Vacancy Announcement: Roster for Storytelling and News Writer, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to opportunity. 

UNICEF started operation in Cambodia in 1952 and opened first country office in 1973 in Phnom Penh. More information on what we do in Cambodia is available at https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/.

How can you make a difference? 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR_Roster for Storytelling and News Writing_tms.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, Communications, Media Studies, English, Creative Writing, Public Relations, Development Studies, or another relevant field with a strong focus on writing, storytelling, and content development is required

Work Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in journalism, news writing, storytelling, feature writing, content development, editing, public relations, media, communications, advocacy, or related fields.
• Proven experience in producing high-quality communication products, including human-interest stories, news articles, feature stories, press releases, Op-Eds, speeches, talking points, media Q&As, social media content, reports, and other communication materials.
• Demonstrated experience conducting interviews, gathering information from multiple sources, and translating complex technical information into clear, engaging, and audience-friendly content.
• Proven experience in editing, proofreading, and quality assurance of publications, reports, knowledge products, or communication materials.
• Experience developing content for websites, digital platforms, and social media channels.
• Experience working with international organizations, United Nations agencies, NGOs, development partners, government institutions, media organizations, or the private sector is considered an asset.
• Experience covering development, humanitarian, child rights, education, health, nutrition, social protection, climate, gender, disability, or related social issues is desirable.

Skills: 

• Excellent writing, storytelling, editing, and proofreading skills with strong attention to detail.
• Strong knowledge of journalistic writing, feature writing, news reporting, and storytelling techniques.
• Ability to develop compelling narratives tailored to different audiences, communication objectives, and platforms.
• Strong interviewing, research, fact-checking, and information-gathering skills.
• Ability to synthesize and translate complex technical information into clear, concise, and engaging content.
• Strong understanding of media relations, digital communications, social media content development, and audience engagement.
• Familiarity with content management for websites and digital platforms.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple assignments while meeting tight deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of ethical communication principles and child-rights-based approaches to storytelling.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and common content development and editing tools.

Language Requirements: 

• Excellent written and spoken English is required.
• Knowledge of Khmer is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to write for diverse audiences and platforms, including media, digital channels, advocacy materials, donor communications, reports, and public-facing content.

Desirables:

• Previous experience working with UNICEF, United Nations agencies, international organizations, NGOs, development partners, government institutions, or media organizations.
• Experience producing communication products related to child rights, education, health, nutrition, child protection, social protection, climate resilience, WASH, humanitarian action, or emergency response.
• Experience developing content for advocacy, social and behaviour change, fundraising, donor visibility, partnership engagement, and media outreach initiatives.
• Familiarity with UNICEF's communication, branding, editorial, ethical communication, and child safeguarding standards.
• Willingness and ability to travel to remote locations across Cambodia, sometimes at short notice, to support field reporting, interviews, events, and content development assignments

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of misconduct.
UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable.

Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel.
Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.