Organizational Setting

The Office of Communications (OCC) is responsible for all corporate and internal communication activities of the Organization. It ensures coherence and consistency in FAO’s corporate messaging and communications outputs and enables cost-effectiveness in use of communication-related resources across the Organization. The Publications group (OCCP) is the OCC branch responsible for the production, quality control and dissemination of FAO’s publications.

Reporting Lines

The Consultant/PSA will report directly to the Communications Officer (Knowledge Services), under the overall authority of the Chief of OCCP. If assigned to a specific unit, the Consultant/PSA will report to the Division/Office Director, or to the Chair of the Editorial Committee.

Technical Focus 

Publications, knowledge management, digital repository.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Coordinate planning of publications and technical clearance by Management, in accordance with the quality assurance guidelines for publications and divisional clearance processes.
•    Ensure that planned publications are entered in the publications workflow system (PWS) by the responsible officers, before preparation starts and budget is invested.
•    Ensure that communication materials and documents are approved by the direct supervision line of the responsible officer when inserted in the PWS.
•    Produce a yearly publishing plan based on the inputs provided by the respective unit/office, and keep it updated during the year as required.
•    Provide guidance and instructions to staff on best practices and publishing procedures, as well as free-lance consultants (writers, translators, editors, proof-readers, designers, web developers) recruited to produce publications; estimate costs for the services required; liaise with the administrative assistant to prepare the contracts with consultants and suppliers.
•    Review work orders for due dates, tasks and costs, and set priorities; monitor the workflow through the PWS and internal monitoring tools and flag issues related to the schedule of a publication.
•    Act as Secretary of the Editorial Committee, organize meetings and support the Editorial Committee in performing thorough quality control of publications before they are approved, including use of plagiarism-detection software and managing internal and external peer review where applicable
•    Assist the Editorial Committee in preparing documentation for the FAO Publications Board.
•    Check the publications, communication materials and documents before they are submitted for final approval in the corporate publications system, ensuring full compliance with FAO Publications Taxonomy and quality control criteria.
•    Manage the PWS records issued by the unit/office at the relevant steps, by approving or returning publications on behalf of Management, assisting staff in preparing new publishing records, and providing on-the-job training to newcomers.
•    Work closely with OCCP and raise awareness on publishing procedures.
•    Perform other related duties as required.

FAO Standards and guidelines:

Liaison with the OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes.

All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en
FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia   
Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044en
FAOSTYLE: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081en
FAO terminology: http://www.fao.org/faoterm 
FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en
Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff).

Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in publishing, journalism, library studies, communications, international relations or a related field.
•    At least five years of relevant experience in the field of publishing, communication, knowledge management, digital content.
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English .

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills  

•    Experience using publishing workflow systems and digital repositories.
•    Experience with metadata standards.
•    In depth knowledge of publishing workflows.
•    Project management skills..
•    Familiarity with FAO as well as other UN agencies or other major international organizations.
•    Limited knowledge (level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is considered an asset.