About IUCN and the IUCN World Conservation Congress
IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,300 Member organisations and the input of more than 10,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
As IUCN’s flagship event, the Congress attracts thousands of participants from across the world. The event has two components – the Forum and the Members’ Assembly. The Forum is the largest knowledge marketplace for conservation and sustainable development science, practice and innovation. Over 1000 sessions address the economic, social, scientific and technical aspects of issues ranging from wildlife to oceans, protected areas to sustainable business, and climate change to human rights.
During the Members’ Assembly, IUCN’s 1,300+ Member organisations collectively decide on actions to address the most pressing and often controversial conservation and sustainable development challenges. IUCN’s membership includes some of the most influential government and civil society organisations from more than 160 countries, giving the decisions taken at the IUCN Congress a powerful mandate.

The Congress Communications Junior Professional will create content for IUCN’s highest profile international event – the IUCN World Conservation Congress. Every four years, the IUCN Congress brings world leaders and decision makers from governments, civil society, indigenous peoples’ organisations and business together with leading scientists and experts to determine the world’s most pressing environmental and development challenges, and actions to address them. The next IUCN Congress will take place in Marseille, France from 11 to 19 June 2020. We are looking for a talented writer who is able to grasp the essence of a topic quickly, turn technical, complex ideas into compelling stories, and to deliver them to a wide range of audiences, maintaining high quality standards across a variety of communication formats. The incumbent will work with IUCN Member organisations, partners, communicators and leadership to promote the Congress before, during and after the event. Tens of thousands of people around the world will engage with the Congress, making the position an excellent opportunity for a talented communications professional looking to prove her or his capacity to deliver effective content. The Junior Professional will report to the Media and Communications Manager in IUCN’s Global Communications Unit and work closely with members of the Global Communications Team, the Congress Unit and counterparts from the Host Country.

Detailed responsibilities of the IUCN Congress Communications Junior Professional are as follows:
• Develop content in the lead up to the Congress. This includes researching, writing, creating or contributing to Congress website content, multimedia content, email campaigns, printed and other materials so that every piece is on message, on time and of top quality for maximum impact.
• Oversee translation process to ensure all content is in the three official IUCN languages (English, French and Spanish).
• Coordinate, edit and proofread internally and externally sourced content including from high-profile IUCN Member and partner organisations to feed IUCN press and social media networks.
• Produce daily, rapid-delivery content during the Congress to inform participants and external target audiences of the outcomes of the Congress as they happen.
• Support the Congress Communications Officer as liaison between the Global Communications Team, the Congress Unit and the Host Country communications representative(s) as well as between the Global Communications Team and IUCN programmes, regional offices and other focal points regarding the Congress.
• Participate in the Congress in Marseille, France from 11 to 19 June 2020 and assist the Global Communications Unit team across a wide variety of communications activities as required throughout the duration of the contract.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Gross salary CHF 60'000.- per year subject to internal withholding tax (not applicable to Swiss nationals) and social security. The salary is a fixed amount, not negotiable.

Annual leave: 25 working days per year.

Benefits:

• CHF 320 per month (CHF 3,840 per year) cash contribution towards health insurance cover. Staff members are responsible for their own health insurance coverage;

• IUCN Pension scheme (6% employee and 7% employer contribution);

• Accident and Disability insurance (Zurich);

• Travel and emergency evacuation insurance on mission (TSM);

• You will be enrolled in the Swiss social security system which includes first pillar state pension, unemployment insurance and loss of earnings insurance.