UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, an advocate

UNICEF Niger country programme (CPD) 2023 – 2027 is aligned with Niger’s Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES) 2022-2026 priorities, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027, UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and UNICEF Gender Action Plan 2022-2025.

The CPD 2023-2027 aims to ensure a coordinated and targeted response to the dynamic context and challenges facing women and children in Niger. The vision of the programme is that all girls and boys, from birth through adolescence, survive, thrive, learn, develop to their full potential, are protected from all forms of violence and exploitation, and thus support to positive social change in their communities and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Niger is affected by multiple and complex humanitarian crises, both chronic and acute, including food and nutrition, natural disasters, epidemics and displacement of population due to conflicts in neighbouring countries (Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso) and to consequences of attacks by non- state armed groups. These poly-crises have a significant impact on the vulnerability of populations, which are often affected simultaneously by multiple shocks. The country is also regularly hit by severe floods which affect every year thousands of people.

UNICEF provides multi-sectoral responses to the crises affecting Niger and aims at strengthening the link between humanitarian interventions and resilience-building programmes, particularly in the Diffa Region. Nexus and Durable Solutions are the key words in UNICEF Niger approach.

Within this context, and in the framework of delivering as One UN, the Chief of Communication is responsible for ensuring that Niger Country Office has a clear communication strategy and associated work plan to advocate for child rights issues; strengthen political will in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives, and enhance the organization’s credibility and brand. The Chief of Communication will support Niger Country Office (Niamey and zonal offices) to strategize and develop communication content from the national context that reflect and integrate UNICEF global advocacy priorities.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Representative, the incumbent will be accountable for developing, managing, co-ordinating, networking, implementing and monitoring an advocacy and communication strategy and associated products and activities on on-going basis with public audiences, with the objective of promoting awareness, understanding, support and respect for children’s and women’s rights, and support for UNICEF’s mission, priorities and programmes in the country office/regional office/media hub, and at a global level and those of the UN Country Team.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. Communication strategy
Ensure that the Niger Country Office has a clear communication strategy and associated work plan to support the country programme objectives and advocate for child rights issues; strengthen political will in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives, and enhance the organization’s credibility and brand. The Chief of Communication will support Niger Country Office (Niamey and zonal offices) to strategize and develop communication content from the national context that reflect and integrate UNICEF global advocacy priorities.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop, maintain and update the country advocacy and communication strategy and associated work plan. Strategy and work plan include an environmental and stakeholder assessment; objectives; target audiences, messages and media mix; resources; specific actions, activities and products; monitoring and evaluation of impact, success and opportunity for improvement; ongoing refinement of the strategy.
• Draw on extensive strategy development experience and ensure optimum leverage and impact of communication activities on programme, policy and advocacy activities. UNICEF’s rights- and results-based programming approach is appropriately reflected in the communication strategy, work plan and products. Strategy and work plan incorporate and reflect key programme priorities and processes.
• Ensure adequate and ongoing assessment of trends, social and political change and public interest. Factor these environmental variables back into communication strategy and refining its execution.
• Maintain close coordination with the Regional Communication Adviser, Regional Communication Specialists and HQ Communication team for effective overall collaboration in communication strategy.

2. Media relations

Ensure a well maintained and continually developed contact list of journalists and media outlets covering all media – print, TV, radio, web etc. – and a successful process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to communicate the story of UNICEF’s cooperation to a wider audience.

Duties & Tasks

• Promote a better understanding of, respect and support for children’s and women’s rights and issues by carrying out media, information and education activities in support of UNICEF-assisted development programmes or humanitarian efforts in the country.
• Develop, maintain and update media relations contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review and refine process of communicating with media contacts, including press conferences and events, issuing of media materials etc.
• Ensure rapid and accurate information dissemination to the media, National Committees, NGOs, the field and other appropriate audiences.
• Identify, develop, distribute and evaluate variety of media materials in multiple, appropriate formats. Ensure or enhance the quality, appropriateness of country specific communication materials, activities, processes and messages transmitted to the press, partners and public.
• Collaborate with mass media through activities such as organizing project site visits, facilitating photo coverage and TV footage and utilizing both web-based and traditional media as appropriate.
• Monitor and evaluate the use and effectiveness of media materials and share results and findings.
• Maintain close collaboration with the Regional Communication Adviser, Regional Communication Specialists and HQ Communication team for effective overall coordination.

3. Networking and partnerships
Ensure a well maintained and continually developed contact list of individuals, groups, organizations and fora (including Government, UN, and bilateral counterparts), whose support is essential to/can assist in achieving the advocacy and communication objectives of the communication strategy.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop, maintain and update partners contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review and refine process of working collaboratively with partners, including meetings, joint projects, information sharing etc.
• Ensure or enhance the quality, consistency and appropriateness of country-specific communication materials, activities, processes and messages shared with partners.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate advocacy and communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment and through knowledge sharing.
• Monitor, evaluate and share results and findings with partners.

4. Celebrities and special events
Ensure a well maintained and continually developed contact list of appropriate, nationally-known personalities who have been identified, engaged and support UNICEF’s effort and who actively participate in special events and activities that support country programme goals.

• Develop, maintain and update celebrities contact list/database.
• Establish, document, review and refine process of working with celebrities, including special events, media opportunities, field trips etc.
• Participate in global advocacy activities by planning visits of Goodwill Ambassadors, National Committee representatives, Executive Board members etc. including preparing information materials (e.g., press releases, programme summaries, country fact sheets and media kits), and necessary logistic arrangements. Highlight the achievements of the country programme. Maintain close collaboration with the Regional Communication Adviser, Regional Communication Specialists and HQ Communication for effective overall coordination.

5. Global priorities and campaigns
In addition to local/national campaigns, ensure an effective process in place for integrating and taking action on UNICEF’s global communications priorities and campaigns, both disseminating these elements in a locally-appropriate way, as well as providing/enabling coverage of the work in the country for global use. Ensure the complementary use of social media platforms in moving forward national adaptations of global priorities and campaigns.

Duties & Tasks

• Support the UNICEF global communications objectives and strategies through development of complementary country specific and local community materials and activities. Work plan should anticipate the inclusion of work on global priorities and campaigns.
• Develop and deploy country office communication capacity to gather/facilitate the content and coverage of relevant country efforts. Use the opportunity to identify/highlight effective programme activities and results.
• Ensure regular communication and co-ordination with relevant communication focal points in regional offices and headquarters divisions.

6. Resource mobilization support
Ensure that global and country level fund-raising activities are supported by effective advocacy and communication strategy and activities.

Duties & Tasks

• Mobilize country office communication capacity to support and gather/facilitate the gathering of content and coverage of relevant country efforts. Use the opportunity to identify/highlight effective programme activities and results in support of fund-raising.
• Mobilize resources for fund-raising support by regular communication and co-ordination with relevant communication focal points in regional offices and headquarters divisions.

7. Management
Ensure that human resources (the communication team) and financial resources (budget planning, management and monitoring) are both effectively managed and optimally used.

Duties & Tasks

• Develop a work plan for communication activities, monitor compliance and provide support and guidance to ensure objectives are met.
• Plan and monitor the use of communication budgetary resources. Approve and monitor the overall allocation and disbursement and liquidation of funds. Take appropriate actions to optimize use of funds.
• Identify, recruit and supervise staff, technical resources and consultants as necessary. Conduct and Implement effective performance planning, monitoring, performance development programme as required.
• Ensure communication effectiveness, efficiency and delivery as well as a rigorous and transparent approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation.

8. Monitoring and evaluation
Ensure that communication baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the communication strategy are regularly evaluated; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of communication strategy, approach and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared on a timely basis.

Duties & Tasks

• Provide technical support to ensure that a set of communication performance indicators is identified and adjusted as necessary, and these communication indicators are incorporated or fed forwarded in the Annual Management Plan, Annual Work Plan, etc.
• Conduct timely and accurate monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure the communications objectives are met and the strategy is effective.
• Undertake lessons learned review of successful and unsuccessful communication experiences and share observations/findings with country, regional and HQ communication colleagues so that best practices benefit UNICEF’s communication work.

9. Capacity building and support

Ensure that the Representative and the country programme team are provided with professional expertise and advice on all aspects of external relations communication as required; opportunities are identified and addressed for building communication capacity among country communication team, media and other relevant partners.

Duties & Tasks

• Advise UNICEF management, colleagues and staff on media strategy and implications for action and policies proposed.
• Support communication activities through knowledge management, information exchange and building capacity of the country communications team. Enable appropriate advocacy and communication training, access to information, supplies and equipment, and developing training and orientation material.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the capacity of partners through appropriate advocacy and communication training.

Impact of Results

The effective development and implementation of a clear communication strategy and associated work plans will bring children’s issues into the public domain and strengthen political will in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives, and enhance the organization’s credibility and directly impact the ability of UNICEF to promote social, political and economic action. This in turn contributes to enhancing the ability of UNICEF to fulfill its mission to achieve sustainable and concrete results in improving the survival, development and wellbeing of children in the country. Increased brand recognition and advocacy through communication and overall positioning in the country.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Advance university degree journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations or corporate communications.

  *A first University Degree combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree in the field of journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations or corporate communications.

• Eight years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, print, broadcast, and/or new media.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency situations is required.
• UN / International NGO experience is an asset.
• Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of another UN UN language is an added asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

•  Builds and maintains partnerships;
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness;
• Drive to achieve results for impact;
• Innovates and embraces change;
• Manages ambiguity and complexity;
• Thinks and acts strategically ;
• Works collaboratively with others;
• Nurtures, leads and manages people;

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidate are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.