Communication Officer – WHO jobs in Ethiopia

• Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Vacancy No: N/A 
• Salary: N/A
• Organization: WHO
• Gender: Both
• Deadline:  2024-03-17

Purpose of the Post:

In the context of the WHO Health Emergencies Preparedness and Response programme, at the WCO, the purpose of this position is to coordinate external and internal communications for the Health Emergencies Programme. The position is also meant to support communication of relevant emergency health issues as well as the work of the Emergency programme to national audiences and promote communications enabling high visibility of the WHE programme and WCO in general.

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate unit or field activity (Overview of the programme):

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The Programme supports countries and coordinates international action, to prevent, prepare for, detect, rapidly respond to, and recover from outbreaks and emergencies.

Organizational Context (Describe the work environment, the role of the individual within the team – team member, specialist, adviser, facilitator, coordinator/manager, representative, expert, authority in the field, etc; available guidelines and degree of independence in decision making, and nature and purpose of contact within and outside the Organization):

The incumbent, Communications Officer – Emergency, will fall under the direct supervision of the WCO Communication Officer and overall guidance of the WHE Team Lead and will coordinate external and internal communications for the Health Emergencies Programme. S/he will develop, implement and evaluate communications and advocacy strategies contributing to increase public attention on and engagement in health emergencies preparedness and response and WHO’s work, ensuring WHO’s reputation and credibility are established and maintained.

Summary of Assigned Duties (Describe what the incumbent has to do to achieve main objectives; include main achievements expected):

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the Communication Officer – Emergency is assigned all or part of the following duties which are performed according to needs:

Strategies and plans

• Develop, implement and evaluate external communication and advocacy strategies and plans for health emergencies in Ethiopia.
• Contribute to position WHO and enhance WHO’s reputation in the health emergencies landscape, support development and dissemination of advocacy materials, and ensure visibility of key WHE guidance, frameworks and tools.
• Support the country’s Communication Officer, in liaising and coordinating with the press/media to advocate and disseminate information on emergency prevention, preparedness, recovery and response strategies and efforts. Organize interviews and filming opportunities to support high visibility of WHO achievements through television, radio and newspapers, etc.
• Liaise and coordinate WHE external and advocacy communications with other levels of the organization ensuring consistency of messages and narratives, and visibility of WCO work.
• Ensure that activities for health emergencies cluster are supported by effective communications and advocacy messages.

WHE visibility and campaigns

• Ensure that WHE campaigns are effectively planned and rolled out in collaboration with WHE programme areas and across the communications teams at the Country Office level.
• Events/campaigns: Coordinating communications for events and campaigns and also provide support in the organization of workshops, seminars and events organized by the Unit
• Coordinate with WHE leadership to ensure WHE visibility in Office-wide communications, including for annual high-level events and observances (e.g. WHO Commemorated days, UN Days etc), and coordinate external communications and advocacy in WHE conferences and meetings.
• Oversee WHE social media content ensuring cohesion and optimal usability for diverse target audiences.
• Coordinate WHE input into corporate communications products and activities.
• Keep internal WHO audiences abreast of health emergencies developments in preparedness and response and WHE’s work.

Media

• Establish and nurture relations with international and national media in the context of health emergencies.
• Digital communications/social media: maintain EPR’s social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) including daily monitoring, posting and content development to enhance the visibility of the work of the Emergency Preparedness and Response work

Promote the work of WCO in emergency preparedness and response, ensure timely and accurate information sharing with the media as needed, and engage media to cover the health aspects and needs of responses in an accurate and responsible way.

• Attend WHE regular meetings on health events signals and assess event from an external communications and advocacy perspective. Develop Talking Points, Questions and Answers, key messages, news releases and other media materials ensuring clearance as needed.
• Provide advice and support to WHE leadership and WRs on both proactive and reactive media outreach, including through the timely provision of key messages and Talking Points as well as press briefings, and media interviews.
• Regularly monitor and evaluate media coverage, particularly around WCO launches and statements, and share results and findings.

Storytelling

• Position health high in external communications and advocacy, documenting WHE work in emergency preparedness and response and health needs of at-risk/affected populations
• Identify opportunities to tell the stories of at-risk/affected people and frontline responders.
• Use diverse tools and channels to share stories and messages, including audio-visuals and social media.
• Manage processes for contracting and working with consultants such as photographers, videographers, and other content producers.
• Support COs emergency communications in preparedness and response and deploy in health emergencies as needed.

Competencies (Describe the core, management or leadership competencies required –  See WHO competency model – list in order of priority, commencing with the most important ones – identify a minimum of three and a maximum of five competencies):

1) Building and promoting partnerships across WHO and beyond.

2) Moving forward in a changing environment

3) Ensuring effective use of resources

4) Fostering integration and teamwork

5) Communicating in a credible and effective way

Functional Skills and Knowledge (Describe skills and knowledge specific to the post): Describe the essential knowledge and the skills specific to the position

1.Proven skills in the development and implementation of communication/medial product and tactics

2.Excellent communication, facilitation, report writing and presentation skills

3.Excellent interpersonal skills complemented by the ability to conceptualize ideas and advocate consensus

4.Knowledge or understanding of WHO mandate and goals in the emergency context

5.Ability to “think out of the box” and to make innovative proposals as related to communication

Education (Qualifications):

Essential: University degree in journalism, public relations, communications and international relations or related field from an accredited/recognized institute.

Desirable: Courses/training in communication techniques such as graphic design, visual language and/or in the use of social media. Specialized training in communications techniques and media relations in a health emergency setting is an added advantage.

Experience

Essential: Minimum 5 years’ experience in at least two of the following fields: External Communications, Advocacy, Public Relations, Media, Multimedia, Storytelling, Digital Communications in the context of humanitarian emergencies or health outbreak response and recovery activities.

Desirable: Relevant prior experience working with WHO or other UN agencies/international organizations. Proven experience in writing advocacy documents or in the production of communication material.

Languages:

Essential: Excellent knowledge of English.

Desirable: Knowledge of local language

Other Skills (e.g., IT):

• Skills in database management and statistical analysis, monitoring and evaluation and public health information management.
• Good computer skills in Microsoft office.

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