CONSULTANT IPDC SECRETARIAT

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Communication and Information Sector (CI)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Communication and Information

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 30-JUL-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Communication and Information Sector’s mission is to promote freedom of expression, media development and media literate societies, and to build knowledge societies through fostering universal access to information, innovation for sustainable development and the preservation of documentary heritage. (The role of this vacant position does not include responsibility for UNESCO's wider external communications, which is managed by the Division for Communications and Public Engagement.)

Under the authority of the Assistant-Director General for Communication and Information, the overall supervision of the Secretary of International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), and the direct supervision of the Deputy-Secretary of the IPDC, the Consultant (hereafter referred to as Individual Specialist) will contribute to the implementation of activities under the umbrella of the IPDC.

Specifically, the Individual Specialist will:

A.  Coordinate the development of two new UNESCO manuals on environmental journalism 

• Coordinate the end-to-end production of two publications – a Model Course on Environmental Journalism targeting journalism educators and a Practical Manual on Environmental Reporting targeting working journalists.
• Develop and implement an outreach plan for both publications.
• Ensure the planning of a launch event, including within the framework of the COP 31 in Belem, Brazil (Nov 2025).
• Coordinate the translation of the publication into at least 2 languages.

B.  Act as focal point for UNESCO/IPDC’s activities to promote quality journalism education 

• Actively disseminate the handbooks of the Journalism Education Series to universities and journalism training institutions, and encourage their localization and integration into teaching programmes;
• Explore new formats for selected recent manuals of the Journalism Education Series in order to enhance user-friendliness and/or repackage for new audiences;
• Explore ways of integrating in the outreach strategy inclusion considerations, notably when it comes to ensuring access for persons with disabilities.

C.  Contribute to the timely organization of the IPDC Bureau and Council meetings and follow-up on their recommendations and decisions:

• Take part in the preparation of the 70th meeting of the IPDC Bureau and other IPDC governance-related meetings by drafting working documents, speeches, scenarios and briefings;
• Support the roll-out of the 2026 Call for Proposals, and support the strengthening of diversity, inclusion and equity considerations, including through targeted outreach to disability-owned media organizations;
• Support the implementation of IPDC Bureau and Council decisions, including of selected Special allocations. 

D.  Support IPDC's visibility and outreach

• Contribute to enhancing the visibility of IPDC’s support and impact.
• Produce high-quality communication materials, including human-interest stories, brochures, social media content, and/or videos.

E.    Other tasks within the field of IPDC’s work, as requested by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary to the IPDC. 

Deliverables:  Submit to UNESCO for approval: 

Monthly reports to UNESCO summarizing the activities conducted under the umbrella of this contract; and a final report to UNESCO summarizing the activities conducted, together with supporting documents.  

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Journalism/Media studies, international development, political sciences or related field.

Work Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in project planning, coordination, management, research and/or communication in the area of international relations, media, development, or public policy.
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience with UN agencies or IGOs.
• Previous experience in working on media development and/or press freedom issues.

Skills/Competencies

• Good understanding of UNESCO's work to promote media development, journalism education and freedom of expression.
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) and ability to exchange, develop and summarize concise information on complex issues.
• Strong project management skills. Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent organization and planning skills, and ability to prioritize assignments and deadlines. Discretion and maturity of judgement.
• Capacity to collect, digest, consolidate, synthesize and analyze a vast array of information and provide insights on complex issues.
• Solid computer skills including advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, PowerPoint and Excel.  

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English and good knowledge of French.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Skills/Competencies

• Knowledge of UNESCO’s institutional mandates and working procedures.
• Innovative thinking. 
• Prior experience working on journalism education issues and/or environmental journalism. 
• Familiarity with the latest trends in the media sector.

Languages

• Knowledge of other official languages of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Spanish). 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should complete the on-line application, download and complete the Employment History form (Word file).  At the end of the Word file, insert extra pages with the following required information:

Part 1: Technical Proposal
a)    an up-to-date curriculum vitae.
b)    a statement indicating how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment.
c)    an indication of the approach (methodology, detailed workplan) he/she would adopt to carry out the assignment, including any inputs that may be required from UNESCO.
d)    List of relevant publications, if any. Provide link or URL to view online. 

Part 2: Financial Proposal 
a)    A competitive fee for the assignment, which should be quoted in EUR or USD and expressed on a monthly basis – and the overall cost of the assignment, expressed as an overall lump-sum. 

Applications submitted without the Technical and Financial proposal will not be considered.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The selected candidate can work remotely but Paris-based candidates will be prioritized.
• This consultant contract is for a period of 11 months, and the workload corresponds to a full-time consultancy.
• Estimated contract start date: ASAP, best August 2025.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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