Communications and Visibility Specialist Food and Agriculture Organization Experience: Atleast 7 years Maputo, Mozambique Apply By: 10-10-2024

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is dedicated to leading international efforts in the fight against hunger, improving nutrition, and ensuring food security worldwide. FAO’s mission is to support member countries in enhancing agricultural productivity, elevating the living standards of rural populations, and promoting sustainable practices in the agricultural, forestry, and fisheries sectors.

FAO Mozambique, part of the FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa, plays a crucial role in implementing initiatives that align with FAO’s global strategies and the country’s specific needs. These initiatives focus on addressing food insecurity, strengthening sustainable agricultural development, and supporting Mozambique’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

The Communications and Visibility Specialist will operate within FAO Mozambique’s framework, contributing to the visibility of FAO’s efforts in the country. The position engages with national and international partners, government institutions, civil society, and media, ensuring that FAO’s work is highlighted and that its achievements are effectively communicated to a broad audience, including donors and the general public. The role is central to promoting awareness of FAO’s projects and fostering stakeholder engagement in support of the organization’s broader objectives in Mozambique.

Reporting Lines

Under the general supervision of the FAO Representative in Mozambique, the direct supervision of the International Communication Specialist, backstopping from the Assistant FAO Representative for Programme, and in liaison with Subregional Communication focal point for RAF and OCC, the Communications and Visibility Specialist will play a crucial role in enhancing the visibility and awareness of FAO Mozambique’s projects, focusing on promoting the impact and achievements of FAO’s work in the country. 

Technical Focus

• The incumbent will be responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring communication plans and materials, ensuring effective dissemination of information to diverse stakeholders, including donors, government, partners, project participants, and the public in general through media. He/She will also collaborate as part of the FAO Mozambique Communication Unit and provide technical support where necessary.
• The position requires a proactive individual with the ability to manage multiple communication activities, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with FAO’s global communication goals.

Tasks and responsibilities

Strategic communication development and implementation:

Develop a comprehensive communication strategy:

• Support in the design of a holistic communication strategy that aligns with FAO Mozambique’s CPF 2022 -2026. The strategy should cover media engagement, public relations, digital communication, and community outreach.
• Ensure that the communication strategy is aligned with FAO global guidelines and tailored to the Mozambique CPF 2022 – 2026.
• Provide clear guidelines and training for project teams to follow in terms of communication duties, outputs, ensuring consistency and coherence in all communication products.

Develop project-specific communication plans:

• Support the design of specific communication plan for each project, considering the project’s objectives, target audience, targeted transformation, and key messages.
• Collaborate with project managers and teams to ensure the communication plan supports project visibility, stakeholder engagement, and donor reporting.

Coordinate the implementation of the CPF communication strategy:

• Serve as the focal point for the execution of the communication strategy, ensuring regular monitoring and adapting it as necessary to meet evolving needs.
• Coordinate communication efforts between the project teams, donors, partners, and external stakeholders, ensuring the strategy’s smooth implementation.

Content development and dissemination:

• Produce high-quality communication, advocacy and visibility materials following FAO Standards, reflecting FAO’s impact in Mozambique.
• Collate information and develop appropriate digital assets, in line with global FAO key messages, terminology, standards and guidelines, and day-to-day management of thematic/regional/country social media channel(s), {add account handles and/or URLs}, as per the FAO social media guidelines and in support of country/regional/global strategies, liaising and coordinating with the relevant technical officers, Subregional and Regional Communication Officers (RCO) and OCC, as appropriate, and relevant supervisor for clearance.
• For videos intended for use on social media channels, liaise with RCO and OCC to review scripts, formats and final clearances.
• Collate information and develop appropriate digital assets, in line with global FAO key messages, terminology, standards and guidelines, and day-to-day management of thematic/regional/country social media channel(s), {add account handles and/or URLs}, as per the FAO social media guidelines and in support of country/regional/global strategies, liaising and coordinating with the relevant technical officers, Regional Communication Officers (RCO) and OCC, as appropriate, and relevant supervisor for clearance.
• Ensure effective dissemination of materials through different channels (e.g., print, broadcast, digital media, partnership with national media…) to reach specific target audiences.
• Organize the collection, management, regular upload on FAO Digital Media Hub, and archiving of high-quality photos and videos from project sites. Ensure all visual materials are properly credited with photographer names, captions and consent forms; documenting the significance of the images and preserving the rights of the people.

Media and stakeholder engagement:

Develop and maintain media relations:

• Build and maintain a network of national and international journalists, bloggers, and media outlets to enhance FAO’s visibility in Mozambique and globally.
• Facilitate media field visits to project sites, ensuring that journalists have access to firsthand accounts of FAO’s impact on the ground.
• Organize formal press events, such as press conferences and media briefings, and ensure the consistent flow of information to media stakeholders.

Foster stakeholder communication:

• Serve as a liaison between FAO and key stakeholders, including government officials, donors, NGOs, and community leaders, ensuring that they are regularly informed of FAO’s progress and project outcomes.
• Develop tailored communication products, such as fact sheets, reports, and success stories, that cater to the needs and interests of donors, government entities, and development partners.
• Organize workshops, presentations, and briefings for stakeholders to showcase FAO’s work and its contribution to Mozambique’s development goals.

Communication for donor reporting and lessons learned:

Support donor reporting:

• Collaborate with project teams to gather and compile information for donor reports, ensuring that communication materials highlight project successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Draft and review sections of donor reports that relate to project communication visibility, impact stories, and key achievements.

Document and share lessons learned:

• Lead the development of communication products that reflect the lessons learned from FAO Mozambique’s project interventions. These products should serve as tools for knowledge sharing among FAO staff, partners, and stakeholders.
• Ensure that lessons learned are integrated into future communication strategies and materials.

Support to FAO Mozambique Communication Team and UN Communication Team:

Provide technical communication support:

• Offer technical guidance to the FAO Mozambique team on matters related to content creation, dissemination strategies, media engagement, and digital outreach.
• Provide capacity-building opportunities for the team, such as workshops or training sessions on effective communication techniques and best practices.

Coordinate with FAO’s Global Communication Team:

• Ensure that FAO Mozambique’s communication efforts are aligned with FAO’s global communication strategy. Share key insights and project achievements with FAO headquarters and regional offices.
• Participate in FAO’s global communication calls, contributing insights from the Mozambique context and coordinating joint communication initiatives.

Coordinate with UN Mozambique’s Communication Team:

• Ensure that FAO Mozambique’s communication efforts are aligned with UN Mozambique’s communication strategy. Share key insights and project achievements with the different teams and offices.
• Participate in UN’s global communication calls, contributing insights from FAO’s context and coordinating joint communication initiatives.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements  

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in communication, journalism, international relations, public administration, or related field is required
• 7 years of relevant experience in similar communication roles
• Working knowledge of English
• Working knowledge of Portuguese

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2403008