UN Women - Communications & Editorial Specialist, IPPSA 10, New York, USA (12 months contract)

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Division of Communications and Advocacy (DCA) leads UN Women’s global communications, advocacy, brand, media, digital, partnerships and internal communications functions through a coherent and modern structure that works seamlessly across global, regional, country offices and National Committees. Through this work, DCA positions UN Women as the leading global voice and advocate for women’s rights, a unified and trusted global brand, and a partner of choice for governments, civil society, the private sector, and the broader UN system. The division shapes UN Women’s voice and positions its thought leadership and advocacy by developing evidence-based content, storytelling, and messaging that resonates across media, digital, and multimedia channels.

Reporting to the Editorial Manager, the Communications & Editorial Specialist will be responsible for coordinating, researching, writing and editing website content for the UN Women website, focusing on impact stories, thematic priorities, and thought leadership articles and campaigns, ensuring that information about UN Women’s work and related news events are presented in a convincing and comprehensive way on the organization’s main corporate platform for public information. The Communications & Editorial Specialist also collaborates with RO/MCO and CO colleagues to support editorial content development and campaign content. 

Scope of Work :

1. Editorial planning, data analysis and monitoring

• Contribute to developing and maintaining an editorial calendar for the website as part of the overall editorial planning of the Communications and Advocacy Section and identify potential material for further research and publishing;


• Attend relevant meetings to assess the potential of editorial features and brief the editorial team on content priorities;


• Contribute to the gathering and analysis of website and search analytics to ensure UN Women editorial content is impactful;


• Collaborate with the editorial, multimedia, media, and social team for innovative content that supports cross-platform storytelling for impact.

2. Writing and web production 

• Write, edit and/or proofread stories, articles, and other web content and submissions by field offices and HQ sections for publishing;


• Work closely with the translation company and proofreaders to coordinate translation and upload translated content on the website.  Coordinate in-house translations with French- and Spanish-speaking colleagues, as required;


• Support the maintenance of the UN Women website ensuring that it informs in a convincing way about relevant news and events highlighting the work of the organization;


• Ensure that all editorial content is written in line with the UN style guide;


• In coordination with the Editorial Manager, post content as, and when, needed.

3. Produce in-depth editorial packages for campaigns and humanitarian priority areas 

• Under the supervision of the Editorial Manager, lead development and production of editorial packages for special projects, campaigns, and thematic priorities;


• Solicit inputs, content and edit stories and content for the In Focus packages and data-driven storytelling;


• Review and monitor content for re-packaging and updating for relevant campaigns and moments.

4. Build Editorial collaboration to feature impact from CO, MCO, RO-s and policy leadership

• Collaborate and develop strong working relationships with colleagues at HQ and in countries and regions;


• Provide writers with detailed advice on story ideas, treatment and guidelines, prior to coverage;


• Provide editorial feedback on drafts submitted from RO/CO/MCOs, including correcting for UN Editorial Style, political sensitivity and editorial treatment as laid out in UN Women’s editorial guidelines;


• Proactively solicit submissions by field offices and HQ sections;


• Update regularly the website content, including the home page, based on consultations with relevant sections and the Editorial Manager


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5. Facilitate knowledge building and synergies across multiple platforms for storytelling 

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned to inform editorial practices and guidelines;


• Build synergies and creative collaboration for multi-platform storytelling, working with social media and multimedia and campaigns teams;


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  Provide training and workshops on communication and advocacy as appropriate. 

  
  

   

6. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;


• Professionalism;


• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;


• Accountability;


• Creative Problem Solving;


• Effective Communication;


• Inclusive Collaboration;


• Stakeholder Engagement;


• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent writing, editing and content development skills for diverse digital and editorial platforms.


• Ability to communicate effectively and adapt messaging for different audiences and stakeholders.


• Strong knowledge of international development issues and trends.


• Ability to apply editorial standards and consistently adhere to established style guides.


• Knowledge of digital content management systems and web-based knowledge management platforms.


• Knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) and contemporary content discoverability practices (including GEO/AIO).


• Strong analytical, advisory and strategic communication skills.


• Strong interpersonal, networking and collaboration skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across teams and offices.


• Knowledge of gender equality, women's empowerment and human rights issues is an asset


• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies 

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Certification : 

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant field is required.


• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience :

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in editorial planning, writing and editing, preferably related to international development issues is required.


• Experience in producing digital and web-based content for international and public-facing audiences is required.


• Experience in using content management systems (CMS) and Microsoft Office applications is required.


• Experience in applying SEO and AI search content optimization techniques to improve online visibility and reach is required.


• Experience working in multicultural and international environments is desirable.

Language :

• Fluency in English is required.


• Knowledge of another official UN language is an important asset (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.