Qualifications

Purpose of consultancy

To scale up knowledge management and communications activities linked to the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing Platform (including related digital channels such as social media) in response to growing demand, accelerating brand awareness, and the objectives laid out in the Decade Communications Strategy (2022–2024).

Background

At the World Health Assembly in 2016, 194 countries adopted a Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health (2016–2030). The Strategy implementation is supported by two action plans: the first for 4 years (2016 – 2020) which focused on developing the evidence base and partnerships for the second action plan, i.e. a Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).

Informed by the evidence in the World report on ageing and health and aligned with the SDGs, the Strategy called for transformative change. To achieve this, WHO needs to lead a decade of coordinated global action to foster healthy ageing across the SDGs, in collaboration with Member States and international and national partners.

The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing represents this global collaboration, led by WHO as its Secretariat, that works to improve the lives of older adults, their families, and the communities in which they live. The action plan for the Decade of Healthy Ageing was endorsed by the 73rd World Health Assembly on 3 August 2021 through written silent procedures in accordance with the decision 73(7), and welcomed by the UN General Assembly on 14 December 2021 (Resolution 75/131), leading to the proclamation of the Decade as a UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).

The Decade plan of action focuses on four action areas that are intended to improve the lives of older people, their families, and communities, namely:

• Change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing;
• Develop communities in ways that foster the abilities of older people;
• Deliver integrated care and primary health services responsive to older people; and
• Provide older people who need it access to long term care.

Implementation of the action areas will be supported through four enablers:

• Listening to diverse voices and enabling meaningful engagement of older people, family members, caregivers, young people and communities;
• Nurturing leadership and building capacity to take appropriate action integrated across sectors;
• Connecting various stakeholders around the world to share and learn from the experience of others; and
• Strengthening data, research and innovation to accelerate implementation.

To support stakeholders to work through all four enablers and foster the multisectoral and multistakeholder partnering they require, an online multilingual Platform for the Decade was launched in 2021 in alignment with the Decade’s plan of action (‘The Platform’; https://www.decadeofhealthyageing.org). The Platform provides the digital infrastructure necessary to dynamically support the knowledge, networking, and communication needs of the Decade, including through integrations with other digital channels such as social media. Crucially, as the home of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, the Platform is a space open for all stakeholders to share their experience and learn from others.

Demand for the Platform and its related digital channels has increased as the global community of stakeholders leveraging the Decade’s opportunities for fostering healthy ageing continues to grow. To respond to this increased demand, the Decade Secretariat at WHO seeks a consultant to contribute to the continued development of the Platform.

Deliverables

• Objective 1 : Accelerate the implementation of the Platform’s content review guidelines and processes, including by facilitating the convening of a cross-sectoral content oversight committee.
  • Deliverable 1.1: Generate new knowledge items for the Platform in alignment with the Platform’s Content Review Guidelines, either through review of community submissions or strategic identification of knowledge products relevant to healthy ageing.
    Expected by: at least 10 new items per week.
  • Deliverable 1.2: Compile relevant data and produce descriptive analyses on the knowledge/content base of the Platform to help identify strategies for improvement. These analyses will be used under deliverable 1.4 and for the production of the internal 2023 Decade Communications Report.
    Expected by: quarterly, including a final overall consolidation of data by 31 December 2023.
  • Deliverable 1.3: Contribute to the development of a cross-sectoral content oversight committee for the Platform by: (a) contributing to drafting the Terms of Reference for the committee, and (b) contributing to the identification and onboarding of suitable committee candidates based on revised Platform Content Review Guidelines and other administrative procedural requirements.
    Expected by: 15 June 2023.
  • Deliverable 1.4: Contribute to the convening of at least two virtual meetings of the Platform’s cross-sectoral content oversight committee. This includes contribution to drafting the agenda and participation in planning / conceptualization meetings.
    Expected by: 31 December 2023.

• Objective 2: Contribute to the growth of the Decade’s communication channels linked to the Platform, guided by the Decade Communications Strategy (2022–2024).
  • Deliverable 2.1: Maintain the Decade’s editorial calendar by proposing and producing strategic social media content (copy visuals) designed to maximise engagement, reach new audiences, and strengthen the Decade brand, towards achieving the Year 1 key performance indicators outlined in the Decade Communications Strategy.
    Expected by: up to three posts/threads per week on Twitter in the first instance, expanding to LinkedIn and one other social media platform at a similar pace in Q2 2023.
  • Deliverable 2.2: Contribute to the design, implementation, and monitoring of up to three communications campaigns linked to major milestones related to the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.
    Expected by: 31 December 2023.
  • Deliverable 2.3: Contribute to cross-UN collaboration on the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing to regularly collate and leverage Decade-related communications opportunities from across all members of the UN Inter-Agency Group on Ageing.
    Expected by: monthly process, starting May 2023.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:

• A first university degree in communications, media, journalism, information science, knowledge management, or other related field from an accredited academic institution.

Desirable:

• An advanced university degree in communications, media, journalism, information science, knowledge management, or other related field from an accredited academic institution; or
• An advanced university degree in global health, public health, social science, gerontology, or other related field from an accredited academic institution.

Experience

Essential:

• Three to five years of international work experience in communications, marketing, public relations, or knowledge management, preferably within a scientific, public health, or medical context.

Desirable:

• Previous experience working within international organisations, preferably within the United Nations system.
• Previous experience working in the field of ageing, demography, or life course approaches.
• Previous experience working in contexts of multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral, and multi-disciplinary collaboration.
• Past experience with managing or designing content review, curation, or moderation processes, preferably in a digital context.
• Past experience with web-based content management systems or databases.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing effective, strategic, and evidence-based communications products, with an emphasis on copy and other written material.
• Demonstrated expertise in digital communications, particularly social media.
• Strong familiarity with knowledge management or knowledge activities, preferably with a significant digital component.
• Familiarity with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, or comparable solutions (including web-based tools).
• Familiarity with United Nations processes related to older people and ageing.
• Familiarity with the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and WHO’s concept of healthy ageing.

Languages required:

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Expert knowledge of Spanish and/or French.

Location

Off-site – Home based.

Travel

The consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level A – USD 3,955 – 6,980 per month.

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

8 months.

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO 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 through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html