Job: NATIONAL CONSULTANT - COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST

Location : Amman, JORDAN

Application Deadline : 24-Nov-13

Type of Contract : Individual Contract

Post Level : National Consultant

Languages Required : Arabic English

Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Jan-2014

Duration of Initial Contract : Six months renewable

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. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Jordan has managed to attain its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the areas of education and health. Specifically, Jordan has managed to close the gender gaps in education, where female enrollment rates match and at some levels, exceed that of males. In the health sector, improved access to health services has ensured the delivery of healthcare to all segments of the Jordanian society. This has had a positive impact on the decline of infant mortality and improvement in maternal mortality health. Despite these achievements, gender gaps persist particularly in the areas of political and economic participation and leadership. Women continue to suffer from gender discrimination in penal, nationality and citizenship laws and violence against women in all its forms, the latter represents one of the greatest challenges to Jordanian women and society.

Politically women remain underrepresented in political parties, professional organizations, and decision making positions in the government and legislature, but they have been increasing their political civic participation in recent years. Economically despite the recent improvements, women's rates of economic participation remain low. The economic status of women has been trailing behind most countries at the same socioeconomic level regionally and globally. One of the main reasons for this low participation is the insistence on preserving traditional gender roles among Jordanian families. The economic transformation in Jordan during the last two decades was not reflected equally in all segments of the society, women still suffer from low participation in the different sectors of the economy.

Against this background and in accordance with its Strategic Note and Annual Work Plan (2012-2013) the UN WOMEN (UNW) Office in Jordan is engaged in a number of programmatic initiatives namely on:

• Women's increased participation in politics, both at national and local levels;
• Women's equal employment opportunities, access to training and education, and advocacy for equal protection under national labor laws;
• End violence against women;
• Assist the local authorities in the formulation of gender responsive budgeting;
• Support the UN Country Team through cooperation and coordination that can strengthen the impact of other agencies interventions on achieving greater gender equality and women's empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Country Representative, the Communication Specialist (CS) will provide:
• Writing of press releases and articles on project activities for the national, regional and international media;
• Writing and/or translating of speeches and statements;
• Supporting in developing, implementing, monitoring and assessing communications strategies for the country office initiatives;
• Planning, organizing, implementing in launching public awareness campaigns;
• Disseminating news releases, statements and reports to the media and counterparts;
• Updating on a regular basis the country office website;
• Maintaining of relations with the media in Jordan.

The duration of the assignment will be six (6) months and the duty station will be Amman, Jordan. The CS will provide his/her services on ' as it needs basis' but he/she will have to guarantee at least 10 working days monthly. The CS is expected to carry out some mission travels within the country.

Competencies

• Computer literacy is essential, including competency in the entire Microsoft Office suite, particularly in the use of Microsoft PowerPoint and complex spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and other computer graphics softwares
• The CS must have very strong oral and written communication skills including active listening and nonverbal communication;
• The position requires strong teamwork, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• The ability to facilitate meetings and serve as an effective liaison with a wide array of individuals is essential;
• This work requires great flexibility, an ability to react to a changing environment; the capacity to provide sound analyses; and work under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Possession of a Master Degree in Journalism, Public Relations, Social Sciences or related fields.

Experience:

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in the area of communication;
• Prior working experience in the UN system will be an added advantage.

Language:

• Excellent knowledge of English oral/written is required. Knowledge of Arabic is an additional asset.

Interested applicants for this position must submit the following or the application will not be considered:

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
• Proposed daily fee.

The selected applicant will be requested to provide a Statement of Good Health from a recognized physician prior to commencement to work also certifying that the individual is fit to travel.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

More Info and Application