National Communication Specialist

The National Communication Specialist will coordinate and lead the implementation of the FAO Representation’s Communication strategy in China, supporting visibility of FAO’s work and contributing to achieving global, regional, and national objectives in eliminating poverty and hunger. The role involves media outreach, digital asset development, social media management, and partnership building to promote FAO's corporate image and mandates.

Responsibilities

• Support the implementation of the FAO China Communication Strategy in support of the Country Programming Framework (CPF), Regional Initiatives, FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme, FAO corporate and the United Nations Sustainable Development Country Framework (UNSDCF)
• Form and maintain strategic partnerships with media networks, strengthen internal capacity for media outreach and technical expertise
• Collate information and develop appropriate digital assets, in line with global FAO key messages, terminology, standards and guidelines, and manage thematic/regional/country social media channels including FAO’s WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao, and Douyin accounts
• Liaise with Regional Communication Officers and Office of Communications (OCC) for review and clearance of video scripts and formats
• Advocate and promote FAO’s mandates, missions and purposes in the country
• Provide technical support in the development and implementation of thematic/country/regional/divisional communications plans for campaigns or key priorities such as World Food Day, International Year, Four Betters, etc.
• Maintain regular coordination with RCO and OCC to ensure key messages, outputs and products are shared via global multilingual channels
• Prepare and disseminate press releases and social media posts about FAO projects in the country including Trust Fund projects, TCP projects, FAO-GEF projects, FAO-China SSC Programme, and other activities
• Support strengthening of FAO’s media relations and public visibility in the country, facilitate interviews
• Administrate and monitor the FAOCN website with press releases and relevant information, support digital marketing and liaise with digital influencers
• Create, improve and maintain a national media database
• Increase the number of good photos from FAOCN work and submit them to OCC for inclusion in the FAO Mediabase and/or upload to Flickr
• Track and log all media reports involving FAO at country level and send reports to FAO Representative and RAP Communication Officer for SOMI notification
• Identify training requirements in communications and provide training for FAOCN staff to support sustainability of communications initiatives
• Support GEF team in the office to publish project newsletters through PWS
• Provide communications training for the FAO-GEF project management offices in the country, as requested
• Maintain liaison with OCC to ensure compliance with standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes
• Assist in communication work of FAO DPRK including production of communication materials such as brochures and fact sheets
• Ensure all communication materials follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards and guidelines
• Perform other required activities to fulfill visibility objectives as requested by the Organization

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public relations, television production, or other relevant qualifications
• At least three years of relevant experience in communication, journalism, media engagement, public relationship or related fields
• Working knowledge of English and Chinese
• National of China or resident of the country with valid work permit
• Proficiency knowledge/skill of administrating various on-line social platforms, i.e. Weibo, Wechat
• Good understanding of strategic communication and solid skills in written and visual forms of communication
• Considerable work experience in general news field reporting, newsgathering and/or writing for a major national or international news outlet
• Established efficient contact/network with local media, and proven experience in networking with partners at all levels
• Experience in providing communication support for event organization, interviews, and maintenance of social media platforms at the international and national level, including substantive experience in journalism
• Demonstrated ability to work in and motivate a diverse team, fostering an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere
• Work experience in both international and national environment, understanding of FAO policies and programmes could be an asset
• Ability to operate under pressure and good interpersonal skill

Skills

• Journalism
• Media Engagement
• Public Relations
• Social Media Management
• Weibo Administration
• Wechat Administration
• Strategic Communications
• News Reporting
• Newsgathering
• Writing for Media
• Media Networking
• Event Communication Support
• Interview Coordination
• Digital Asset Development
• Marketing Strategy Implementation
• Bilingual Communication
• International Communication
• Team Motivation
• Stakeholder Engagement

Languages

English, Chinese