Communications Intern

Background: AUMCO

The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) was set up in August 2019 as a part of the UNOPS Europe & Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on:

• Infrastructure

• Procurement 

• Project Management (full service, back on track)

• HR and Transactional Services

• Grant Management 

• Technical and Advisory Services

Background: Project

UNOPS, through ECR AUMCO, is partnering with the Government of Albania and the European Union, as well as with the UN system, to facilitate the post-earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction of a large number of key cultural heritage sites, museums, and cultural hubs and to promote tourism and economic development of the sites. 

On 26 November 2019, Albania was hit by its most deadly earthquake in a century. The earthquake measured 6.4 on the Richter scale and caused significant casualties and property damage, resulting in 51 deaths, over 1000 injured, and nearly 14,000 people displaced. To measure and assess the economic damage, a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) was conducted, estimating the total economic losses at nearly EUR 1Billion.  

The PDNA documented the destruction of public and private infrastructure. Of particular concern was the destruction of cultural heritage monuments and property, as 53 cultural heritage properties were significantly damaged by the earthquake. This project seeks to remediate the effect of the earthquake on Albania’s cultural heritage through the rehabilitation of monuments, as well as contribute to Albania’s socio-economic recovery through the construction and upgrade of these sites. It will be important also to support improvements in the capacity of institutions responsible for the management of these cultural monuments and sites to better accommodate tourism. A final outcome of the project is the effective communication of project results to the wider public and developing and implementing an advocacy platform resulting in better recognition of the important role of culture in the social and economic well-being of Albanian citizens.

• Support the updating of  Albania Office communication strategy and plan, as well as relevant engagement with AUMCO offices
• Assist in drafting high-quality copy for external news stories, newsletter, factsheets and web content.
• Contribute to the development and drafting of concept notes, proposals, presentations, etc.
• Ensure data and visualization quality in internal and external communications such as Intranet, Presentations, monthly newsletters, and brochures.
• Assist with developing outreach and other events in coordination with the HQ Communication Group and AUMCO units.
• Support the editing and publishing of EU4Culture project content, including blog posts, factsheets, posters, videos and other materials for print and electronic publication;
• Support the strategic planning of communication campaigns for UN international days and other corporate initiatives;
• Assist in the monitoring and evaluation of EU4Culture project communication content, including the preparation of quarterly report reviews and monthly analytics reports;
• Support the setup of web conferencing and other online collaborative workspaces as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education

• Secondary school diploma is required.

• A Bachelor degree in communications, journalism media relations or relevant discipline is desirable.

• Must be currently enrolled in a university programme such as Bachelor, Masters or PhD. (or the equivalent) or have graduated from such studies within three years prior to the date of the application of the internship programme.

• Certification in communications, monitoring and reporting desirable.

Work Experience

• Professional experience in communications support is desirable.
• Experience in work with the international aid development sector, including the UN system, European Union is desirable.

Language

• Fluency in English and Albanian is required.