Consultant: Communications and Visibility Specialist at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Specific Tasks to be performed by the consultant:

• The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UNODC ROEA Head of Criminal Justice Programme and the direct supervision of the and the PLEAD Manager. He or She will also be in close technical cooperation with the Associate Programme Officers under the Criminal Justice Programme in ROEA.
• The Consultant will also work closely with the beneficiary institutions, PLEAD partners, the donor (European Union) and UNODC (ROEA and Headquarters) in performing the following substantive

duties and responsibilities:

• Develop a detailed workplan in coordination with UNODC and the relevant partners/stakeholders.
• Develop the PLEAD II Communications action plan, aligned to the UNODC Communications Action Plan (2021-2023) and the visibility requirements of the EU, access to information and transparency and relevant policies guiding communication by Kenya Government institutions.
• Coordinate to the monitoring and evaluation framework and implementation plan for PLEAD II on matters strategic to communication and public relations.
• Provide technical assistance to national partners in the development or update of their respective communication strategies/policies as well as delivery of communication activities, such as sensitisation campaigns around specific thematic interventions.
• Contribute to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g., draft background papers, briefing notes, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies and inputs to publications, relating to PLEAD II.
• Drafting, at a high-quality level, various print and digital communication products, such as talking points, newsletter articles, press releases and social media and website content.
• Conducts media outreach, including by establishing and maintaining contact with national and regional media, placing op-eds and arranging interviews, organizing press conferences and briefings and monitoring press coverage of PLEAD II issues.
• Update UNODC ROEA social media accounts and website and thus ensure that there is regular content on PLEAD events and related activities. This includes monitoring user traffic and engagement and advise on continuous improvements.
• Raise visibility of PLEAD II and its partners as well as highlighting its positive impact on the criminal justice system and on all citizens.
• Identify new and innovative ways to enhance the visibility of PLEAD II, especially by producing quality communications and information products to create awareness and publicity of the project.
• and sustain professional relationships with key partners and UN Agencies at the national and regional level and undertakes joint strategic activities with them; facilitates dialogues with partners to improve public engagement and increase understanding about PLEAD II’s mandate.
• Coordinate the delivery of identified support services, such as communication, graphic design and layout, illustrations, translation, photography and video and audio production, and update the PLEAD publication master schedule.
• Bolster the partnership with criminal justice actors and other UN Agencies in the area of communications.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university (Master or equivalent) degree in journalism, communications or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in communications is required.
• Experience working with criminal justice practitioners is desirable.
• Experience in working with senior government officials in sensitive areas is desirable.
• Experience within an International Organization or the United Nations system is desirable.
• Experience in developing or updating communication strategies for governmental or non-governmental stakeholders is required.
• Experience in working with EU funded projects is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations Secretariat language is an advantage.