Communications Officer - Retainer

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

The ongoing conflict has caused significant disruptions to the supply chain and to the overall availability of services. In light of the reduced or even absent provision of public services, communities have been affected by disease and environmental degradation. Physical damage to infrastructure including roads, municipal services, water and sanitation and energy. The lack of functionality in one sector often spills over into other sectors with significant consequences on both the access to, and quality of services, that are often interrelated.

UNOPS is undertaking an engagement aimed at restoring electricity access in the Republic of Yemen. The Yemen Emergency Electricity Access Project (YEEAP) seeks to improve access to electricity in rural and peri-urban areas within the Republic of Yemen. Financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) grant to UNOPS, the project aims to restore electricity supply to 100,000 households (670,000 people), 220 health facilities, 23 COVID-19 isolation units, 233 schools and 40 water wells.

To achieve the project’s objectives, UNOPS engaged solar microfinance institutions (MFIs), solar installers and suppliers, technical service providers, and other stakeholders. Specifically, the project is structured around the following three components:

Component 1: Financing for Off-grid Solar:

Under Subcomponent 1.1, UNOPS is partnering with eligible microfinance institutions (MFIs), help them set up financing windows for high-quality, small-scale solar solutions for rural and peri-urban households, and provide partial grants to make the systems affordable.

●        

Under Subcomponent 1.2, UNOPS is contracting solar suppliers and installers to provide grant-financed solar systems to critical service facilities in rural and peri-urban areas. The scope of the subcomponent includes health clinics, schools, rural water corporations, rural electricity service providers, and other providers of critical services.

1.       

Component 2: Implementation Support and Market Development: UNOPS contracts service providers and NGOs to provide market-strengthening activities.

Component 3: Contingent Emergency Response Component:

Under Subcomponent 3.1, UNOPS is equipping a list of preselected high-priority COVID-19 isolation units with solar systems in rural and peri-urban areas.

Under Subcomponent 3.2, UNOPS is providing solar pico-systems to frontline healthcare workers (RRTs) and staff at health facilities accepting COVID-19 cases as well as their support staff.

Under the direct supervision of the Project manager, the Communication Officer will be responsible for all communications aspects of the UNOPS Office in Yemen works in close collaboration with the Communication Officer at UNOPS Hub in Amman as well as in UNOPS Headquarters in Copenhagen to seek publication of communication materials.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

The Communication Officer will be based in Yemen under the direct supervision of the Project Manager. Accordingly the incumbent will be required to perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Stakeholder management: 

• Establish and cultivate relationships with the counterparts in the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), donors, Government ministries and bodies, local self-governments, development organizations and programmes

• Establish and cultivate partnerships with the key national, regional and local media

• Collate and develop reports and presentations about UNOPS/its activities  for the key stakeholder.

• Serve as the focal point for the United Nations Communications Group in Yemen, and actively promote UNOPS within the inter-agency fora;

• Maintain relationships with Communications Officer in the Amman Hub, as well as with HQ, CPG and external partners to gather information and provide advice on communications products and outreach;

Delivery and performance:

• Conduct periodical mapping and documenting UNOPS stakeholders

• Prepare briefing materials, reports, analysis of political, socio and economic trends relevant for UNOPS Yemen

• Prepare materials for business development activities pursued by the Office, customizing to specific stakeholder needs and interests

• Develop a communications strategy for the Yemen Office, covering both internal and external communications; ensure and contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of the Communication Strategies and the Internal and External Communications Plans 

• Conduct activities related to the visibility and publicity of UNOPS Yemen

• Support the organization of the officials visits, press conferences and public events

• Lead and supervise organization of internal Office events as directed 

• Provide communication support for organizations' trainings and workshops

• Cooperate with media and provide information on UNOPS activities

• Maintain the media contact database and the library of UNOPS Yemen media coverage

• Ensure monthly qualitative and quantitative analysis of UNOPS media coverage 

• Contribute to the updates of  UNOPS website and social network accounts;  ensure that they are systematically updated and maintained

• Liaise and supervise the graphic designers’ work on visibility/promotional material and ensure or enhance the quality and relevance of country-specific communication materials, activities, processes and messages for sharing with partners;

• Preparing briefings, presentations and background materials for the Regional/ Hub Director, the Head of Programme, Project Manager and/ or Partnerships Advisor;

• Provide substantive content for the project website, highlighting project achievements and other relevant evidence-based information generating through monitoring process;

• Contribute in the development of  key messages on UNOPS programming in the region, including for partners, local and international media;

• Produce fact sheets on specific projects with success stories and UNOPS services in Yemen;

• Collaborate with mass media through activities such as organizing project site visits, facilitating photo coverage and TV footage and utilizing both web-based and traditional media as appropriate;

• Develop and maintain contact list of journalists and media outlets including print, TV, radio, web etc. and institutionalize a process of communicating and maintaining regular contact and close collaboration with the media to showcase and highlight the success and lessons from the ongoing UNOPS Projects;

• Ensure a well maintained and continually developed contact list of individuals, groups, organizations and fora (including Government, UN, and bilateral counterparts) for purposes of communication

• Ensure gender mainstreaming , gender equality and diversity principles and practices are incorporated into the communications products, in accordance with the UNOPS objectives 

Procedures:

• Ensure respect of project management, procurement and communications requirements/procedures

• Ensure efficient and effective management of the communications budget and compliance with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR)

• Contribute to identification and assessment of risks and implement mitigation measures in accordance with the UNOPS Yemen Risk Management Approach  

• Contribute to planning activities and timely delivery of approved work, procurement, and financial plans for the communications activities 

• Provide accurate and quality inputs needed for monitoring of the projects’ performance, outputs , benefits and reports 

• With the guidance of the Procurement Officer, support preparation of  tenders for the publicity material (including print, graphics, web, audio and video) 

Knowledge management:

• Participate in the UNOPS’ communities/contribute to the knowledge management and sharing in Currents

• Contribute to identification and sharing of lessons learned and the best practices

• Close interaction with Programme/Project staff to share information and knowledge as related to projects and communications;

Personnel management:

• Supervise external consultants

• Draft Terms of Reference for communications consultants 

• The Communications Officer may be asked to lead or assist with other activities in the Office as required.

• 
  

• A first level university degree in communications, journalism, public relations, international development, linguistics, social  science , business administration or international relation.

• 2 years of experience in a communication , public relations ,Journalism or relevant role

• Experience in research and analysis, reporting, external relations, communications, advocacy,  business administration, and/or outreach in international organizations is required. 

• Experience in producing analytical reports and communications products is required.

• Experience in the humanitarian and/or development sector is required. 

• Experience in the Middle East is preferred.

• Experience in international organizations and/ or the UN system is required.

• Experience in preparing, coordinating, and leading donor reporting processes is required.

• Computer literacy in particular MS Word, Excel, Visio, and PowerPoint is required.

• Ability to analyze online communications using performance indicators is desirable.

• Excellent understanding on the intersection of technology, web design, editorial, digital, social media and multimedia platforms is desirable.

• Knowledge of digital media, visual communications and interactive storytelling methods is desirable.

• Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic is required.

1. Contract type: ICA
2. Contract level: Local ICA Specialist - level 8
3. Contract duration: Short-Term ICA – Retainer ICA

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.