IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.
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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Organizational Setting
The Office of Communications (OCC) is responsible for both external and internal communications of the Organization. It aims at making FAO's communications strategic, coherent, focused and impactful, while ensuring effectiveness and efficiency in communication-related operations.
The post is located in OCC at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Reporting Lines
The Communication Officer (Knowledge Services) reports to the Senior Communication Officer/Head of Publications Branch and the Publications and Communications Officer, in the Editorial and Marketing Team.
Technical Focus
Media relations, internal corporate communications, multimedia production, knowledge management, publications and external communications.
Key Results
Contribute to the development and strengthening of internal and external communications, multimedia production, web content, media-relations and publishing activities of the Organization.
Key Functions
• Researches and analyses technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional and technology-related information, data and statistics and/or related policy issues to support internal and/or external communication.
• Produces/drafts a variety of information and reports as well as inputs for communication-related documents, multimedia products, and online content.
• Devises, implements and monitors communications strategies and provides day-to-day support for strategic outputs.
• Designs and develops new media outlets/assets to increase brand visibility and maximize impact on communication platforms.
• Establishes, develops and maintains working relationships with key media organizations, journalists and other relevant strategic partners as part of external communication activities in order to raise the visibility.
• Collaborates in the development of improved/updated tools, systems, and processes.
• Participates in multidisciplinary teams and/or leads working groups/teams; collaborates and coordinates with other Divisions/Offices/Centres on work groups and committees and promotes best practices as they relate to communications.
• Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations.
Specific Functions
• Participates in the publishing activities and leads the knowledge services team, including supervision of staff.
• Monitors and reviews the workflow for FAO’s Publication Workflow System, proposing activities to improve the quality control process while ensuring the highest quality for FAO publications.
• Promotes the FAO Knowledge Repository as the official open repository of the Organization providing access to all of its publications and knowledge products; ensures compliance with best practices in publishing, knowledge dissemination and accessibility.
• Supports the publication governance mechanism, participates in task forces and contributes to the implementation of decisions made by the FAO Publications Board.
• Monitors the activities related to copyright and logo: (a) leads the team; (b) provides guidance and trainings to the Organization on logo use and on rights and licenses, ensuring that co-publications agreements are prepared when needed; (c) reviews complex requests which require negotiation with external partners.
• Participates in the development of a framework to monitor and measure the impact and value for money of FAO publications.
• Provides user guidance on knowledge services, including guidelines, training and support across FAO.
• Promotes FAO's open access policy and multilingualism policy, enhancing dissemination of FAO's knowledge to a wide range of target audiences.
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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in communication, social science, journalism, political science or a related field.
• Five years of relevant experience in communication, public information, journalism and international relations.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Academic degree in the field of library science is considered an asset.
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the field of communication services for prominent organizations, particularly at the international level.
• Extent and relevance of experience in drafting high-quality written materials for a wide variety of audiences.
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset.
• Demonstrated ability to manage requests related to copyright, use of logo and co-publications agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate with internal stakeholders and external partners in the field of publishing and knowledge services.
• Understanding of publications metrics and impact indicators is considered a strong asset.
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FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
- Extension of fixed term appointments is based on certification of performance and availability of funds
- FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment.
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: https://commonsystem.org/cp/default.asp
Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:
• Dependency allowances
• Rental subsidy
• Education grant for children
• Home leave travel
• 30 working days of annual leave per year
• Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund
• International health insurance; optional life insurance
• Disability protection
FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization. This includes:
• elements of family-friendly policies
• flexible working arrangements
• standards of conduct.
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HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp
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