CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2301468

Media Assistant

Job Posting: 22/May/2023

Closure Date: 05/Jun/2023, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : OCC

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition : General Service

Grade Level : G-4

Primary Location: Italy-Rome

Duration : Fixed-term: 2 years with possibility of extension

Post Number : 2002630

CCOG Code : 2203a

Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located.

•  FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
•  Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
•  Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values
•  FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
•  All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
•  All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
•  FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. 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, as well as enables cost-effectiveness in use of communication-related resources across the Organization.

The post is located in the News and Media branch (OCCM) within the Office of Communications (OCC) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Main Purpose

The Media Assistant performs a large variety of routine news and media team-related functions contributing to the smooth and efficient running of the work unit.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Media Assistant reports to the Senior Communication Officer (Media Relations Coordinator), OCCM. He/she acts independently in routine matters. Supervision received is focused on the quality of the work performed and provides for on-the-job learning.

Working Relationships

The Media Assistant usually interacts with a wide variety of colleagues within the work unit and with immediate clients within the Organization, playing a key role in supporting OCCM’s media relations work, its monitoring of news coverage of FAO or topics related to the Organization’s mandate, and OCCM’s activities aimed at the safeguarding of the Organization’s reputation in the Italian and international media.

Key Functions/Results

Supports media relations

•  Supports liaison with media, responding to routine queries and requests for information – including through the FAO Newsroom email account – arranging interviews with FAO experts, and editing stories or other content for publication.
•  Supports the News and Media branch in its interactions with journalists when using social media channels to promote international awareness of FAO to raise its profile and advance its reputation.
•  Assists with media accreditation for internal and external events in both hybrid and in-person events.
•  Manages database (internal and external stakeholders) and archiving.
•  Supports the News and Media branch in its activities related to generating/adapting news items including press releases, feature stories and opinion articles in Italian for placement with the national media.
•  Oversees adaptations of texts in English into United Nations (UN) languages as well as in Italian, with an eye to providing information and news angles relevant to specific audiences based on sound editorial judgment.

Supports social media

•  Assists in the posting of FAO corporate messages via @FAOnews, the Organization’s most influential/flagship Twitter account, in accordance with the goal of mobilizing support for FAO globally.
•  Supports the News and Media branch in its engagement activities with UN partner agencies, journalists and other external stakeholders via social media to promote the organization’s work and its reputation and support the dissemination of FAO’s corporate messages.
•  Liaises with counterparts in FAO’s technical centres/divisions/offices regarding messaging and promotion via @FAOnews and to provide support on the use of social media.
•  Monitors mentions of FAO and @FAOnews, including feedback on FAO news releases and tweets to assist the News and Media branch identify opportunities to constructively engage with international audiences or detect and defuse potential social media risks and crises.
•  Identifies lists and groups for strategic segmentation of followers and targeted communications via Twitter.
•  Monitors traffic by other FAO twitter accounts, UN twitter accounts, journalists, NGOs, and other key actors and retweet as appropriate.

Supports media coverage monitoring, analysis, and reporting

•  Using Meltwater and other tools and operating in an independent and proactive manner, monitors news coverage of FAO in print and online media, both on a continual basis and in relation to specific events and press releases.
•  Provides administrative and logistical support as needed, and performs other duties as required.
•  Assists in the compilation of reports and briefings for internal and external partners.

Impact of Work

The incumbent’s work impacts on the timely and efficient delivery of communications and multimedia-related services and on the overall output of the work unit.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education Experience: Three years of experience in communications-related work and media relations and monitoring, institutional communications. Languages: Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of both English and Italian and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of one of the other official FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish). IT Skills: Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment.

Residency: General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit, and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application. “Commuting distance” means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.

Competencies

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

Technical Skills

•  Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards.
•  Good knowledge and understanding of media monitoring tools including Meltwater, Talkwater, Google analytics, TVEyes.
•  Familiarity with content management systems, including Sitefinity and TYPO3, other web and graphic designing tools such as Photoshop and GIMP.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

•  Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of one of the other official FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
•  Experience with maintaining databases of media contacts including journalists based in Italy and abroad.
•  Experience with the UN Common System.

FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO,

Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

•  FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
•  Please note that FAO 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 at http://www.whed.net/
•  The length of the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments
•  Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
•  General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit, and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application.”Commuting distance” means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.
•  No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location
•  For additional information visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

REMUNERATION A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries allowances/salary.htm

HOW TO APPLY

•  To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate
•  Incomplete applications will not be considered
•  Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
•  Incomplete applications will not be considered
•  Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
•  Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered
•  Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
•  We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
•  If you need assistance please contact: Careers@fao.org

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT