United States of America: Communications Lead

About the assignment.

We are seeking a top-notch communications expert who wants to work with a dynamic start-up team in a global context and sell a story about global change.

Some of your duties will include:

• External: Help raise the profile of UNICEF as an innovative organization by highlighting new approaches to solving big problems. This could mean writing and placing an op-ed on the intersection of tech and development in NYT, or working with our events team to produce consistent messaging over 3 global events like Google Zeitgeist, Cannes Lions, and TED Global.
• Internal for UNICEF: Support internal messaging about new technologies and projects to help various parts of our complex international organization become comfortable with agility, failure and other ‘Silicon Valley’ concepts that may seem foreign. This could include planning internal communications strategies, staff trainings and working with a small communications team to do social media and internal production.
• Office of Innovation Team: Ensure that the Office of Innovation has the appropriate key messages and trainings to support their specific focus areas. Help them distill complex ideas and approaches into easy-to-understand solutions for internal and external audiences. Make sure their work fits within the larger UNICEF narrative and approach.

You will start off working with one person who supports you on social and digital media and will work closely with the events lead and design and interaction team. You will create a budget for the needs you might have, which would be reviewed by the Office of Innovation management team.

Things to note about the team that may be good or bad depending on you:

• It’s an extremely fluid environment.
• It works at the speed of a startup x10.
• There are weird bureaucratic rules in the UN. Some will make you mad. There are a lot of acronyms you’ll need to learn.
• You’ll spend your days looking at the cutting edge of technology and working with some of the most interesting and creative people in the world.
• It is not easy. But it is rewarding. You will be overwhelmed with how much you learn every day, but this will motivate and inspire you, and may make you cry a little bit.

How to Apply:

Applicants are requested to send their submissions to jobsugic@gmail.com with subject line:

“Application: Communications Lead” by 9 November 2016, 6pm EDT.

Applications must include:

• Cover letter,
• CV, and

• P-11 form[1]– http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc

• 1 writing assignment: Write an op-ed (800 words or less) on behalf of the Office of Innovation that we would send to The Guardian about the role big data can play in accelerating development and humanitarian work. A few articles to check out as a start are this, this, this, and this. But of course use your skills to find angles and articles that you think are relevant

• Indicate where you heard about this advertisement

Please indicate your ability, availability and monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

NOTE: Files should not exceed 5.0MB limit

UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.