Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Partnership and Liaison Office (FAO PLO) in the Republic of Korea (ROK) was officially open on 13 May 2019. The FAO PLO provides its full commitment to and support for FAO’s role and mandates, full support to partnership with all ROK partners, and enhances vision and outreach of FAO’s aspiration, strategic framework and PPAs.
The FAO PLO in the Republic of Korea communicates and cooperates with all FAO divisions/offices/teams, the Korean Government agencies and all partners in the Republic of Korea, including the UN agencies in ROK, academies and institutions, the private sector, and others in the service of FAO’s work.

The post is located in the FAO PLO in ROK.

Reporting Lines

Under the direct guidance of the Head of the Partnership and Liaison Office /FAO Representative (FAOR), the communications specialist shall be directly supervised by the FAOR of the FAO PLO. The incumbent shall familiarize himself/herself with, and ensure mandatory coherence of, FAO’s corporate communication policy and operational guidelines for all communication and information outputs and, when necessary, seek guidance from the FAO Regional Communication Office in Bangkok (RAPCOM).

Technical Focus

Conducting strategic communications and outreach, enhance social media and digital engagement to strengthen the visibility of FAO PLO in the Republic of Korea, and manage publications and documentation in line with FAO corporate standards.

In close collaboration with Office of Communications (OCC) branches and appropriate Communication focal points, the incumbent will:

Tasks and responsibilities

Following specific responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

General communications

•     Support developing and implementing the PLO’s annual communications strategy and work plan in line with FAO corporate strategies.
•     Draft bilingual (Korean/English) talking points, speeches, newsletters, and press releases for the FAO Representative.
•     Support coordinating with ROK ministries, agencies, and partners to strengthen FAO’s visibility.
•     Support producing and disseminating multimedia content (stories, presentations, documentaries) in compliance with FAO style and branding.

Social Media

•     Support collating information and develop appropriate digital assets, in line with global FAO key messages, terminology, standards and guidelines, and day-to-day management of thematic/regional/country social media channel(s) as per the FAO social media guidelines and in support of country/regional/global strategies, liaising and coordinating with the relevant technical officers, Regional Communication Officers (RCO) and OCC, as appropriate, and relevant supervisor for clearance.
•     For videos intended for use on social media channels, liaise with RCO and OCC to review scripts, formats and final clearances.  
•     Support managing FAO PLO’s official social media accounts (including @faorok on X/Twitter) to promote FAO’s work in the Republic of Korea, ensuring compliance with FAO’s social media branding guidelines.
•     Support developing and disseminating bilingual (Korean/English) social media posts and digital assets in collaboration with the multimedia artist/graphic designer and PLO staff, aligned with FAO storytelling guidelines, style, and templates.
•     Ensure all social media outputs comply with FAO publishing and clearance policies, including FAOSTYLE, terminology, logo policy, quality control criteria, and global clearance through OCCM when intended for wider/global dissemination.
•     Support the development and regular updating of FAO PLO’s web pages, including uploading multimedia products and public domain publications that reinforce social media visibility.
•     Provide weekly updates on food and agriculture developments in the Republic of Korea to inform digital and social media outputs.
•     Support monitoring and reviewing social media performance, ensuring content remains relevant, compliant, and aligned with FAO’s corporate communication strategy.

Publications and documents management

•     Ensure all publications and documents comply with FAO publishing standards, including FAOSTYLE, terminology, and corporate branding
•     Support processing publications through the FAO Publications Workflow System (PWS), from planning to production and dissemination.
•     Support liaising with FAO’s Publishing Group to ensure corporate quality and clearance of all outputs.

Perform any other related duties

•     Support the management of the FAO PLO website, ensuring timely updates and alignment with FAO corporate platforms.
•     Act as focal point for the office’s generic email account when needed.
•     Perform other related duties as assigned.

FAO Standards and guidelines: Social Media

•     Liaison with OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes.
•     All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en  
FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia    
Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044en 
FAOSTYLE https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081en 
FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm 
FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en     
Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff).

FAO Standards and guidelines: Publication and document management

•     Ensure compliance of all products with:
Publishing at FAO – Strategy and guidance http://www.fao.org/3/I7429EN/i7429en.pdf ; 
FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff)

•     Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements  
 
•     Advanced university degree in Mass Communication, Journalism, Media Studies or a related field
•     At least five (5) years of relevant experience in communication at the national level and international levels; news media experience strongly preferred
•     Working knowledge of English
•     National of Korea or resident of the country with valid work permit

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Extent of experience in Communication and media relations
•     Excellence in writing, editing, and speaking skills in English and Korean 
•     Extent and relevance of knowledge and experience in digital strategy, storytelling, diffusion strategies, reporting, and documentation 
•     Extent and relevance of experience in creating content for various communication products 
•     Extent and relevance of experience in communication with government, private sector, and academia 
•     Familiarity with partnerships and international liaison work 
•     Experience in working for UN entities

Selection Criteria

•     Strong writing and communication skills and ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams is essential
•     Experience working in international organization or governmental organization is desirable
•     Proven knowledge and practical experience in communication strategy, media relations, digital storytelling, and social media management, including compliance with FAO/UN publishing standards and branding guidelines 
•     Demonstrated ability to liaise and communicate effectively with government institutions, academia, private sector, and international partners, while building effective relationships to enhance organizational visibility
•     Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English and Korean, with demonstrated ability in writing, editing, public speaking, and producing bilingual communication products
•     Work experience in UN or International Organizations is desired
•     Knowledge of another UN official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish) is an asset