Knowledge Management and Communications Associate at UN Women

Post Level: SB-3
Advertised on behalf of : UN WOMEN
Duration of Initial Contract: 1 year
Type of Contract: Service Contract
Additional Category: Gender Equality

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.
• The European Union and the United Nations have launched the Spotlight Initiative, a multi-year programme aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls (EVAWG), and harmful practices.  It will follow a transformative and evidence-based approach, addressing unequal power relations between men and women and focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as ending impunity for EVAWG.
• In line with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Initiative will follow a human rights-based approach and take into consideration the specific needs of women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and uphold the principle of “leaving no one behind.”
• The Spotlight Initiative aims to support transformative change on the ground to end violence against women and girls, in numerous countries globally, including Nigeria. The initiative comes with the highest level of commitment globally and will be governed by the UN Deputy Secretary-General and the Vice President of the EU Commission.
• This position is in line with the spirit of the new generation of Resident Coordinator offices, with the new skillset and competencies required to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, as well as the joint EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. Also, within the UN, the Initiative will operationalize the UN development system reforms and model a new way of delivering on the SDGs in an integrated way, leveraging collaborative advantages. Three Core Agencies: UNDP (the United Nations Development Programme), the United Nations Population (UNFPA) and UN Women will work together with other UN agencies to make large-scale investments in priority countries.
• Under the overall leadership of the Country Representative and with guidance and supervision of the Programme Manager, Technical Coherence- Spotlight Initiative, the Knowledge Management and Communications  Officer contributes to the effective and efficient implementation of the Spotlight Initiative and overall knowledge management of the Nigeria Country Office.
• The incumbent applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.
• The Knowledge Management and Communications Officer works in close collaboration UN Women Country office Communications Team, as well as other project teams in the Country Office (CO). For effective achievement of results, anticipating and resolving complex project-related issues and information delivery.
• The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UN Women programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.
• The Knowledge Management and Communications Officer will work closely with Spotlight implementing partners-specific communication capacities and resources, training, gathering data and feedback, developing tools and guidelines, and reporting.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Knowledge Management and Communications Officer, under the supervision and guidance of the Programme Manager and in close cooperation with programme officers, will be responsible for managing the successful implementation of Knowledge Management, Communications and Research activities of the Spotlight Initiative and other Country office (CO) programmes.
• The incumbent will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the project and mandate of the country office) of the highest quality and standards to national counterparts and clients.
• The Officer is expected to strengthen knowledge production, capture and analysis; ensure internal and external knowledge sharing; streamline knowledge management and communications activities in annual work plans and operation of the Spotlight Initiative and significantly participate in the project monitoring, evaluation, reporting and data collection.
• S/he is expected to document and develop knowledge products, innovative practices and lessons-learnt documents of the implementation of Spotlight Initiative and country office, to contribute to the exchange within UN Women and with partners.
• Design the annual work plan on knowledge products for the Spotlight Initiative and Country office and contribute to the realization of the plan according to the guidance note on developing knowledge products.
• Contribute to conducting community attitudes and/or perception surveys, focus groups, thematic meetings which provide insights on social norms, discriminatory attitudes and other factors that highlight the risks and tolerance of violence.
• Work proactively with Spotlight Initiative and Country office teams to identify opportunities for capturing and sharing knowledge and disseminating information about major progress and results.

Specifically, the Officer will perform the following functions:
Knowledge management and knowledge sharing:

• Oversee the development of knowledge products on Spotlight Initiative and in the Country Office with respect to UN Women Quality Assurance Standards: relevance, evidence-based, timely, authoritative, compelling, consistent, and influential.
• Ensure validation of all the knowledge products developed in the framework of Spotlight Initiative in line with the Guidance Note for Developing Knowledge products.
• Tailor project products (e.g. producing shorter versions of lengthy documents/research) to increase usefulness to target audiences and maximize the results from investing in and producing knowledge products.
• Contribute to the maintenance of Communities of practices (CPOs) for the programmes team and identify knowledge-sharing methodologies to respond to UN Women and stakeholders needs.
• Contribute to the consolidation of knowledge platform of UN Women that will facilitate access to resources developed by Spotlight Initiative and the Country Office.
• Capture lessons learnt in programme implementation for the preservation and use of institutional memory and help inform the development of other knowledge products.
• Provide guidance to the team and beneficiaries on how to collect practical and action-oriented knowledge, grounded in quantitative and qualitative evidence.
• Participate and conduct local and/or regional knowledge and communications exchange workshops on relevant topics/practices, including virtually through webinars, videoconferencing and other innovative methods.
• Disseminate promising practices through national, regional websites, listservs type of softs and for a

Communications:

• Support the development of comprehensive and realistic communication and visibility plans and strategies, ensuring a gender perspective; as part of the communications team of the country office.
• Support the design and implementation of high impact communications’ products (e.g. web, electronic, etc.);
• Support documentation and sharing of success stories and failure, promising practices (good practices if formally evaluated) through concrete and in-depth analytical case studies, video and other mediums that supports the advancement of gender equality and women empowerment.
• Ensure wide dissemination and visibility of programme achievements;
• Provide photography support and produce other written and visual communications and external engagement materials as requested by management.
• Provide support to monitor and evaluate communication and visibility campaigns and track progress against established work plans and outputs;
• Write and/or disseminate press releases, policy briefs, pamphlets, talking points, speeches, editorials, branded materials, and other written communications materials;
• Provide communications and advocacy support to joint national campaigns, launching initiatives, and publications;
• Develop and support management of relationship with members of the media;
• Design and maintain a digital presence, including robust social media footprint for the UN Women Spotlight Initiative component.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Provide support to the Programme Manager to ensure the Spotlight Initiative is properly monitored, well documented and ready for evaluation. Offer significant input in the project reporting processes.
• Maintain updated and comprehensive evidence of all project activities and project result framework with performance indicators
• Maintain updated evidence of applied knowledge services delivered to project partners and project staff, keeping track of what works in the project implementation to support building institutional memory.
• Permanently document the overall experience of project work, including the research on knowledge, expertise and networks in identified areas, engagement with the partners; the support to resource mobilization, etc,; and provide documentation reports to the programme manager upon request.

Provide administrative and logistical support as necessary:

• Support preparation and organization of meetings, workshops.
• Review visibility materials/messages and provide guidance to implementing partners in line with Spotlight Branding, Communications and Visibility Guidelines
• Engage directly and pro-actively with operational counterparts in other UN agencies

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or related field; Or
• A relevant Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent) with two additional years of qualifying experience.

Experience:

• At least 4 years progressively responsible professional experience in communications, print, broadcast, and/or media and social media.
• Ability to contribute to the efficient and effective communications, visibility, and communication for development/social and behavior change communication
• Ability to contribute to the development and implementation of knowledge management strategy for the county office
• At least 4 years of professional experience working on gender equality and human rights, especially in the area of EVAWG;
• Experience in communications with of one or several of the UN agencies in Nigeria is preferred;
• Proficiency in design, photography, videography, social media campaigns, or other similar skills are an asset; and
• Computer literate, with proficiency with office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management and knowledge management systems.

Competencies:
Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to gender issues;
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; and
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Technical Competencies:

• Design and management of communication and visibility processes, including with multiple stakeholders;
• Design and management of communication for development and/or social and behavioral change communication strategies and messages.

 Functional Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of gender equality, gender-based violence, and women’s and children’s rights issues;
• Ability to contribute to the development and implementation of efficient and effective communications, visibility, and C4D/SBCC strategies and programming;
• Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication and advocacy skills;
• Ability to design and maintain a robust digital and social media presence;
• Ability to conceptualize issues and analyze data;
• Demonstrated strong IT skills; with proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 programs, exceptional PowerPoint skills, COREL Draw, Graphics design and other knowledge management and communications software
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and in a team;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Focuses on impact and result for the client;
• Demonstrates creativity and creative problem solving;
• Schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources; monitors performance against development and other objectives and corrects deviations from the course;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities; and
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of any other UN official working language is an asset