Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its new Country Strategic Note 2023-2027, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova 2023-2027 (UNSDCF), UN Women Global Strategic Plan, National Programs and Strategies and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women; 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance; 3) Women’s Economic empowerment and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on gender equality.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Communications Specialist, the Communications Associate supports the formulation and implementation of the communications and advocacy strategies to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public. The Communications Associate collaborates closely with other Country Office colleagues, as well as the Headquarters and Regional Office counterparts, to ensure communications activities and organizational outreach efforts are aligned with corporate communications policies and initiatives and follow innovative approaches and good practices. The Communications Associate provides substantive support in the management of the UN Women website and social media channels. The Communication Associate applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide support in the development and implementation of the CO communications and advocacy strategy

• Provide substantive inputs to the development of the CO communication strategy;
• Provide support to the development and implementation of advocacy and communication campaigns
• Provide support to programme and other CO staff on UN Women corporate communications guidelines;
• Support in-country UN Women/ UN system corporate and local campaigns and special events – and ensuing joint communications activities.

Provide support to the development of CO advocacy materials

• Identify storylines and achievements within the CO for online and printed publications;
• Prepare press releases, articles, human stories, and other advocacy materials;
• Support and contribute to the creation of more complex visual communication products – infographics, videos etc
• Oversee the translation, adaptation, or rewriting of information received for the local context;
• Manage the publication of materials for final approval; establish and maintain relationships with printers/ publishers;
• Follow UN Women and UN corporate communication guidelines.

Provide substantive support in the management of the CO social media presence and website

• Update the website, ensure consistency in branding;
• Track and monitor social media and report relevant information to CO staff;
• Research, compile and produce reports on web statistics on a regular basis;
• Create compelling social media text and visual content (social media cards etc.);
• Create easy-read communications materials through online tools, and other related tasks as requested by the office;
• Support to create monthly e-newsletters and other online materials, as necessary.

Provide communications and media support to the CO

• Support communications component of UN Women responsible parties, in line with UN Women communications guidelines;
• Support relationships with press in country; maintain and update database of relevant press;
• Respond to request for information and arrange interviews, as delegated;
• Provide inputs to talking points, as necessary.

Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and management

• Review of reference materials, identification of reference materials for retention;
• Maintain library/ database of reference materials and photos and digital assets, as necessary;
• Maintain files and systems relevant to the CO’s digital presence, as necessary;
• Support the formulation of communication, advocacy and outreach initiatives that apply innovative principles, practices and approaches.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative;
• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge;
• Focuses on tasks/activities which have a strategic impact on programme and capacity development activities;
• Promotes a supportive environment to enhance partnerships, leverages resources and build support for UN Women initiatives;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
• Knowledge of local country media landscape. Ability to establish and maintain contacts with media at national and local levels, with senior-level officials of the host government required
• Ability to be strategic and analytical
• Job knowledge/Technical expertise/In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter
• Good knowledge of the government institutions and PR agencies, news agencies in Moldova and abroad;
• Outstanding oral and written communications and editing skills, with proven ability to meet tight deadlines;
• Digital communications skills such as website management (including knowledge of HTML and CMS, experience with Drupal), basic design and layout skills, and managing social media accounts.
• Understands more advanced aspects of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Proven networking skills, and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Proven ability to problem-solving and think creatively to develop and implement smart business solutions in a challenging socio-economic environment;
• Ability to establish and maintain contacts with media at national and local levels, with senior-level officials of the host government required. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential part of the job;
• Ability to facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication both orally and in writing; Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies;
• Proven performance in organizing and coordinating major initiatives, events or challenging inter-organizational activities;

Leadership and self-management

• Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to establish priorities for self and others, achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high-quality standard throughout;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Interacts effectively with all levels of the organization, including senior management.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in journalism, communications, digital marketing or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• Additional training and certification in communication and related areas is a strong advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in communications, digital marketing or related relevant field at the national level is required.
• Experience in online outreach and multimedia is required.
• Experience in creative writing, editing and copywriting, including articles, reports, social media content, press releases is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required.
• Experience in the use of Drupal or other website management tool is desirable.
• Experience in video and photo editing and design software (Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud etc) is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Romanian is required.
• Working knowledge of Russian is desirable.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.