National UN Volunteer Position - Specialist on Gender and Communications

The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) is seeking a qualified Vietnamese candidate for a National UN volunteer position - Specialist on Gender and Communications working for UNDP in Ha Noi.

Below are the application procedure and description of assignment:

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested national candidates should send their application letter and detailed curriculum vitae (CV) (both in English ) specifying on top of the letter “Specialist on Gender and Communications” to email address [email protected] or send it by post to the following address:

UNV Office United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 72 Ly Thuong Kiet Street Ha Noi

Deadline for receipt of applications: 22 February 2015 Notification will only be sent to short-listed applicants.

The United Nations Volunteers programme is committed to ensuring gender equity among UNV volunteers and welcomes applications from women.

UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT Preamble: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers. In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities. In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive

1. UNV Assignment Title: UN Volunteer Specialist on Gender and Communications

2. Type of Assignment: National UN Volunteer

3. Project Title: Women’s Leadership – Empowerment of Women in the Period of International Integration

4. Duration: One year (with possible extension)

5. Location, Country: Hanoi, Viet Nam

6. Expected Starting Date: ASAP

7. Brief Project Description:

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Technical Advisor, within the Women’s Leadership Project of UNDP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UN Volunteer strengthens the Women’s Leadership project management unit to improve the visibility and awareness of women’s representation in political participation, women’s active participation in elections through internal and external communications activities and events, in print and online media. S/he assists in the planning, execution and monitoring of the Women’s Leadership project and UN online communications platforms and supports the design team where possible.

8. Host Agency/Host Institute: United Nations Development Programme - (UNDP) –Viet Nam Country Office

9. Organizational Context:

The objective of the Women’s Leadership Project of UNDP and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is to enhance the capacity of the Government of Vietnam to strengthen women’s representation and participation at legislative and administrative levels. The five immediate objectives include:

• To develop a professional Leadership Training Program institutionalized and implemented by a government institution.
• To increase the number of women candidates and elected women MPs in the 2016 election.
• To mainstream gender in human resource guidelines and practices of government agencies.
• To strengthen policy research and dialogues on women’s participation in leadership positions.
• To develop a network of parliamentarians and government officials committed to empowering women in the public sector

In order to achieve these objectives, there is need for strong communication and advocacy efforts. The Women’s Leadership project will be required to boost its approach and develop new communication initiatives in 2015.

The UN Volunteer will assist in the development of a social media plan for the Project, maintain a current Facebook page and contribute to the Project website. Moreover, s/he will contribute articles, press releases and stories for UN and UNDP websites and Facebook pages. S/he will be charged with developing high quality fact sheets on women’s representation in the public sector and producing profiles of dynamic women leaders in Viet Nam. The UN Volunteer will support the development of innovative advocacy material to encourage voting among women and to develop materials and social media campaign to encourage and support young women leaders.

Those involved with the Women’s Leadership Project staff currently are a National Project Director, Deputy Project Director, Project Manager, Senior Technical Advisor, UNDP Programme Officer, Communication Coordinator, Project Officer and Accountant. The UN Volunteer will sit in the Project Management Unit (PMU) with the Senior Technical Advisor, Communication Coordinator, Project Officer and Accountant. The PMU is located in an office building in Ha Noi and is approximately 10 minutes from both the UNDP office and the UN Communication office. The UN Volunteer will gain considerable experience by working in a project with a wide variety of activities and a diverse need for communication skills. S/he will work with both international and national staff.

10. Type of Assignment Place: assignment with family

11. Description of tasks:

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Senior Technical Advisor, the UN Volunteer Specialist on Gender will be responsible to promote information sharing through supporting the day-to-day activities, as follows:

Communication

• Maintain database on training of women candidates for the upcoming elections of 2016
• Work with the Communication Coordinator to develop high quality project publications
• Develop profiles of women leaders in government, CSOs and private sector. Profiling women leaders on the project Facebook page, UN Facebook page and the project website
• Support the UN’s knowledge management strategy by helping to ensure all relevant publications are posted on the web and intranet, and helps to facilitate internal knowledge sharing
• Draft and edit stories for the UNDP intranet and reports
• Logistical support in the implementation of the video production competition on women’s political participation
• Promotion of Women’s Leadership project webpage and facebook page as part of advocacy campaign
• Logistical and Administrative Support
• Logistical support for project activities such as drafting and sending invitations, organize publications for distribution, registration of participants,
• Give technical input to Women’s Leadership project activities, including conducting research/studies on the situation of specific groups of men, women, boys and girls in Viet Nam;
• Promote the involvement of volunteers (e.g. online volunteers; university volunteers) in gender activities of the United Nations;
• Logistical support in management of the Women’s Leadership research grant program
• Undertake any other task as directed by the Project Management Unit staff.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark IVD);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

12. Results/Expected Output:

• Minimum of 12 women leader profiles written in English and Vietnamese and posted on-line
• Widening of the target audience of the Women’s Leadership advocacy initiatives with over 1000 followers on Facebook page
• Dynamic, informative and innovative Women’s Leadership project Facebook page
• Up-to-date database on women candidates who have participated in project funded training
• Up-to-date Women’s Leadership website, and regular contributions to UN, UNDP and UNV website and social media platforms;
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

13. Qualifications/Requirements:

• University degree in social sciences with specialization in gender issues a strong asset;
• Sound knowledge of the major development issues regarding gender issues in Viet Nam;
• Experience in working with gender equality issues;
• Full proficiency in English and Vietnamese, including excellent written and spoken skills in both languages;
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills;
• Highly organized and self-motivated;
• Relevant work experience in communications, public relations, print, broadcast media or digital media;
• Experience in Facebook and website design and messaging
• Experience in filming, editing and video production will be an asset
• Experience in creating info graphics
• Knowledge of website content management systems and online analytics tools;
• A high level of computer literacy;
• Demonstrated personal sensitivity and commitment to the values and principles of volunteerism, gender equality and cultural diversity;
• Prior volunteering experience is an asset;
• Persons with ethnic minority background are strongly encouraged to apply
• Proof of Vietnamese Nationality is required.

14. Living Conditions:

The incumbent will live in Ha Noi which has most of the economic and social amenities at a reasonable cost. Depending on living arrangements, housing can be expensive. Security is good. Ha Noi has a humid, tropical climate and monsoons. Summers, between May and September, are very hot with plenty of rain, while winters, from November to March, are cold and relatively dry.

15. Conditions of Service

A 12-month contract with possible extension; monthly volunteer living allowance (VLA) intended to cover housing, basic needs and utilities, equivalent to 10,029,815 VND, Settling-in-grant (if applicable), life, health and permanent disability insurance, moving cost (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.