Re-advertisement: Communication Specialist (Innovative Finance), (P-3), Office of Global Innovation, Helsinki, Finland, Post # 122275

Please Note: This is a re-advertisement in order to expand the candidate pool. Previous applicants need not reapply as their original application will be duly considered.

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, hope

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support the realization of children’s rights are key to improving children’s lives.

Worldwide, we innovate to tackle the most pressing problems faced by the most vulnerable children. We take a systematic approach to innovation, applying skills and energy across new tools and technologies, products, innovative financing, and new ways of working to boost our impact.

The Office of Innovation (OOI) is a creative, unique, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, the tools, the know-how and the partners that turn ideas and energy into scalable solutions for children.

The incumbent is placed within the newly established Innovative Finance Hub, reporting to the Chief of IF Hub with matrix reporting to communication lead in OOI Stockholm. He/she will work closely with other divisions on innovation and innovative finance.

The Innovative Finance Hub in Finland will reimagine how UNICEF operates, accelerates and streamlines finding new sources of funding and financing to fill the SDG gap – to protect gains made, rebuild from losses from COVID-19 and radically accelerate progress towards the SDGs for children. The Chief of Hub will be at the forefront of building the IF Hub platform that will:

• Unlock the $40 trillion ESG market to meet funding and financing gaps for children.
• Better integrate children’s needs into business investment decisions
• Catalyze a global pipeline of investable high-impact child-aligned projects.
• Convene industry experts to incubate and build game-changing new social goods constructs.

Our aim is to build a genuine, global thought leadership hub around innovative financing that will not only be transformational as an approach for UNICEF’s Global Innovation Strategy but also serve as a catalyst for change within the development industry.

How can you make a difference?

Based in Helsinki, the Communication Specialist (Innovative Finance) will support the Chief of Hub and contribute as an active team member. With their expertise they will develop and implement an advocacy and communication strategy with the objective of brand building, awareness raising. They will coordinate, network and support activities towards the development and implementation of new financial structures that can leverage additional resources for children at country, regional and global level, as well as make existing resources more efficient and results-oriented and aligned with the new UNICEF Innovative Finance for Children Strategy (IF4C Strategy) including new emerging fundraising modalities.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks:

1. Communication strategy: Actively contribute to a clear and dynamic communication strategy and associated work plan to advocate for innovation as a key driver for children’s and women’s rights. The strategy and subsequent work plan creatively target audiences internally and externally to enhance the organization’s credibility and brand including various public domains to strengthen awareness, political will and partnerships in support of UNICEF’s mission and objectives. The strategy and subsequent workplans are designed with internal and external inputs to ensure creativity and alignment; driven by a strong ambition of brand building leading to UNICEF being perceived as the most innovative not-for-profit organization globally.
2. Management: Effective and efficient management of financial resources (budget planning, management and monitoring) for optimal impact. Strong team player as part of the broader Resource Mobilization and Partnership hub and overall, OOI.
3. Networking and partnerships: Ensure the OOI has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of internal and external individuals, groups, and fora whose support is essential to/can assist in achieving the advocacy and communication objectives. Effective working relationships with UNICEF, broader UN, and other key external communication counterparts (especially within the innovation ecosystem and social media) are developed, maintained and enhanced, specially building powerful and engaging story telling for internal and external audiences.
4. Media relations: Ensure the OOI has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of journalists and media outlets covering all media but with an emphasis on social media, and a successful process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to communicate the story of the advocacy and communication objectives.
5. Influencers and special events: Ensure the OOI has a well maintained and continually developed contact list of appropriate influencers (individuals, groups and fora) who have been identified, engaged and support the advocacy and communication objectives. The OOI has an annual list of special events, as participants or coordinators, where key advocacy and communication objectives are optimally achieved.
6. Aligning global priorities and campaigns: Ensure the OOI has an effective process in place for influencing, integrating and taking action on UNICEF’s global communications priorities, campaigns and partnerships.
7. Partnership and resource mobilization support: Ensure new and existing partnership management with both public and private sector are supported by and an effective and creative advocacy and communication strategy and activities.
8. Monitoring and evaluation: Ensure robust baselines are established against which the achievement of objectives of the communication strategy are regularly analyzed to continuously improve and adapt real-time the effectiveness of communication strategy and activities.
9. Capacity building and support: Ensure the OOI and broader UNICEF teams (e.g., communication specialists in other business units) are provided with professional expertise and advice on all aspects of Innovative Finance Hub advocacy and communication as required.

Please access the full ToR and related information here  P3 Communication Specialist JD Finland IF Hub final.docx

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

• Advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations. 
• A first University Degree combined with a total of 7 years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree in journalism, communications, external relations, public affairs, public relations, or corporate communications.)
• Five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in communication, advocacy, print, broadcast, and/or new media, especially demonstrating creative and ambitious brand building, and powerful and engaging story telling for internal and external audiences especially using social and other web media.
• International work experience, experience with public, private, and financial sector, expertise in international development and humanitarian response, and/or the innovation ecosystem strong assets. Ideally with a background working with communication and marketing in a development finance institution, impact fund, or multilateral bank.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability (CRITA) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

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

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

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). 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.