Functional title: Communication Officer
Duty station of assignment: Prishtina with travel to other Kosovo municipalities
Type of contract: Service Contract
Duration of assignment: 6 working months
Closing date for applications: 26 February 2021

Background  

UN-Habitat has been actively assisting Kosovo institutions in the field of governance, spatial planning and municipal administration since 1999. Building on the results and tools generated by the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme (implemented from 2005 to 2016), UN-Habitat is implementing the Inclusive Development Programme (2016-21), which aims to provide a strategic, comprehensive package of support to build municipal planning and management capacities, strengthen the social contract and social cohesion, and enhance coordination within a framework of inter-municipal cooperation and multi-level governance, with a view to foster inclusive development and good governance in northern Kosovo. The Programme is financed by the Swedish International Development Agency and jointly implemented with PAX and Community Building Mitrovica (CBM). It covers 7 municipalities in the northern Kosovo region:  Leposavic/Leposaviq, Mitrovica South, Mitrovica North, Skenderaj/Srbica, Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Zubin Potok, and Zvecan/Zvecan.

To support the implementation of these projects, UN-Habitat is seeking a Communication Officer, who will fulfil the following duties and responsibilities under the overall guidance of UN-Habitat Chief Technical Advisor.

Purpose of the post

The general purpose of the post is to provide communication, visibility and outreach services to projects conducted by the UN-Habitat Kosovo Office.

Main tasks of the post

Under the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and under the supervision of the relevant programme officer, the incumbent’s responsibilities will be as follows:

• Finalize the Communication and Visibility Plan, including the requirements of key principles, the communication tools, timing of activities, resources etc; and ensure articulation with the projects plans;
• Develop/produce communication instruments and materials, through appropriate and creative use of brand design package of the projects;
• Develop and maintain projects social networks’ communication platform (website, facebook, instagram, twitter), providing updated information on project activities;
• Write short stories after all workshops, conferences and other projects events; produce or oversee production of multimedia feature stories;
• Create and maintain a communication database with all documents produced, publications, reports, workshops and conferences reports, photography, videos, etc.;
• Support public and dialogue events, workshops, public meetings, conferences, events and project review, and ensure targeted outreach, support materials and messaging;
• Undertakes activities to promote media coverage (e.g. interviews , project site visits, conferences, public meetings, etc.), and report on the impact of coverage;
• Support the preparation of work plans, presentations and reporting materials, proofreading translated items;
• Substantively support the confection of selected documents, materials, activity delivery, such as training, meetings, etc. relevant to the implementation of the programme portfolio of UN-Habitat Kosovo Office, as required;
• Provide logistical and administrative support and perform any other functions and tasks which may be required by the nature of the projects’ activities and as assigned by the CTA.

Duty station 

The work shall be performed from UN-Habitat premises located in Pristina with frequent travel to other partner municipalities. Travel to other Kosovo municipalities will be covered by UN-Habitat.

Work plan and products

Professionalism: Knowledge of different aspects of public information and communication. Ability to address a range of issues in the context of urban development, public attitudes and local conditions. Ability to conceptualize, design and implement information materials. Ability to rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from varied sources. Ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audiences and cultivate productive relationships. Ability to produce a variety of written communications products in a clear, concise style. Ability to deliver oral presentations to various audiences. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Excellent and effective written and oral skills; ability to persuade people with varying points of view and to present information in a concise and accurate manner, ability to clearly communicate links between the organizations. Planning and Organizing: Proven ability to plan, coordinate and monitor own work and that of others. Ability to work under pressure and uses time efficiently. Identifies priority activities and assignments, adjust priorities as required. Teamwork: Ability to coordinate activities and teams. Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by valuing others ideas and expertise and is willing to learn from others. Conflict management and consensus facilitation skills. Creativity: Strong conceptual thinking. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches, takes calculated risks on new and unusual  ideas;  thinks “outside the box”, and offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs. Can easily develop clear plans in contexts with limited information and datasets. Finds ways to extract and combine data and information to create base maps.

Qualifications and requirements

NOTE: The quality and extent of the person’s qualifications, skills and experience in the requirements below will determine the grade/level to which a successful applicant will be appointed

Education and experience

• Degree in communications, public relations, journalism, marketing, publishing, media or a related field;
• At least three years of relevant professional experience in the field of communications required;

Language

• English is the working language of UN-Habitat Kosovo Office; professional-level command of English is required (reading, writing and speaking)
• Professional-level fluency in Albanian is required; working fluency in Serbian is a significant asset

Key skills

• Be capable of coordinating activities, working in a team, building networks and undertaking initiative to ensure and open communication within the team and with partners, incl. municipal officials, citizens, stakeholders;
• Strong writing skills, as well as a solid understanding of social media;
• Pro-active attitude towards work and motivation to take on new challenges;
• Advanced working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Publisher). Candidates with basic design and layout skills and knowledge of graphics applications are an added advantage;
• Experience of website updating/editing and/ or video-producing would be an asset;
• Experience in project and/or event management would be an asset;
• Valid driving license and the ability to obtain a UN driver’s license.

Special considerations:

 The candidate should be:

• Willing to take responsibility, act professionally at all times, and make sure tasks are fully completed
• Able to work under pressure in diverse environments with minimum supervision
• Sensitive to gender issues and issues of concern to vulnerable groups
• Able to meet deadlines for reporting and all project work
• Express enthusiasm and willingness to continue learning new skills and share experiences with other members of the team