About the job

Eligible Applicants
This position is advertised open to Group 1, Group 2, if applicable, and external applicants.
Duties And Qualifications
Assistant Communications Officer
Operational Context and Organizational Setting
As of June 2022, Ethiopia hosts one of the largest refugees and internally displaced populations in the world. Currently it is home to some 870,000 refugees - mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan - the third largest in Africa, as well as over 4.5 million IDPs, with ongoing displacements and returns across the country.
With a large workforce and multiple offices across diverse regions and contexts in Ethiopia, UNHCR works with the Government¿s Refugees and Returnees Service (RSS) responding to the needs of refugees across 25 refugee camps/sites in Ethiopia.
In light of the increasing internal displacement across Northern Ethiopia since the second half of 2021, and as part of the inter-agency response, UNHCR has expanded its assistance activities to meet the needs of displaced Ethiopians (IDPs) across nine regions, with a focus on both coordination and implementation, in protection, camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), and provision of shelter and non-food items.
The UN Refugee Agency is working closely with Government entities at different levels, host communities, development and humanitarian actors, international donor community and financial institutions, the private sector and other players to promote the inclusion of refugees in national development systems, in line with the Global Compact for Refugees/Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework. UNHCR continues to advocate for further investment into the search for durable solutions for refugees and IDPs in protracted displacement and continues to support the Government in the implementation of the pledges made at the 2016 Refugee leaders¿ Summit and the 2019 Global Refugee Forum.
To further increase the visibility of UNHCR¿s work in delivering much needed humanitarian assistance as well as protection, and in seeking durable solutions for the forcibly displaced in Ethiopia, UNHCR is seeking to employ an Assistant Communications Officer with a particular focus on establishing and nurturing active relationships with Ethiopia¿s national, and the nation¿s regions¿, media.
Duties
Under the supervision of the Communications Officer, s/he will be responsible to:

• Develop a strategy on effective engagement with local media and Ethiopian general public
• Assist in establishment of close working relationships with national and specific Ethiopian regions¿ media outlets, including television, radio, news agencies and portals to promote and ensure the dissemination of UNHCR¿s activities, and an increase in the visibility of UNHCR work in Ethiopia
• Proactively create opportunities for the UNHCR Representative to engage with local media, by organizing interviews and statements, in collaboration with communications staff from UNHCR and, when opportune, RRS
• Prepare simple and succinct project sheets and briefs, in close consultations with the team of the External Relations Unit
• Perform other related duties as required

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Journalism; International Relations; Political Science;
Communications; Public Information; Media
Film / Video; or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Minimum 2 years of professional experience in journalism and/or communications. Excellent drafting skills in English, in addition to a very good understanding of the Ethiopian context, the local media scene and social media environment.
Excellent knowledge of Ethiopia¿s media scene. Experience with measurement and evaluation, especially providing analysis of media coverage, social media engagement, web traffic, etc. Experience in reporting, writing, editing for magazines, newspapers and websites. Strong social media presence.
Desirable
Experience of working with international organizations or international community entities/foreign embassies. Knowledge of an additional UN working language would be an asset.
Functional Skills
CO-Editing
CO-Media Contacts
CO-Journalism (incl. print, broadcast, digital)
CO-Speaking to media
MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English, including excellent drafting skills, and Amharic. Knowledge of additional local languages would be an asset.
Competency Requirements
All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.
Core Competencies
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation
Managerial Competencies
Empowering and Building Trust
Cross-Functional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
Innovation and Creativity
Political Awareness
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
Position Competencies
Competencies as defined in Job Profile
Additional Information
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
All applicants must be Nationals of the country and be locally recruited within the country of their employment.
An eliminatory or complementary written test for shortlisted candidates may be conducted which will be followed by competency-based interview.