Special Notice

Notes:

This position is to be filled through 31 December 2016, with possibility of further extension subject to the mission's mandate and satisfactory performance.

•A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.

•Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.

•Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

•While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.

•The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.

•Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

•For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

•The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located within the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in the Office of Public Information Division. The Spokesperson will be based in Juba under the overall guidance of the Principal Public Information Officer.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Spokesperson will be responsible for the following duties:

• Serve as lead spokesperson for UNMISS; provide technical and policy advice on highly complex public information and communications issues; develop and disseminate messages, press lines and press releases on specific occasions, events, crises, and all other opportunities identified by mission leadership to express its views and share its opinions.
•Prepare, lead and anchor UNMISS weekly press conference from Juba, and elsewhere if needed, and oversee transcript of material and verbatim preparation and dissemination.
•Makes official statements on behalf of the mission and provides information on the mission to the UN Office of the Spokesperson and then after Secretary-General, Departments of Public Information, Peacekeeping Operations, Field Support and other entities in the UN as required;
•Conceptualize, design and execute the media driven information strategy, programme and activities to support the mission concept and mission objectives within the context of the overall mission public Information strategy.
• Lead and direct a team of Media relations and public information officers; plan and allocate work assignments; coach, mentor, and evaluate staff; participate in recruitment and selection of new staff and in the development of training programs.
• Oversee the preparation, from research to publication, of UN newsletters, periodicals, reports and books within the context of the overall mission public Information strategy.
• Conduct sensitive political liaison work; create and maintain networks of high level communications contacts with broadcast media, the press, governmental media related agencies, international institutions and other groups and organizations in civil society (non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, community organizations, women’s groups, etc.); represent the organization in important meetings, conferences, events, etc.; promote joint public relations ventures.
• Contribute to development of institutional public relations policies within the United Communication Group (UNCG).
• Assess the overall effectiveness of the public information media strategy and programmes and make needed changes in approach and technique if necessary.
• Provide diverse materials (briefings, speeches, questions and answers) for use by senior officials develop or overall see development of high profile multi-media communications campaigns; set quality and production standards for information dissemination.
•Provide press briefings and interviews and issues press releases;
•Maintain daily relations with local and international media arrange for media representatives to meet with senior mission officials and facilitate the daily work of journalists covering the mission, and facilitate visits by media within the mission area;
•Maintain close contact with the Head of Mission and all mission components to have accurate and up-to-date information on mission activities and priorities;
•Coordinate and arrange the issuance of mission press Credentials as appropriate;
•Advise the Head of Mission on public relations and dealing with the media;
•Ensure that all components of the mission, as well as other UN actors on the ground coordinate their communications messages;
•Oversee the monitoring of the media for coverage of the mission and other relevant news, identifies trends, and provides advice to the Mission leadership in this regard.
•Ensure that, in addition to traditional media sources, the media relations unit utilises digital media, as appropriate, to disseminate information and engage in communications, including such platforms as the websites, Facebook, Twitter and other existing and emerging digital platforms.
•Create, maintain, & update timeline of upcoming events and activities inside & outside the mission.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of different aspects of public information and communication. Ability to address a range of issues in the context of political developments, public attitudes and local conditions. Ability to advise on high profile and sensitive communication challenges. Ability to assess world-wide communication environments, develop communication strategies and manage implementation of public information campaigns with various promotional and publicity techniques. Ability to produce a variety of written communications products in a clear, concise style. Ability to present and defend difficult positions to senior officials. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Ability to hold press conferences & handle media review & interviews professionally.
COMMUNICATIONS: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box"; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, public administration or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in public information, journalism, international relations, public administration or related area. For this position, knowledge of the East Africa region and specifically South Soudan is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by an interview.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.