Public Information Officer, P-3

Position description

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General within the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. The incumbent reports to the Spokesperson. The Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General provides information to the media on the activities of the UN system as a whole through daily briefings, direct responses to media enquiries, press conferences, background briefings and interviews with the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and other senior officials. The Office provides advice on media relations to the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General and senior Secretariat officials. The Office also keeps the Secretary-General regularly informed of major breaking news stories around the world. The EOSG, under the guidance of the Secretary-General (SG), work as a team pursuing in a cohesive and coherent manner, the SG’s vision, priorities and policies for his second mandate in office. It seeks alignment of the United Nations family with the SG’s vision, priorities and policies. It is guided by the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and of achieving gender and regional balance among staff. All EOSG unit will support the EOSG senior officials, as appropriate, depending on the tasks at hand, regardless of which senior official they formally report to, and will work together through a matrix team approach, as necessary, to ensure EOSG leads by example on integration and cross-pillar work.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Spokesperson and/or Deputy Spokesperson, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

• Responsible for in-depth and daily coverage of a specific region of the world, thematic issue as they relate to the UN’s programme of work and specific UN peacekeeping and/or peacebuilding relations; acts as focal point on specific issues, monitoring, and reporting on political, social, economic and humanitarian developments, responding to inquiries, etc.;
• Monitors any breaking news which might affect the Organization, selects stories for inclusion in the product ‘Spokesperson’s alert and daily headlines’ which is distributed to the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General and other senior UN advisers;
• Drafts notes to be read at the Spokesperson’s daily press briefing; rotates responsibility for drafting a daily summary of the noon briefing and posts on website; drafts the product ‘Week ahead’ – a planning tool used by journalists regarding noteworthy events throughout the UN for the following 7 days;
• Establishes and maintains contacts with desk officers in a number of Secretariat departments, United Nations programmes and agencies, in order to gather information on subjects under incumbent’s area of responsibility and offers advice on dealing with the media;
• Follows Security Council deliberations as they relate to incumbent’s specific area of responsibility;
• Gives on and off-the-record interviews in English and/or Spanish as required;
• Anticipates questions and drafts corresponding answers in preparation for any possible press encounters by the Secretary-General; • Availability to travel with the Secretary-General as a Spokesperson and participates in the roster of late duty officer in the Office.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Must have a refined news sense and the ability to draw on a wide breadth of knowledge concerning current affairs and the role and policies of the United Nations. Ability to identify public affairs issues, opportunities and risks in a politically sensitive environment. Ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audiences and cultivate productive relationships. Ability to rapidly produce a variety of written communications products in a clear, concise style. Has the ability to work under constant pressure and within tight daily deadlines. Maturity, discipline and political judgement are required to speak on behalf of the Secretary-General on matters of policy and substance in live interviews; an ability to analyse and articulate complex UN polices in layman’s terms to the media. Ability to build a relationship of trust with the media, as well as anticipate and satisfy the media needs of the Secretary-General and his senior staff. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Communications: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to other, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
• Client orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in communications, international relations, journalism or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in public information, journalism, or other relevant media relations at the national or the international level is required;
• Experience in a news environment with a wire service, newspaper or similar media outlet is required;
• Experience in dealing with the press is desirable;
• Experience working in an international organization or a national government is desirable;
• Experience in a UN communications environment is desirable;
• Experience in political analysis, advice and reporting is desirable;
• Experience in generating content for social media platforms is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required, as is Spanish. Fluency in one of the other UN official languages is desirable.

Application instructions

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