UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Hope

BACKGROUND / RATIONALE
UNICEF works towards realization of the rights of children as prescribed in the Convention of the Rights of the Children. These rights pertain to child survival, protection, development, and participation.

There is an ongoing requirement for content production and communication in the region. UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) regularly produces content of significance, such as: reports, strategic plans, advocacy briefs, various papers, guidelines, communications materials, advocacy toolkits, human interest stories, scripts, adverts, brochures, emailers, letters, brochures, proposals, ad copies, social media content etc.

To meet this requirement, UNICEF would like to engage the services of writers/Edition.

How can you make a difference? 

PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT
To meet these requirements, UNICEF would like to engage the services of writers / Designers for documenting UNICEF activities and programmes for different audiences such as the general public, donors, supporters and partners.

OBJECTIVE
The overall objective is to set up a Long-Term Agreement to facilitate and expedite the process by which UNICEF in WCARO will hire writers/editors as required for specific projects to develop marketing, communication and advertising materials that explain UNICEF's activities in the field to raise awareness and funds from various partners and donors.

MAJOR TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED
Successful respondents must provide well-written and edited content for website, media, social media, fundraising materials, marketing communication, advocacy, behavior change documents, human interest stories, reports and related documents as mentioned – all the above not only to inform the audience but to engage them deeply enough to ensure they respond by taking a direct action on behalf of children (eg changing their behavior, reposting messaging, donating to UNICEF, etc). Tasks include, but may not be limited to:

• Write, edit and finalize crisp, concise, text for all documents. Usually, the text will need to include a request for action which maximizes reader response
• Research issues and characters being documented, in-depth interviews of community, service providers, government counterparts, beneficiaries, while being mindful of sensitivities of specific situations, to support the story writing.
• Work in close coordination (where required) with photographers to help capture relevant, powerful captions of photographs for their stories and photo essays.
• Review, edit, and consolidate material for knowledge products, ensuring clarity and continuity of the argument and clarity of structure and core themes.
• Proofread layout files, including checking spelling, country, and city names and acronyms and other abbreviations (making sure that they follow official UNICEF terminology and conventions), style consistency, callouts, layout problems, references, etc.
• Ensure implementation of the UNICEF style guide.
• Write digital content media as required, including project factsheets, webpages, stories of change, and knowledge products such as forewords, prefaces, etc.
• Draft blurbs, stories, and content as may be required for the website. ix. Be available for feedback and inputs as per the requirement of the office.
• Be available for several rounds of editing with regards to stories.
• Deliver on tight, short timelines as needed

Responsibilities of the Consultant:

• The consultant will use their own equipment; laptops, microphones, software and other accessories that may be required for this task.
• The consultant will not give the content/material or any part thereof, to any third party without the written permission of UNICEF. All components will be a property of UNICEF, and the consultant will not share the same with anyone else.
• The consultant will not put their own name or logo/emblem on the content / final product. The only organization branding will be UNICEF, if required.

Responsibilities of UNICEF:

• UNICEF will provide all details pertaining to the activity and the requirements
• UNICEF will orient the consultant on UNICEF’s branding guidelines

Consultants may be required to work on Saturdays and Sundays, based on the requirements of the assignment.

DELIVERABLES AND DEADLINES

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Category 1: For Writers for Media, Advocacy and behavior change

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, Literature, Marketing, Journalism, Advertising, Creative/technical writing, Public Health, Social Sciences related field. A Diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in media/journalism, public relations, communication and behavior change communications, and advocacy is mandatory.
• Experience in writing for the Government and/or UN Organizations is desirable.
• Experience in copy editing is desirable.
• Experience and quality of work demonstrably meet the highest international standards.
• An excellent track record, along with experience writing about the social development sector, is desirable.
• Excellent ability to conduct research and interviews whenever needed to build the communication material
• Excellent ability to translate material gathered in interviews in a language other than English, into English and weave them into a story, is desirable
• Ability to analyze, plan, communicate effectively orally and in writing draft reports

Category 2: For Writers for website/blogs

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, Literature, Marketing, Journalism, Advertising, Creative/technical writing, Public Health, Social Sciences related field. A Diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in media/journalism, public relations, communication, and behavior change communications, and advocacy is mandatory.
• Experience in writing for the Government and/or UN Organizations is desirable.
• Experience in copy editing is desirable.
• Experience and quality of work demonstrably meet the highest international standards.
• An excellent track record, along with experience writing about the social development sector, is desirable.
• Excellent ability to conduct research and interviews whenever needed to build the communication material
• Excellent ability to translate material gathered in interviews in a language other than English, into English and weave them into a story, is desirable
• Ability to analyze, plan, communicate effectively orally and in writing draft reports.

Category 3: For Writers for Social Media

• A bachelor’s degree in Communications, Literature, Marketing, Journalism, Advertising,
  Creative/technical writing, Public Health, Social Sciences related field. A Diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in advertising, digital marketing, fundraising, or digital content.
• Experience in copy editing is desirable.
• Experience and quality of work demonstrably meet the highest international standards.
• Excellent ability to conduct research and interviews whenever needed to build communication material for social media
• Ability to analyze, plan, communicate effectively orally and in writing draft reports.

Category 4: For Fundraising and marketing communication

• A bachelor's or Master's degree in Communications, Literature, Marketing, Journalism, Advertising, Creative/technical writing, Public Health, Social Sciences related field. A Diploma in a relevant field with experience can be considered in lieu of the degree.
• A demonstrated ability to produce high quality, creative communication collaterals.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in advertising, digital marketing, fundraising, or digital content.
• Experience in copy editing is desirable.
• Experience and quality of work demonstrably meet the highest international standards.
• An excellent track record, along with experience writing about the social development sector, is desirable.
• Excellent ability to conduct research and interviews whenever needed to build the communication material
• Ability to analyze, plan, communicate effectively orally and in writing draft reports.
• Possess excellent research, analytical and writing skills that are enticing and engaging for viewers and donors

Note: Candidates are free to apply to any category of writers based on their qualifications and experience. They can also apply for multiple categories or all of them. UNICEF will award LTA to top ranked candidates under each category. A candidate may be awarded LTA for one or more than one category.

Language:

• Fluency in oral and written English or French is required
• Knowledge of any other language in the region or local language is an asset

HOW TO APPLY:

The application to be submitted through the online portal and should contain four separate attachments:

• A Cover letter explaining suitability for position (to be uploaded online under “Cover Letter” tab)
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) (to be uploaded online under “Resume” tab)
• Minimum of three work samples for each Category applied for e.g. human-interest stories/reports/advertising materials/content created/proposal as per the required assignment (to be uploaded online under “Other – Applicant” as a single document containing work samples for all categories applied)
• A financial proposal (for the categories applied) as per the template attached. Please do not forget to specify your name in the file while saving (to be uploaded online under “Financial Proposal” tab).

Without all the above 4 documents, your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.