PUBLIC INFORMATION ASSISTANT, Public Information Assistant, G6,Duty Station NEW YORK

Closing date: Saturday, 14 March 2015

Posting Title: Public Information Assistant, G6

Job Code Title: PUBLIC INFORMATION ASSISTANT

Department/ Office

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Duty Station

NEW YORK

Posting Period

12 February 2015-14 March 2015

Job Opening number

15-PUB-OCHA-39331-R-NEW YORK (X)

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Special Notice

Recruitment for this position is done on a local basis, whether or not the candidate is a resident of the duty station. Passing the Administrative Assessment Support Test (ASAT) in English at Headquarters, ECA, ESCWA, UNOG, UNOV, ICTR, or ICTY or the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Service category in the United Nations Secretariat.

This position is funded for a finite period of one year. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Job openings posted on the Careers Portal are taken off at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

Applications are automatically pre-screened according to the published evaluation criteria of the job opening on the basis of the information provided by applicants. Applications cannot be amended following submission and incomplete applications shall not be considered. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on 'The Application Process' and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on 'Manuals' on the upper right side of the browser on Inspira.

Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Organizational Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Communications Services Branch of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York. The Public Information Assistant will report to the Chief of the Media Relations Section.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities: Within delegated authority, the Public Information Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Support the daily output of the Integrated Spokesperson's Office by maintaining close contact with media partners, including setting up interviews, following up queries, maintain a constantly updated global contact database and ensuring appropriate distribution and posting of key public materials.
• Supporting missions by the ERC. DERC and other senior officials, including liaison with HQ and field colleagues, maintaining action checklists and daily inputs for HQ, and the end of mission summaries.
• Maintaining the secretariat for the Humanitarian Communication Group (UN Headquarters) including running the email group, setting up meetings, coordinating with members and ensuring timely follow-up of agreed actions.
• Maintaining a calendar of key events and opportunities for communications, and arranging support to OCHA media outreach and major events in coordination with other OCHA and UN bodies, including the Central Emergency Response Fund, External Relations and Partnerships Section, and the UN Department of Public Information.
• Provides specialized assistance in the production and delivery of information communications products and services.
• Researches a broad scope of information sources, printed and electronic; compile and present information for use in the preparation and production of communications products/services for external audiences.

Serves as an information focal point on OCHA and other humanitarian activities open to accredited press and coordinate media coverage of important events; compiles, produces and distributes to journalists basic information on the wide spectrum of OCHA activities open to the press.

Supports media outreach by the USG and other senior humanitarian officials, including liaison with HQ and field colleagues, maintaining action checklists and daily inputs for SG press briefings, end of mission media summaries and transcribing press conference remarks and Q&A in a timely manner. Organizes and executes special events, coordinating with diverse partners and the media to highlight and publicize key events.

Handles administrative coordination in support of special training and other programmes.

Assists in the production of web and social media projects and events; researches diverse print and electronic information sources for topics and materials for projects.

Provides logistical support and coordinates translation/transcripts, the recording of narrations and video messages, and the preparation of social media events, etc.

Assists in the electronic dissemination of programmes; prepares, maintains and updates web page, to include drafting and editing content; uploads/downs load audio files and maintains file structure.

Identifies and prepares new material for inclusion in appropriate web pages by: researching various information sources for relevant material and cross-checking information with author offices as required; identifying, retrieving and downloading pertinent documentation and other information in requisite programming languages for Web format or inserting into database after determining appropriate categorization; editing documents to conform to UN format, structure and style and preparing new pages, incorporating graphics as needed, using appropriate authoring tools and necessary programming languages; preparing and updating index of documents; posting documents on the UN web and/or development servers and ensuring the appropriate directory location; checking and testing for multiple browser support, etc.

Manages updates and further develops internal databases; update website; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases. Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of internal policies, processes and procedures related to the communication, production and dissemination of public information. Ability to research and gather information from a variety of sources. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent.

Work Experience

Seven years of experience in administration, public communication, international broadcasting or related area. Experience working with external partners including media is required. Experience working in high-pressure news environments is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

Assessment Method

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

United Nations Considerations

The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.