Global Social Media Manager at UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Terms of Reference

Global Social Media Manager

Social Media Section, Global Communications Service

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full time position within the Global Social Media Section. This position sits in our London hub alongside the Global Goodwill Ambassador Section, also part of UNHCR’s Global Communications Service, within the Division of External Relations.

This role devises and executes social media strategy, content production and engagement pertaining to Goodwill Ambassador, high-profile supporter and digital influencers. UNHCR is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

• Title: Social Media Manager
• Duty Station: London, United Kingdom
• Duration: Through to 31 December 2021 with a strong likelihood of extension in 2022.
• Contract Type: The vacancy is open to Local and International candidates. The subsequent contract will be issued according to the status of the selected candidate.
• Closing date: 13 June 2021
• Start date: 12 July 2021 / ASAP

Organisational context

UNHCR’s Global Communications Service works to lead the narrative on forced displacement, generate empathy and mobilize action within the wider context of the Division of External Relations. To advance these strategic objectives, the Service’s Social Media Section is responsible for leading the organization’s use of social media. The Section’s responsibilities include developing policies and strategies, providing leadership, coordination and training for country-led, thematic and language accounts around the world, and managing UNHCR’s global English social media accounts, which have an aggregate following of more than ten million people. UNHCR’s social media accounts are a front face of the organization and one of its leading drivers of public communications and engagement. They deliver compelling, sharable content to key audiences , advancing awareness, advocacy and fundraising objectives. The position Building and engaging our online community requires dedicated, specialized capacity with strong political and editorial judgement, technical multimedia skills and keen audience awareness. A growing area of our work is based around the activities and advocacy of UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassadors, high-level supporters and social media and digital influencers.

The role has an advisory function, guiding and coordinating UNHCR’s regional and country-level networks on how to effectively work with high-profile supporters to use their social media channels to amplify UNHCR messages and content, as well as guide content creation on the activities of national Goodwill Ambassadors in support of UNHCR. These supporters communicate in diverse languages and formats. Reporting to the Head of Social Media in London, the incumbent will work especially closely with all members of the Goodwill Ambassador Section. They will also work with all other Global Communications Service teams as well as UNHCR Regional Bureaux and Operations colleagues around the world. They will also collaborate with Digital Engagement and Private Sector Partnerships teams to leverage social content, platforms, networks and partners in line with supporter-based and fundraising priorities and audiences.

The incumbent will build and leverage relationships with social media editors at leading international news and media organizations with the goal of securing external placement of global UNHCR and Goodwill Ambassador social media content and enhancing coverage of UNHCR’s work and the plight of refugees on social media.

Duties and responsibilities

• Strategy and Planning: Lead social media strategy, content production and publication on UNHCR channels and external platforms relating to the activities of UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors, High Profile Supporters, digital influencers, celebrities and other talent.

• Teamwork: Work closely with GWA officers to ensure all social media plans are fully integrated into wider strategic plans and activities of talent, including field missions, events and campaigns. Work collaboratively with Digital Influencer Engagement Manager on digital influencer engagement and communication.

• Creative Content: Write, produce and create compelling social media content in English in relation to activities of GWA and talent

• Develop innovative content projects in collaboration with GWA, Social and other team content producers, for global social channels, utilizing external network of multimedia consultants, animators and directors.

• Identify opportunities in the content creation process that enable adaptation and translation of applicable content into other languages.

• Ensure high-level message and branding consistency in social media content and platforms.

• Social Listening / Crisis Communications: Monitor ongoing and new crisis communications situations on social media in relation to our Goodwill Ambassadors and other talent with regular listening and community management functions.

• Analysis and Reporting: Collaborate closely with GWA section and Analytics Unit on impact reports and analysis of social media activities in support of UNHCR and/or refugees.

• Provide recommendations on what can be done to improve GWA-related social media content and activities. This includes ensuring the effective use of digital coding and analytical tools.

• Community Management/Audience Development: Carrying out regular community management duties e.g. monitoring and responding to comments, analysing audience sentiment, soliciting feedback – on owned channels as well as on GWA/external partner platforms to drive engagement with existing and new fanbases and target audiences. Working to ensure continued growth of audience on UNHCR’s five core social media accounts (notably on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.)

Qualifications and professional experience required

Education

• Required: Undergraduate degree.

• Desirable: Undergraduate degree in the fields of public relations, journalism, communications, media, international relations or related.

Experience

• Essential: Minimum three years’ social media content strategy and platform management experience, as well as community management of a large online community, engaging global audiences with stories and news-oriented content.

Desirable: Experience of working with celebrity or influencer on social media strategy and content.

Skills and Competencies

• Required

• Excellent oral and written English – including social-first copywriting skills – required. Other languages an asset.

• Experience commissioning, scripting, and editing social native content (social videos and graphics).

• Experience building campaigns for major projects and moments.

• Project management experience.

• Ability to work to tight deadlines.

• Experience using data and insights – including social listening tools such as Sysomos, Pulsar, CrowdTangle and native social media analytics – to drive audience development

• Experience dealing with risk mitigation and crisis communications situations

• Ability to identify relevant or trending news stories and social media conversations which UNHCR should join or be aware of.

• Desired

• Knowledge of the United Nations and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

• Familiarity with refugees, statelessness and forced displacement issues.

• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud applications, especially Photoshop and Premiere Pro, required. Advanced skills an asset.

• A second UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish)

Location

The successful candidate will be based with the team in London, United Kingdom.

Conditions

It is a full-time role with working hours approximately from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). Flexible working options are available. Due to COVID, the position will be teleworking from home until the office is reopened. Some travel may be required in future.