. Payments will be made upon approval of the progress reports by the Policy and Programme Specialist. The International Consultant will report to the Policy and Programme Specialist on Governance, Peace and Security.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This consultancy is office-based at Bangkok, Thailand. The consultant is expected to work part time, at 80% (4/5 days per week)

If the selected candidate is not based at the duty station, UN Women will cover the cost of the most economical economy-class airfare for travel to the duty station at the start of the assignment and return travel to the consultant’s home country upon completion of the assignment. Reimbursement will be made based on the actual cost of the air ticket, supported by the invoice submitted by the consultant, and shall not exceed the airfare estimate established by UN Women's authorized travel provider.

As part of this assignment, official travel may be required. Travel will be managed following UN Women travel policy.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal, teamwork and communication skills;
• Ability to work independently and proactively solve problems;
• Capacity to plan, prioritise and deliver tasks on time;
• Capacity to engage with national and international staff, provide clear feedback and maintain effective rapport with different kinds of people;
• Actively work towards continuous learning and sharing with others to support local capacity development;
• Ability to research, analyse and present complex information;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a team to meet tight deadlines and produce high quality work.

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in communications, public relations, media, or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Required experience:

• At least 7 years of professional work experience in media, public relations, communications, or advocacy, including at least 3 years of experience with UN entities or International Organisations.
• Proven experience in social media management.
• Proven experience in developing and executing communications, outreach, or advocacy strategies.
• Proven experience working on governance, WPS or GEWE issues.

Desirable experience:

• Work experience in Asia or the Pacific is an advantage.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English is required.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.