The Position:

The Census Communications and Partnership Analyst provides technical assistance and plays an important role in implementation and monitoring of Population and Housing Census (PHC) publicity strategy and action plan, including resource mobilization and partnership coordination assistance. The incumbent will assist the overall coordination with development partners over the PHC preparations and operations, including assistance in development and dissemination of census briefings and stakeholder events. The position requires a hands-on, output-oriented approach involving multiple stakeholders.

You will report to the Policy and Census Coordinator under the overall leadership of the UNFPA Country Office Representative and will be located at the UNFPA Country Office (CO) in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The Census Communication and Partnership Analyst will work closely with the Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB) and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) for the purposes of this project, as well as with the UNFPA Country Office Communications Team to ensure maximum synergy across related program activities.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

UNFPA Lao PDR is implementing the 7th country programme, and seeks to accelerate progress toward the achievement of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. This will be done through empowering adolescent girls and boys to delay pregnancy and marriage until adulthood, ensuring every pregnancy is by choice and that no woman dies while giving life, and that women and girls can live lives free from abuse and violence. Through this, UNFPA will contribute to the country’s realisation for a demographic dividend within the reality of rapid urbanisation and increased migration within and across borders. The programme will balance upstream policy support with catalytic interventions at the subnational level in the areas of data generation and analysis.

This will be done through supporting a comprehensive data production programme focusing on the 5th Population and Housing Census (PHC) scheduled for March 2025, Lao Social Indicator Survey as well as relevant surveys and data collection/analysis practices. The project will also address demand for data and data literacy. Other dimensions of the program include a demographic analysis and in-depth thematic reports using the data from census and national surveys to inform overarching policy framework including the formulation of the 10 National Socio-Economic Development Plan, Financing Strategy, LDC graduation and their linkages to intergenerational perspective (demographic dividend).

These activities necessitate well-designed publicity/communication and advocacy plans, events and materials, presentations, and identification of appropriate channels, to ensure that data are properly interpreted and used for policy advancement. The results of the data production platforms should be converted into clear and concise messages suitable to different groups of audience and users such as policy makers/programme managers/project evaluators, government officials – both at the national and local levels, students, journalists, youth, women, private sector, non-government organizations, development partners etc. The success of the programme heavily relies on multi-sectoral partnerships and collaboration as well as the resource mobilization and fundraising through various potential donors and innovative financing solutions. The design of these communication and partnership strategies requires the services of an International Communication and Partnership Specialist (ICS) focusing on data to inform evidence-based policy and advocacy dialogue.

You will be responsible for implementation, and monitoring of project activities to promote engagement, understanding and use of population data. Your experience in data visualization and presentation will be used to expand communication with partners and advocacy among various stakeholders. Additionally, your strong public speaking skills, mastery of graphic design and data visualization and multi-media experience will be harnessed to enhance the public outreach of the National Statistics Office and the line ministries on topics related to population dynamics (including census) and the demographic dividend.

The Census Communications and Partnership Analyst will work in close cooperation with the Country Office programme staff, the UN system, government counterparts, development partners and civil society organizations to ensure visibility and publicity campaign for the PHC and dissemination of preliminary results, as well as internal and external flow of communication and information and to strengthen partnership.

You would be responsible for:

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Advanced university degree in communication, media relations, journalism, publishing, or social sciences.

Knowledge and Experience:

• 2 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy.
• Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization is helpful.
• Excellent media contacts and proven success pitching stories to media outlets.
• Excellent research and writing skills, with experience writing reports, newsletters and program updates, video production and developing web content.
• Experience in covering stories on population in humanitarian situations and other social service.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages,
• Proven ability to engage in policy dialogue and advocacy.
• Familiarity in communicating in a clear and articulated manner, technical and/or complex issues to different types of audiences.
• Demonstrated experience in coordination and liaison with government partners, non-government organizations, UN agencies, private sector, and development partners.
• Excellent interpersonal, emotional intelligence, negotiating, intercultural communication skills and political acumen.
• Ability to work independently and in culturally diverse teams.

Languages:

Fluency in English.

Required Competencies:

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
• Embracing cultural diversity,
• Embracing change

Core Competencies:

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

Functional Competencies:

• Advocacy/ Advancing a policy-oriented agenda,
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/ building strategic alliances and partnerships,
• Delivering results-based programme,
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for resource mobilization

Compensation and Benefits:

This is an Internationally recruited position, therefore, only non-nationals of the duty station are eligible to apply. The position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable to International Temporary Appointments.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA’s workforce – click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.