Communications Officer (Flagship Publications Coordinator)

1A081A08

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization.

Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, for Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life, leaving no one behind.
The Office of Communications (OCC) is responsible for both external and internal communications of the Organization. It aims at making FAO’s communications strategic, coherent, focused and impactful, while ensuring effectiveness and efficiency in communication-related operations.
The post is located in the Publications Branch of OCC at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting lines
The Communications Officer (Flagship Publications Coordinator) reports to the Senior Communications Officer, Head of Publications Branch (OCCP).

Technical Focus
• Publications and Communication, digital publishing

Key Results
• The planning and delivery of OCC programmes, products and services and the development of related policies and specialized tools and systems through the use of comprehensive communication and publishing expertise.

Key Functions
• Leads projects and/or work teams, leads and/or participates in office teams, provides services and/or professional expertise on Organization-wide committees and working groups and represents FAO at inter-agency meetings;
• Plans and delivers programmes, products and services including related policies, systems and tools to facilitate the effective media relations and internal as well as external corporate communication;
• Analyzes information, data, statistics, relativities, trends, problems, and/or issues to support effective communication delivery, new initiatives, and the preparation of plans, strategies, reports, policies and/or other products;
• Provides specialist advice and expertise to internal and external partners on specific or complex cases, strategic communication, written communication, policy interpretation issues and/or best practices, etc.;
• Manages special projects and provides guidance to consultants for the development and implementation of new products, tools, and systems;
• Develops information, training materials and products to increase understanding of programmes, services and policies, and to promote capacity development;
• Develops relevant performance criteria and indicators to evaluate programmes, products and services.

Specific functions

• Coordinates the planning and editorial production of all FAO flagship publications and other corporate knowledge products in six official FAO languages, ensuring full compliance with the FAO Publications Board decisions and recommendations;
• Supervises production work of all language editions as undertaken by editors and designers, in close cooperation with the authoring divisions;
• Oversees processes of translation, production and distribution work undertaken by partners;
• Manages and strengthens publishing procedures, guidelines, planning and workflows for flagship publications and other corporate knowledge products;
• Supervises the edition of FAO flagships in one of the official FAO languages, maintaining a smooth workflow and ensuring the quality, consistency and accuracy of the text in line with FAO editorial guidelines, and generally accepted professional standards;
• Promotes FAO’s multilingualism policy and enhances dissemination and impact reach of FAO publications.

Candidates will be assessed against the following

Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in communication, publishing, social or political science or a related field
• Seven years of relevant experience in publishing and communication at international level
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building effective relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable
• Extent and relevance of experience in management of international publishing functions;
• Extent and relevance of experience in the full publishing cycle, including conceptualization, development, production and dissemination of publications;
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating corporate publication activities in an intergovernmental or international setting, in particular flagship type of material for a wide variety of audiences;
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset;
• Extent and relevance of experience in preparing and delivering presentations in English