Result of Service

Upon completion of the consultancy the outcome of the assignment will add to the current and future activities of the country programme in promoting sustainable urban development in Bahrain. Most importantly, this assignment will offer an opportunity to demonstrate UN-Habitat’s work on the ground and create a precedent for scaling up sustainable urban solutions such as green public spaces, urban agriculture etc. which can contribute to building sustainable cities in Bahrain.

Work Location

Manama (Kingdom of Bahrain)

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Organizational Setting
UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN (United Nations) General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system.

Background
The UN-Habitat Country Programme in Bahrain is supporting the efforts of the Government in achieving sustainable urbanization and harnessing on the power of cities as places of opportunities, inclusion and wellbeing for all.

UN-Habitat’s portfolio in Bahrain is increasingly connected to the climate agenda and focused on urban sustainability. With Bahrain’s most recent commitments to the climate goals and specially to reach net zero by 2060, key strategies are anchored in the implementation of the National Afforestation Plan (2022-2035) and its goal to increase the tree count from 1.8 million trees to 3.6 million by 2035, as well as quadruple the mangrove area.

UN-Habitat is supporting these efforts in several ways, including through building capacities, developing tools for the design of the urban environment as well as raising awareness. The overall goal of our work is to support the transition towards more sustainable and climate-adapted urban systems, and to improve environmental quality by increasing the quality and use of green public spaces with direct effects on the health and wellbeing of the residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In implementing its projects, UN-Habitat and its experts work with key Government institutions to plan, coordinate, implement, and support various activities related to the national programmes, as well as awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of urban greening and nature-based solutions in Bahrain. The primary beneficiaries include government authorities and experts, decision-makers, as well as the general public whose awareness is raised and living conditions improved.

UN-Habitat Bahrain seeks a communications specialist to work on its media, outreach, promotion, and communications activities for the growing portfolio of projects.

Reporting Line
The Communication Officer will work under the supervision of the Head of Country Programme in Bahrain. He/she will engage on a regular basis with relevant institutions, partners, researchers. To ensure the activities are developed with the inputs of all relevant partners.

Duties and responsibilities
– Manage the strategic growth of the project and UN-Habitat Bahrain’s audience through various media channels;
– Develop strategic partnerships with key traditional and hybrid media outlets to ensure coverage of the project and related activities, projects, and themes;
– Create and maintain networks, including new media partners, of high-level international communications contacts across traditional and online media, government agencies, international institutions, and other relevant groups and organizations in civil society.
– Develop and maintain networks with journalists and media practitioners and work with them to increase media coverage of projects and relevant topics.
– Manage UN-Habitat’s digital and media presence, including developing media, social media and website content on urban related topics, updating and monitoring social media channels and creating lively and attractive content.
– Ensure UN-Habitat Bahrain’s website is continually updated with lively, relevant materials related to the project and other relevant aspects of UN-Habitat’s presence in Bahrain.
– Coordinate communication efforts of the country programme in promoting sustainable urban solutions; enhance visibility and awareness of the projects and results.
– Act as a focal point of UN-Habitat Bahrain communications to develop press releases, backgrounders, newsletters, briefings, etc. This could include working on multi-media outputs for radio, podcasts, video, and web-based platforms.
– Plan and execute awareness campaigns for projects, promote the campaigns, and develop an awareness campaign plan.
– Manage service providers related to communication and campaigns, and support procurement of such services.
– Identify global forums and events on relevant issues regarding rapid urbanization and human settlements, draw up and maintain a communications calendar, and foster partnerships that will support and advance the work of UN-Habitat Bahrain by monitoring and analyzing current events, public opinion, and press, identifying issues and trends, and advising the team on appropriate action/responses.
– In consultation with key experts in UN-Habitat, prepare and draft speeches, talking points, Op-eds, statements, and report forwards to promote the project, in line with UN-Habitat’s mandate.
– Mobilize stakeholders and partners to amplify awareness, interest and engagement in the project.
– Identify UN-Habitat target audience for each project and develop communication plans and activities.
– Perform media outreach functions and promote media coverage related to the project and key stakeholders. This could include targeted advocacy campaigns, press conferences and briefings, interviews addressing information requests, monitoring, and reporting on the impact of the coverage undertaken by follow-up action, etc.
– Participate in communication focal point meetings.
– Provide ad-hoc communications matters relating to the country programme.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in communications; marketing; and international development or another related field is required. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible work experience in media and strategic communications is required.

Experience in event promotion, managing multiple processes and projects in a complex environment and high-profile media coverage (preferably in the United Nations and/or a development agency) is desirable.

The candidate has a portfolio of plans and designs which he/she is the author is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in both oral and written Arabic and English is required.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.