Communications Associate

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. Kosovo’s progress in respecting and promoting Gender Equality is highlighted in a series of international commitments and in national legal and policy frameworks. The main achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment reside in Kosovo’s institutional capacity development for the work on gender equality.

The Gender Equality Facility (GEF) is designed to support Kosovo in ensuring that through the EU accession process, gender equality is mainstreamed across sectors, and the gender equality mechanism is strengthened, with the ultimate result of more equitable socio-economic development outcomes for women, men, girls, and boys in candidate countries of South-East Europe.

As the Government of Kosovo prepares itself to align with the broader EU acquis in a wide range of sectors, it is prioritizing investment in particular sectors with specific areas of social and economic reform, providing for adoption of a comprehensive sector-based approach to development. Aligned with the Kosovo Program for Gender Equality 2020-2024, the overall goal of the Action is to support Kosovo in accelerating progress on gender equality by specifically strengthening those institutional structures, processes and procedures that are responsible for transposing the EU Gender Equality acquis and integrating gender-responsiveness into policy and governance.

A set of activities has been identified to reach expected results, focusing on increasing the absorption capacity for implementing the EU Gender Equality acquis through access to technical guidance, tools, and harmonized methodologies; capacity development, coaching and advice; and the provision of technical assistance for gender mainstreaming in support of priority reforms/ sectors and (recovery) plans. The project objectives will be achieved by increasing long-term capacities of operating structures and public institutions to mainstream gender at all levels and across sectors, with particular focus on strengthening equal opportunities for women, men, girls, and boys, notably for those facing the greatest risk of being marginalized, excluded, and left behind. In the medium to longer-term, and in line with EU Gender Action Plan III, the Action aims to secure implementation/application of gender equality legislation, policies, and standards through policy dialogue, technical expertise and guidance, development and sharing of good practice, and strategic partnerships and cooperation. The Action will focus on the following key results:

The first expected Result is that sector reforms, strategies, development programmes, and plans are aligned with the EU Gender Equality acquis and consistently reflect gender responsiveness. Secondly, at local government unit/service provision level, the Action will support the process of translating EU and national gender equality policy to the local level, so that local government units apply gender mainstreaming to policies and plans and implement gender-responsive actions in accordance with their mandate. The third expected Result is that increasingly, gender mainstreaming is implemented throughout IPA programs, and policy dialogue between the EU and Kosovo institutions addresses gender equality concerns in line with EU GAP III.

The project “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans” (2020-2024) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA), the regional programme with participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Serbia and North Macedonia. The main programme approach is transformative financing as an enabler factor for policy and financing actions to accelerate implementation of existing national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The project supports governments and other actors to fulfil and achieve gender equality commitments and women's economic empowerment in the upcoming four years in Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. North Macedonia is part of this initiative with the ongoing project for promoting gender-responsive budgeting.

UN Women collaborates with the Agency for Gender Equality (AGE), Gender Equality Officers (GEOs)/Gender Focal Points at central and local level, the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration (KIPA), the Development Cooperation Office in the Prime Minister’s Office, line ministries, sector governance structures, the Prime Minister’s Office: Office for Strategic Planning/National IPA Coordinator, the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA), Local Self-Government Units, women’s civil society organizations, the EU Office in Kosovo, EUOK contractors/partners, and media.

The UN Women Office in Kosovo seeks to recruit a Communications Associate who will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women Head of Office, in synergy with the GEF Project Manager and GRB Project Coordinator and in close collaboration with the GEF Output Coordinators and EU Office Communications team.  The Communications associate will be responsible for timely planning and implementation of the project communication strategy and work plan; will support advocacy efforts and organizational outreach efforts with partners and the wider public; and will ensure that media relations and communication and visibility efforts follow best practice and are aligned with UN Women and EU corporate communications policies and initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Under the supervision of the UN Women Head of Office in Kosovo in synergy with the GEF Project Manager and GRB Project Coordinator the Communication Associate will:

Promote the work of the GEF and GRB Projects:

• Support the UN Women, GEF and GRB Project teams, in ensuring visibility, communication and outreach to promote its work;
• Assist in fostering cooperation between the Project Teams and stakeholders/beneficiaries;
• Prepare high-quality communication and visibility products in line with EU and UN Women standard publication and branding guidelines;
• Engage in quality assurance of print and audio-visual materials, and ensure communication products developed under the project comply with EU and UN gender equality principles for audio & visual materials;
• Prepare/draft correspondence in response to media inquiries and information requests;

Plan and design communications and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans for GEF and GRB:

• Assist the project teams in developing and implementing the project/s outreach/advocacy and Communication Strategy and Plan;
• Coordinate and organize roundtable discussions, press conferences, interviews, and briefing sessions for the media, as required;
• Assist in public events organized in the framework of the project/s;
• Review translations, publications, and other communication materials and products;
• Integrate communication, advocacy and outreach approaches and plans into project implementation plans;

Coordinate and contribute substantively to the development and dissemination of communications, advocacy, and knowledge products:

• Provide consistent social media engagement and outreach for the project, including local and regional social media account(s) and the regional UN Women website;
• Coordinate outreach and advocacy campaigns;
• Engage in the dissemination of information and publications;
• Contribute to the monitoring and analysis of print and social media, and draft respective reports;
• Maintain and update a contact and communication database for sharing of information and dissemination of products;
• Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, government, and other relevant groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors, as delegated;
• Liaise with selected responsible partners, marketing companies to safeguard quality assurance of communications materials, including brochures, publications, and manage their dissemination;
• Draft briefing materials, press releases, and articles, and manage their dissemination;
• Contribute to corporate projects reporting;

Coordinate media relations:

• Draft press releases/media advisories/news briefs/fact sheets/brochures, etc., and manage their dissemination;
• Coordinate the establishment of relevant relationships across all media;
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned;

Impact of Results:

The action is expected to improve the fulfillment of gender equality policies, and transformative financing for gender equality, increase the capacity for effectively absorbing the EU provisions on gender equality, and provide an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experience among the Western Balkans countries and with EU Member States.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Effective communication and Inclusive collaboration
• Actively promotes gender equality during Project Activities
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies -

Functional Competencies

• ?Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively, and creatively across different constituencies
• Ability to create, edit, and present content in clear formats
• Knowledge of production, graphic design, and photography standards
• Knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Communication, networking, and advocacy skills
• Ability to be strategic and analytic
• Knowledge of gender equality and human rights issues

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Media Studies, Journalism, Gender Studies, or related fields.
• Additional trainings and certifications in communication and related areas are an advantage.

Experience:

• At least three (3) years of professional work experience at the national level in public relations, communications, and/or advocacy;
• A minimum of 3 years of professional engagement in managing the design of a wide range of audio-visual materials and products on gender equality, women’s rights, human rights, and socio-economic development issues;
• Proven track record (portfolio) of writing, editing, and copy-editing communication products in English and Albanian, including articles, reports, social media content, press releases, and similar;
• Previous experience in conceptualizing and leading effective public awareness campaigns;
• Expertise in video and photo editing and design software is an advantage;
• Work experience with international organizations, the UN System, with EU -funded projects is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent language skills in Albanian and English, both verbal and written is required.
• Knowledge of Serbian is considered an asset.

Application Instructions:

All interested candidates must complete a PERSONAL HISTORY FORM (P-11). Failure to disclose prior employment or making false representations on this form will be grounds for withdrawal of further consideration of his/her application or termination, where the appointment or contract has been issued.

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