Communication Officer (Copy Editor) Retainer, Multiple positions

Background Information – Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants management to push forward the justice reform agenda of the Philippine government through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. In the Support to the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, UNOPS is working with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government strengthening capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition, also with funds from the EU.

In the health sector, UNOPS works with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).

The UNOPS Philippines Office is part of the UNOPS Cambodia Multi-Country Officer (KHMCO), which provides oversight, support and services to UNOPS operations in the country offices. 

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law,  and governance sectors and subsequently is looking for qualified and committed experts.

In the health sector, UNOPS works with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).

Project Background Information – Governance in Justice Programme, Phase II (GOJUST II)

The Governance in Justice Programme Phase II or GOJUST II is a program of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines with support  from the European Union. It builds on from its predecessor program and generally aims to  contribute to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development through improved access  to justice for all. Specifically, it aims to develop more responsive and accountable justice  services. The justice system is composed of different actors. Reforms must be undertaken in a  coordinated and cohesive manner to ensure efficiency and sustainability. The center of any  justice sector reform program is the improvement of the lives of the people. In order to achieve  this, GOJUST II employs a four-pronged approach: justice sector strengthening, effective  justice institutions, access to justice and evidence-based research.

Justice sector coordination is undertaken by the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) co-chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice and the Secretary for the Department of Interior and  Local Government. GOJUST II will support the strengthening and institutionalization of the  JSCC as well as the strengthening of the individual justice sector institutions, to ensure  complementarity and compatibility of reform measures. Local sectoral coordination  mechanisms through the Justice Zones will allow GOJUST II to pilot reform measures at the  local level. GOJUST II will also support CSOs and law schools to increase access to justice for vulnerable groups. Finally, GOJUST II will promote evidence-based research that could  inform policy-making and future programming. 

Particularly on increased  access to the justice system for vulnerable groups, including women which is GOJUST II’s Key Result Area (KRA) 3, GOJUSTII established a grant facility which UNOPS manages in collaboration with the British Council which provides technical assistance to  the GOJUST II. 

GOJUST II’s KRA 3 will seek to empower women, poor and people living in vulnerable situations to  recognize their grievances and problems as legal issues and to seek effective remedies for  disputes. For people to be able to seek redress, they must know their rights and understand the  different pathways for seeking justice. To this end the project will work with media, legal service  NGOs, paralegals and other facilitators to create legal and rights awareness and provide direct  legal services on issues involving land rights, rights of women, including victims of sexual and  gender-based violence (GBV), rights of indigenous peoples, children, youth, prisoners, those  with disabilities and LGBTI people. The project will identify strategic collaborations with media,  arts and culture platforms for popular engagement on these issues. Based on the British  Council’s comparative experience in the use of arts and culture for peacebuilding, interventions  will be conflict sensitive and locally led, focusing on tangible outcomes such as confidence building and self-expression as part of legal empowerment.

Aside from grant management and administration, UNOPS is responsible for the provision of logistical and administrative support, which may include the organization and facilitation of training, workshops, seminars and study tours; procurement of goods and services; small works; and, communication and visibility. 

Role Specific: 

1. Edit the draft manuscripts supplied by GOJUST:

   1. Primary reading through text and correcting typographical errors, punctuation, spelling and easily corrected grammatical mistakes;

   2. In-depth grammar and stylistic corrections, which may entail an entire re-writing of full sentences to obtain the best written English; 

   3. Improving the flow and clarity of language so that the report is clear and concise;

   4. Checking internal consistency of the text, data, figures, tables and boxes;

   5. Reviewing pages for the title, messages, contents and preface of a publication;

   6. Provide a finished Word file for each publication that is ready to be sent for layout.

2. Coordination with stakeholders:

   1. Liaising responsively with the Communications Officer and the Technical Assistance Team to resolve queries directly with them;

   2. The copy editor should submit the work with tracked changes, and provide a list of queries and suggested solutions. Any major changes should be flagged;

   3. The copy editor will be provided a process map for the editing/coordination process;

   4. The copy editor is obligated to work within the required deadlines and be available to the GOJUST for comments and corrections.

3. Proofread the final layouts in preparation of delivery for print:

   1. Copy editor will proofread the draft and final layouts of the publications in preparation of delivery for printing to ensure content consistency. 

   2. Copy editor should work with and closely coordinate with the lay-out artist in the final draft for publication.

   3. Ensuring confidentiality of the original texts and source materials. The edited document submitted to GOJUST under the given TOR is the property of GOJUST and cannot be submitted, distributed to or used by any other party, unless arranged otherwise;

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in journalism, communication, international relations, law, political or social sciences, human rights, or comparable academic preparation is required.

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's or equivalent) in combination with 2 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master's degree.

• Progressive advanced experience in professional editing is required.

• Prior experience as a copy editor or writer is an asset;

• Expertise in using Word and a solid understanding of the publishing process;

• Strong communication skills (written and oral) are a necessity, and experience in the justice sector is desirable;

• Familiar with established Writing Guides such as the AP Stylebook and Chicago Manual Style is an advantage;

• Experience in editing legal documents is an advantage.

Contract type:      Local Individual Contractor Agreement

Contract level:     ICS-8/ LICA 8

Contract duration: 12 month Retainer contract with the maximum of 100 working days

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.