Openings at UN-Habitat

Duties and Responsibility

• The consultant will be hired under UN-Habitat's terms of contract and under the overall guidance and supervision of the Chief of Communication and the Head of Advocacy and Campaigns. UN-Habitat shall provide the necessary support to the consultant in order to execute the assignment during the duration of the consultancy. These will include travel arrangements, access to relevant documents and contacts of key people relevant to the execution of this assignment.

Specific duties and responsibilities for this consultancy include:

• Get familiar with relevant materials pertaining the thematic scope of the assignment
• Formulation and implementation of corporate editorial polices, objectives and guidelines that follow UN style guidelines
• Carry out more extensive editing where required, including rewriting, abridging and restructuring texts for greater readability, better logical sequence and conformity with United Nations standards, policy and practice.
• Capacity building within UN-Habitat by providing advice on improving quality and style of major written outputs and communication materials to ensure effective internal and external communication
• Consult with author departments and carry out research to clarify ambiguities and rectify errors.
• Provide authors or others submitting documentation with information on specific aspects of editorial policy and practice and assisting them in the preparation of manuscripts
• Develop and manage editorial workflow to effectively and efficiently manage the content and deadlines
• Drafting and editing of reports, speeches, OpEds, statements and book forewords.
• Observe the established terminology and usage; and ensure consistency
• Train junior or short-term editors and revises their work
• Act as a report-writer at United Nations meetings held in Nairobi and elsewhere.

Qualifications/special skills

• An Advanced-level degree from a university or institution of equivalent status is required.
• Candidates for this consultancy must have passed the relevant United Nations Competitive Examination for Editors or the relevant combined United Nations Competitive Examination for Translators/Précis-writers, Editors and Verbatim Reporters; this requirement will be waived for candidates who passed one of the relevant United Nations competitive examinations held before 2017 for Translators/Précis-Writers or Verbatim Reporters, subject to an assessment test to be conducted by the hiring manager as part of the Inspira selection process.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible work experience in translation, précis-writing, editing, self-revision, verbatim reporting, copy preparing, proofreading or production editing, is required.
• Experience editing within the United Nations or another international organization is required.
• Experience in the use of standard computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools is required.
• Report-writing experience is desirable

Languages

• English and French are the working knowledge of the United Nations Secretariat. For the consultancy advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

go to method of application »

consultancy include:

•  Get familiar with relevant materials pertaining the thematic scope of the assignment
•  Develop, plan and implement multi-media strategies aimed at communicating, advocating and promoting the impact of UN-Habitat's work.
•  Develop the preparation of information and communications products such as news stories, press releases, media alerts, speeches, e-Newsletters, book forewords, and products supporting major corporate activities
•  Manage the promotion and news for major UN-Habitat events, including, but not limited to, the World Urban Forum, World Habitat Day and World Cities Day
•  Contribute to the formulation and implementation of corporate editorial polices, objectives and guidelines that follow UN style guidelines
•  Contribute to capacity building within UN-Habitat by providing advice on improving quality and style of major written outputs and communication materials to ensure effective internal and external communication
•  Develop and manage editorial workflow to effectively and efficiently manage the content and deadlines
•  Convert the information acquired into readable, easy-to-understand content tailored to the specific audience
•  Observe the established terminology and usage; and ensure consistency
•  Ensure that all written work is authentic, original, and properly cited and/or reference

Qualifications/special skills

• A first-level degree from a university or institution of equivalent status is required.
• Candidates for this consultancy must have passed the relevant combined United Nations Competitive Examination for Translators/Précis-writers, Editors and Verbatim Reporters; this requirement will be waived for candidates who passed one of the relevant United Nations competitive examinations held before 2017 for Translators/Précis-Writers or Verbatim Reporters, subject to an assessment test to be conducted by the hiring manager as part of the Inspira selection process.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible work experience in writing and editing is required is required.

Languages

English and French are the working knowledge of the United Nations Secretariat. For the consultancy advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.