UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, ADVOCACY.

UNICEF South Africa

The Communication and Partnerships Section requires the support of a Digital and Social Media Consultant to focus on emergency response related content (measles / cholera) and to improve the management and organization of UNICEF SA multimedia assets across various platforms, including the local ECM network and the UNICEF global multimedia WeShare platform. There will also be a focus on a measles immunization promotion campaign utilizing Meta credits for maximum impact. This will support and improve the overall repository of SACO content to enable more effective and rapid content distribution both internally and externally, such as with media.
This work is an urgent need in light of the ECM platform becoming an increasingly indispensable tool and the need to better distribute UNICEF emergency related response content. In addition, as UNICEF SA staff and partners continue to play an important role in community level work, this brings with it digital content and social media opportunities, the Consultant will be required to conduct two half-day social media training sessions with relevant staff.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Communication Specialist, the Consultant is to build on UNICEF SA’s improving social media reach and engagement that is maximising both UNICEF’s role as a thought leader in South Africa and its presence at a community level, in particular related to localised and national emergencies. Achieving this not only involves content gathering and social media production but also better content management for distribution and office wide social media training to improve engagement across the office and to reduce any potential reputational risk issues. There will also be a focus on a measles immunization promotion campaign utilizing Meta credits for maximum impact.

The consultant will catalogue and cohesively organise the UNICEF SA database of online internal and public-facing content, while keeping all UNICEF SA social media accounts up to date with relevant, engaging, and impactful content, with a focus on emergency related content and aligned to the UNICEF brand guidelines. The social media training will engage relevant colleagues to improve understanding and awareness about the importance of social media engagement and framing, including use of language.

Responsilbilities:

• Selection of and uploading of images and video to the global UNICEF WeShare platform, including captions and relevant data. This should focus on both new and existing content that has not been uploaded and will involve an editorial process to ensure only the most powerful content is uploaded to the global WeShare platform.
• Conduct a measles/ routine childhood immunization promotion campaign utilizing Meta credits for maximum impact.
• Uploading and tagging of all images and video content on the internal ECM platform. This can include a broader suite of content not necessarily uploaded to the global platform.
• Management of UNICEF SA social media platforms, including regular content gathering, copy writing and posting across platforms (Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook / Tik Tok). Platforms should engage the public, stakeholders, and partners to highlight the issues impacting children, UNICEF and partners work in response and to represent the UNICEF brand.
• Two half-day social media trainings for UNICEF SA staff.
• Management of broader Communication and Partnerships Section ECM folder, including uploading relevant files and folders.
• Updating and oversight of the UNICEF SA multimedia planner and log to ensure it’s up to date.

Outputs/Deliverables:

• An up to date and accurate audio-visual repository of UNICEF SA-owned original/partner content
• ECM up to date according to required specifications
• YouTube channel updated with videos commissioned for the UNICEF SA platform, according to relevant programmes and priority areas.
• Drafting of social media content and output guidelines for all UNICEF SACO social media accounts, aligned to UNICEF global requirements and designed to drive more traffic to the UNICEF SA website, working together with the webmaster.
• Hosting a Social Media training session for relevant staff members – 2 half-day sessions.
• Updating and management of UNICEF SA multimedia planner and log, as needed.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• A tertiary qualification Journalism, Media Studies, Marketing, Branding or International Relations
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience
• Social Media expertise, preferably in the news media industry
• Demonstrable storytelling skills
• Experience with UN / NGOs
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset
• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of at least one local language is an advantage
• Portfolio:
  • Five examples of across social media platforms of ‘corporate social media accounts work’ (UN/NGO)
    One online story example

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit  here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.