Communication Associate

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations helping a wide range of partners in delivering peace, security, humanitarian and development projects across the world. 

UNOPS Sri Lanka implements tailored socio-economic development projects that benefit vulnerable people and supports the Government national capacities. UNOPS has been working across Sri Lanka managing education, public health, roads, water and sanitation, fisheries, agriculture and solid waste infrastructure projects. UNOPS also provides expertise in procurement, fund management and human resources management services. 

As part of its programme implementation and advisory capacity, UNOPS will work closely with members of the Government of Sri Lanka and its representatives,  and the Sri Lankan civil society to deliver agreed sets of projects and activities  to assist communities of Sri Lanka through the UNOPS Sri Lanka Programme.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, the Communication Associate will be responsible to ensure strong communications and visibility of the UNOPS Sri Lanka Programme and that the communication activities are delivered as per established UNOPS policies, processes, guidelines and standards. 

They will work in consultation with the Programme Manager, the project teams located both in field offices and in Colombo, and colleagues working in Protection, Project Management, Financial Management Advisory Services, Grants Management,  ICT services, GIS. They will support the Communications teams in artistic creation and other related areas of work The Communication Associate will have working relationships with members of the civil society in Sri Lanka, local authorities, communities and other related stakeholders. They will have a high sense of integrity, confidentiality and the ability to engage sensibly with  local stakeholders, including local authorities, local partners and communities. 

This position is based in Colombo with travel to field and project locations as required.

1. Development and maintenance of programme related contacts
2. Communication of programme activities
3. Other duties and responsibilities
   
   

2.  Communication of programme activities

• Provide advice and support to drive the communication function of the programme.

• Under direct supervision of the Programme Manager and in collaboration with the team, formulate and execute a communication visibility plan.

• Support the delivery of programme communication activities including events, trainings, media briefings, etc.

• Support design, development and dissemination of communication outputs, for e.g factsheets, infographics, presentations, promotion materials etc,  inline with established guidelines, in liaison with the Programme Manager,  project team and other relevant stakeholders to share information about the project and results achieved thereby effectively communicating the objectives, achievements and impact of the programme.

• Prepare written and visual content for distribution to the press or other relevant channels, including articles, speeches, videos, brochures, newsletters and reports.

• Organize press conferences and press briefings and media facilitation for activities such as donor visits, field visits etc. as required.

• Follow local media for relevant content with focus on peacebuilding,  humanitarian and development related content.

• Support the development and facilitation of communication training for the programme partners, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders with focus on using programme related information in external communication materials.

• Assess the communication materials of partners that relate to UNOPS Sri Lanka Peace Building programme,  to ensure that programme information (for e.g, use of  name, logo, font, colour theme, placement, etc.) in partner communication materials are as per established standards and guidelines and are relevant to context.

• Support the development of ideas for new and innovative ways of communicating with the local and international stakeholders.

• Advice on cultural sensitivities in communication.

• Suggest stories and topics, and develop write ups for success stories and other related content  from the work of project partners in Sri Lanka for publication in local media and other channels.

• Prepare and manage visual and written content for the programme website, press and other relevant channels based on instructions from the Programme Manager and in coordination with team members, CSO partners and other stakeholders with due consideration to established communication and branding guidelines, applicable laws, rules and regulations.

• Support monitoring and evaluation of the impact of communications activities of the programme.

3. Other duties and responsibilities

• Support reporting and proposal writing, including content writing, editing, layout and publishing of periodic reports, proposals to different stakeholders and meet any other reporting requirements.

• Support the participation and/or representation of the programme at events, conferences, technical meetings, media briefings etc. as required, 

• Assist with interpretation at trainings/discussions/meetings and translation of documents in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages

• Join  programme  monitoring visits and donor field visits when required.

• High school diploma is required. 

• A university degree in communications, journalism, media studies, social studies, international relations or any other related field is desirable, but not required, and may substitute for some of the required years of experience

• Secondary education with a minimum of  6 years of relevant experience working in  communications is required OR a Bachelor degree with a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in communications is considered equivalent.

• Previous working experience in communication with international not-for-profit organizations is an added advantage.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with attention to detail is preferred.

• Excellent IT skills, including working knowledge of  creative software applications (such as adobe creative cloud / Canva) is preferred.

• Cultural awareness and the ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people is  preferred.

• Excellent planning and coordination skills are required.

• Experience in social media management is an asset.

• Full working knowledge of English, Sinhala and Tamil are essential.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: Local ICA Support
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance
The position is only open to Sri Lankan nationals

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.