Communications Officer (reporting)

Responding to one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world, the Afghanistan Inter-Agency Information and Accountability Center (IAIAC) known as Awaaz Afghanistan is an inter-agency two-way communication and accountability mechanism that responds to the information and communication needs of affected populations in Afghanistan and allows affected populations to shape their own relief and recovery. Based in Kabul and functioning as a toll-free humanitarian helpline, Awaaz Afghanistan is a link to the partnership between those who wish to assist and those who need assistance and is accountable to both constituencies.

Supported by the Humanitarian Country Team, with current funding from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF), UN Women, Japan Supplementary Fund and the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO),  Awaaz’s primary objective is to promote two-way communication between affected populations to:

1. Empower communities through the provision of accessible and timely information on how to access humanitarian services and resources required to improve their situation

2. Help ensure efficient and effective coordination of humanitarian actors operating in Afghanistan by collecting and circulating information about the urgent needs and priorities of affected populations

3. Support an environment of transparency and accountability by:

   1. Establishing an easy-to-access and safe mechanism through which affected populations can lodge feedback and complaints

   2. Channeling feedback and complaints to humanitarian actors to influence humanitarian programming and shape quality advocacy

Purpose and Scope of the Assignment 

Under the supervision of the project manager, the Communications Officer  (reporting) will work closely with the Awaaz project team to generate and maintain the project’s information and communication needs and contribute to the overall project objectives. The post aims to further strengthen and streamline Awaaz’s data collection, data sharing, data analysis and reporting processes as part of its overall objective to strengthen accountability to affected populations in Afghanistan. The incumbent will be  responsible for provision of specialized support to the Project Manager and the team in preparation and finalization of communication documents, regular analytical reports, donor reports, briefing and research documents, assessment reports, media releases, stories and other written content for website, analyze and report tailored data set required for clusters and relevant UN agencies, project success stories and other publicity material in support of the project. Most of the materials will be prepared in English, while some documents will be in local languages.

With the aim of strengthening the quality of communications and reporting services provided by the project as well as the internal capacity of the Awaaz Afghanistan, the incumbent will perform the following duties with transparency and integrity, and in adherence to the humanitarian standards for information management as provided by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP), the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Sphere Handbook:

• Provide technical support to the Project team in development of the Awaaz reporting templates, in particular with the drafting of internal and external reports within given deadlines;

• Establish and maintain an effective communication strategy for the project, incorporating methods for the comprehensive distribution of visibility materials and outreach efforts as undertaken by the Community Engagement team, as well as ensure digestion of public information products and facilitated presence at key coordination forums;

• Overall responsibility for the project reports on activities, including newsletters, substantive monthly and/or quarterly progress reports, quarterly bulletin, projects briefs, project final reports, assessment and survey reports, annual reports and ad-hoc reports upon request and ensure full compliance of project communications activities with donors’ guidelines and requirements;

• Interact and follow up with the Project Manager and the project teams to solicit case studies, lessons learned, success stories, and best practices for internal and external sharing. Lead the preparation of the success stories and best practices reported by the project team for inclusion in project monthly dashboard;

• Contribute to preparation of briefs, talking points, key messaging for discussions with partners in key coordination meetings to discuss data, trends analysis and any identified gaps and/or needs observed;

• Produce statistics, maps, charts, presentations and other reports as required by the project. Take the lead for editing and proofreading project publications, media and other communications materials;

• Provides inputs and guidance on the transformation of project data into more usable forms of information that can be used for reporting and analysis;

• Provide technical support on all aspects of project results reporting, including guidance, stakeholder engagement, data collection enrichment, quality assurance and analysis for contributing to the preparation of the Awaaz Afghanistan monthly dashboard; 

• Develop appropriate reporting formats to meet all reporting requirements of the project and coordinate inputs to and draft reports related to project activities.

• Draft and edit promotional and/or communication materials and strategy to raise the profile of the call center among affected populations and humanitarian partners and agencies;

• In collaboration with the Project Manager and Information Management team, update the standard operator procedures, internal guidelines, external communications and reporting as required,

• Provide quality assurance, including data verification, on all reports and information products produced by the project by editing and consolidating all reports prepared by the project;

• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with internal stakeholders and teams to ensure any content writing requests are fulfilled without errors or misinformation;

• Assist in the documentation of key findings in regular analysis of the project’s impact on the response,including operational developments, achievements, constraints, concerns, and request for support, and in the communication of these findings to partners, donors and other stakeholders;

• Gather and report on feedback from partners in a systematic way to facilitate analysis, reporting of impact, procedures on referrals, and support the overall accountability of humanitarian actors to the affected population;

• Maintain close interaction with Project team to share information and knowledge as related to project activities and communications;

• Ensures overall integrity, quality, accessibility and accuracy of information across project and reporting dashboard;

• Support third party monitoring service reporting (RCM) for partners, including the development of questionnaires, data sampling, guidance and training of operators, data cleaning, data analysis and reporting;

• Demonstrate an ability to learn quickly, follow procedures, and act professionally at all times

• Be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their job; incumbents may be asked to perform other duties which reasonably correspond to the general character of their job and their level of responsibility.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in statistics, M&E, Data Analysis journalism, communication, project management, business administration, international relations/development or any other related field. 

Experience

Required:

• Minimum of 2 years of progressive responsible experience in Data Analysis, Reporting and Communications role.

• Strong background in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, reporting and communications field. 

• Experience in the humanitarian and/or development sector is preferred.

• Experience in usage of computers, and other software/ platforms related to the position's field of expertise. Good experience in working with the G-Suite platform including, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides is preferred;

• Experience in usage of Microsoft Office software packages (MS Word, Powerpoint, and Excel preferred).

• Knowledge of and experience in gender sensitivity, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, mine-risk awareness, active listening techniques, basic counselling techniques for distressed callers among other skills, referral pathways, and Accountability to Affected Populations,.

• Knowledge of new data analysis and visualization solutions such as PowerBI and Tableau…etc.

Languages

• Fluency (oral and written) in English is required. 

• Fluency in Pashto or Dari language is highly desired.

Contract type:Local ICA
Contract level: LICA 8
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA - Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance 

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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 (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.