Communication and Advocacy Expert at UN-Habitat

Result of Service

• Inception Report and work programme
• UNITAC Hamburg website and content
• People-centered smart cities website and content
• Smart city toolbox website and content
• Digital helpdesk website and content
• A report on the events organised in collaboration with the UNITAC team
• A report on media outreach
• A communications plan for the Urban Academy
• Urban Academy online presence, including website and social media
• A selection of multimedia assets
• An updated UNITAC communications strategy
• At least 12 blog posts and articles

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the UNITAC-Hamburg Manager, the consultant will coordinate the development of the following outputs contributing to shaping UN-Habitat’s communication and advocacy engagement for the UNITAC initiative.

• UNITAC Communication Strategy. Lead the continued implementation and monitoring of the UNITAC Communication Strategy and advice on improvements; identify opportunities to build the visibility of both UNITAC through strategic partnerships, whether through campaigns, events or other initiatives, in line with UN-Habitat’s corporate brand.
• Communication outreach and media activities. Function as media contact point and handle media queries and requests; Draft various communication products (including press releases, media messages, media packs and reports, briefings, ect.); Draft and disseminate newsletters and email campaigns to promote UNITAC projects to increase programme visibility and knowledge sharing. Strategically engage media and other partners to amplify the voice, results, leadership and messages of UNITAC among target audiences.
• Events organising. Organise or participate in the organisation of conferences, forums, press briefings, interviews, etc.; prepare briefing materials for senior officials for to their participation in such events.
• UNITAC online presence. Oversee the content of UNITAC website and its social media accounts; developing websites for specific initiatives, producing content, commissioning articles and blog posts and managing social media accounts. Ensure alignment with UN-Habitat’s people-centered flagship programme.
• Communication liaison: Act as the UNITAC communication focal point for liaising with UN-Habitat’s communication focal point network, HQ, regional offices and country offices; liaise with the UN Department for Global Communications, UN-OICT and HafenCity University communications teams.
• Challenge driven innovation. Lead the communication and outreach activities of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge and other challenge-driven innovation initiatives. Manage and edit the website content and social media platforms. Support in the organisation of events and webinars.

Qualifications/special skills

• Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, social sciences, political science, international development, urban planning, architecture, innovation or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) years’ experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
• Experience: A minimum of five years’ experience in communications, journalism or media is required.
• Experience in media outreach, engaging with journalists, facilitating interviews. Media/journalist network is desirable.
• Strong skills in writing, including writing web copy, press releases, news articles and publications is desirable.
• Experience in working with digital platforms and websites, including social media is desirable.
• Experience in developing communications strategies and policies is desirable.
• Experience in project management desirable.
• Experience in graphic design desirable.
• Language: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of German is highly desirable