occupied Palestinian territory: Reporting and Communications Consultant - NO: IRC4634

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

FAO’s work in West Bank and Gaza Strip is guided by its 2014-2017 Programme Framework (PF). The PF for the WBGS aims to enhance agriculture-based, sustainable socio-economic growth, resilience and food security for the Palestinian population adopting a twin-track approach articulated in two main outcomes focusing on humanitarian and development interventions. The key outcomes of the PF 2014-2017 are as follows:

· Outcome 1: Provide time-critical assistance to restore and strengthen agricultural livelihoods affected or threatened by shocks, and protect access to vital productive assets at risk

· Outcome 2: Develop the capacity and enable the environment of the agriculture sector for increased productivity, competitiveness and employment

The position is located in FAO’s Coordination Office for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) Programme, based in Jerusalem.

Reporting Lines

Reporting: The Reporting and Communications Consultant reports to the Head of Office of FAO West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) and works in close consultation with the FAO WBGS Head of Programme and Operations Officer, and in coordination with the TCE/TCS Reporting Unit.

Communication: The Reporting and Communications Consultant reports to the Head of Office and works in regular consultation and coordination with OCCM, the Regional Communication Officer in FAORNE and the TCE Outreach team.

Technical Focus

Reporting and communications work serving specific projects and the FAO country programme.

Tasks and responsibilities

Reporting

· set-up and update a reporting database to track/monitor reporting requirements and deadlines;

· solicit timely qualitative and quantitative input for progress and final reports from Project Managers and the Food Security Analysis and Monitoring Unit in line with individual donor requirements;

· prepare, consolidate, review and finalize timely reports on FAO WBGS projects for donors in line with FAO standard reporting formats and guidelines and in response to requests by various partners within and outside FAO;

· ensure that reports meet the content requirements of FAO and donors;

· edit/revise other programme/operation documents such as project documents, assessment reports, etc.;

Communication

· capture and develop stories on FAO WBGS activities to be integrated into articles, press releases and other public information products, including where necessary photographic and video documentation;

· develop public information/visibility products for the FAO WBGS programme (E.g. signage at project sites, inaugural/milestone events, brochures, posters, videos etc.) to enhance the quality and outreach of messaging to external stakeholders, including donors, humanitarian agencies and the general public; in alignment with the Regional Outreach and Engagement Plan develop communications and visibility strategies for all on-going and new projects, providing capacity building support to project staff and NGO partners, as needed;

· facilitate media relations in the WBGS, including the drafting of press releases for appropriate clearances (regional/HQ); producing media speaking/talking points; maintaining a network of media contacts; updating professional staff’s SOMI reports on a monthly basis, and organizing media interviews, press conference/briefings and field visits, as appropriate in liaison with OCCM and the Regional Communication Office;

· support the development of, and regularly update, the FAO WBGS webpage in collaboration with HQ, and ensure that WBGS activities are reflected on FAO’s emergency and corporate websites and through FAO corporate accounts on social media (Twitter®, Facebook® etc.) in alignment with the Regional Outreach and Engagement Plan

· support FAO management in the development of different information products (presentations, speeches etc.) for different audiences including workshops, events, donor consultations and regional and international fora;

· ensure that all communication products are aligned with and reflect the FAO global and regional strategic frameworks;

· manage the clearance process for visibility items and communications materials through FAO’s Publications Workflow System and liaise with external service providers, as needed;

· continually update FAO’s messaging in the WBGS, and ensure that it feeds into and draws from messaging of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and UN Country Team; and

· any other task needed in support of the regional communication network (RCN) and adequate responding to the needs of the Organization.

Expected Outputs:

· Timely and quality submission of reports as per reporting work plan which is to be established within Week 1 of assignment, and as required.

· Timely and quality communication products as per work plan which is to be established within Week 3 of assignment, and as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

· Advanced University degree in Communications, Social/Political Sciences, International Relations or a related field.

· 2-4 years of experience in performing similar functions.

· Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish

· Excellent ability to write for different audiences using different communication media.

· Ability to travel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

FAO Core Competencies

· Results Focus

· Teamwork

· Communication

· Building Effective Relationships

· Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Selection Criteria

· Level, extent and relevance of past experience with reporting and communications tasks;

· Depth of English language skills: full fluency in written English is indispensable; working knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

· Ability to participate and work in a team under tight deadlines.

· Demonstrated experience working in complex environments.

· Familiarity with agriculture/food security issues and development/humanitarian contexts is desirable.

· Ability to manage tight deadlines and multiple work streams.

· Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign and Photoshop is desirable.

To apply, visit the iRecruitment website at http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/ and complete your online profile. Only applications received through iRecruitment will be considered.

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.

Vacancies will be removed from iRecruitment at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: iRecruitment@fao.org