Public Information Officer – Nairobi

The Public Information  Officer  will work under the overall supervision of the Head of Public Information  Unit, UNOCHA Somalia.

• Maintain constructive media relations through engagement with international and Somali media;
• Produce and support production of information;
• Support information management activities;
• Coordinate the UNCT information group and the joint UN/NGO information;
• Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results.

•  Maintain relations with media counterparts and support the office in all public information activities;
• Organize and support local and international media trips and briefings;
• Serve as focal point for organizing all special events, including the CAP;
• Monitor and support capacity building activities to help the local media better report on UN work;
• Produce or encourage journalists to cover human interest stories and liasie with headquarters to diseminate them via OCHA website and other social media tools;
• Support the management of social media tools;
• Conduct daily media monitoring of international news sources to supplement other UN offices’ monitoring, ensuring senior management are apprised of humanitarian issues in the international media.

 Produce and support production of information focusing on the achievement of the following:

• Coordinate inputs from the nine liaison areas for the production of the weekly and monthly situation reports;
• Draft the situation report as needed;
• Research/analyze data required in the press releases, special reports and briefing papers, including reports on media coverage and political, security and socio-economic factors affecting humanitarian and development programmes in Somalia;
• Actively contribute to the development and regular update of coordination and information tools, including OCHA Somalia website, information fact sheets and OCHA photo database;
• Ensure preparation of internal weekly reports to OCHA HQ on the humanitarian situation in Somalia by compiling inputs from substantive sections and drafting the report;
• Collaborate closely with OCHA field offices and information counterparts in other UN agencies and NGOs to ensure accurate and effective information dissemination on humanitarian issues in Somalia;
• Contribute to OCHA Headquarters and Regional Annual Reports, Budget Planning and the Regional Affected Populations Report.

 Support information management activities focusing on the achievement of the following:

• Collect and catalogue relevant information on Somalia on a weekly/monthly basis to be used in information products;
• Monitor progress of and obtain all major publications dealing with Somalia, and ensure their distribution and filing within the unit/office;
• Maintain and update photographs to be used in information products and other OCHA functions;
• Facilitate substantive development of briefing material as well as in the preparation of power point presentations.

• Participate in the monthly information officer’s group meetings and contribute to the group’s activities as needed, and brief Communications head and senior management when necessary;
• Participate in planning and organising public information group meetings;
• Represent OCHA at meetings as requested.

• Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country goals and activities;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice including corporate communications repositories;
• Provision of training, consultancy and advice to OCHA staff on communications for development.

 Impact of Results

Location: Nairobi, KENYA

Application Deadline: 16-May-14

Read more and apply here.