OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for the Communication and Information Sector and the direct supervision of the Director of UNESCO Office in Dakar, and in close cooperation with CI staff in CI Sector at Headquarters and in the Field Offices, the incumbent serves as Advisor for Communication and Information (ACI) for countries covered by the UNESCO Office in Dakar – Multisectoral Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel) : Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION

Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in mass communication, media studies, journalism, or in studies with specialization in information and communication technology and knowledge society issues.
WORK EXPERIENCE

Minimum 4 years of relevant professional experience in the field of communication and information, of which preferably 2 years acquired at international level promoting issues related to free, pluralistic and independent media and/or building inclusive knowledge societies.
SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

Good project management skills.
Ability to participate effectively in high-level negotiations with internal and external partners.
Capacity to represent the Organization competently and convincingly.
Good fundraising skills. Excellent negotiation and networking skills.
Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and to overcome obstacles.
Good IT and information and knowledge management skills.
LANGUAGES

Excellent knowledge of French or English and good knowledge of the other language.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
WORK EXPERIENCE

Demonstrated experience in international cooperation programmes.
Experience in partnership-building with UN Agencies, the private sector, civil society and NGOs.
Proven experience in fundraising and resource mobilization.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

Knowledge of UNESCO’s programmes and approved priorities, familiarity with the work and general functioning of UNESCO and international organizations in the UN system.
LANGUAGES

Working knowledge of Portuguese.

The incumbent works within the frameworks of UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Climate Change Agreement and the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, to implement UNESCO’s Programme and Budget. In particular, the incumbent will:

Analyse, evaluate and contribute to the development of sector-wide approaches and strategies for harnessing the potential of information and communication for development in the countries covered by the UNESCO Dakar Office, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and members of the UN Country teams.
Plan and implement programme activities in pursuit of the UNESCO Strategy and Programmes; and develop new project options and proposals to be funded by contributions received for the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and the Information for All Programme (IFAP), in line with priorities and project quality criteria, and implement approved projects; participate in raising extrabudgetary funds, and plan and implement projects funded by these funds.
Contribute to UNESCO’s involvement in the UN mechanisms and frameworks including the preparation of Common Country Assessments (CCA), United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF), as well as UNESCO Country Strategy (UCS) programming, implementation and monitoring.
Coordinate the preparation of, or prepare, report on the implementation of programmes and projects (funded within the Regular Programme and by voluntary contributions, including contributions received for IPDC and IFAP) and other briefings as may be required by Headquarters or the UNESCO Office in Dakar, using relevant tools in place at UNESCO.
Contribute to the planning, development and implementation of outreach strategies aimed at programme expansion; organize consultations with the countries in the region; and provide advisory services for the development of strategies and policies in the area of communication and information to governments, civil society organizations and the private sector.
Develop a knowledge base on the programme; contribute to policy through research; prepare background documents and reports of conclusions and recommendations related to the programme; provide critique and commentary on documents prepared by others and exchanges information of best practices. Provide regular news and information on communication and information programmes in Member States for both conventional and on-line publication through UNESCO’s websites. Contribute to the development and implementation of a communication plan.
Participate in the Office management team to share information, develop and implement intersectoral programmes and projects.
Mobilize extra budgetary resources in line with the approved UNESCO Programme (C/5), country priorities, the regional strategy and resource mobilization strategies. Originate and contribute to resource mobilization initiatives for the region and individual countries by developing concept notes and project proposals. Map potential donors, interact with UN Agencies seeking or marketing joint programmes, with bilateral and multilateral partners, with the private sector, foundations, and development banks. Ensure follow-up, including reporting on the implementation of activities.