Communications Specialist

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects worldwide.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to various governments, donors and United Nations organizations. 

UNOPS Africa Region (AFR) has approximately 300 operational projects in 40 countries and counts over 800 personnel, with an annual delivery value of more than US$300 million. The regional portfolio of programmes and projects focuses mainly on supporting fragile and conflict-affected African states in infrastructure development and procurement in support of health, peace and security as well as social infrastructure interventions.

The office of the Regional Director - Africa provides strategic leadership, technical guidance, and advisory support and oversight to the operations across offices within the Africa region. The region’s operations are divided into five sub-regional Multi Country Offices (MCOs) and one standalone Country Office (COs). The Office of the Regional Director is currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark, but may move to Africa in the medium term.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Senior partnerships advisor, the Communications Specialist, will have the following key responsibilities:

• In coordination with the Senior partnerships advisor and Communications Group, develop an internal and external communication strategy and an implementation action plan for the region, which will include identifying priority projects and content, and carrying out stakeholders mapping.

• Review and support the update of all Multi-Country Office communication strategies to ensure alignment with the regional communication strategy. 

• Develop positioning and business development communication materials – including in Infrastructure, renewable energy and procurement –  to help showcase the expertise and experience of UNOPS in AFR and the successful implementation of  projects in line with UNOPS mandated areas. 

• Identify activities and events at either  national or regional levels that are of strategic importance to UNOPS and where UNOPS could take part.

• Help to identify and/or contribute to organizing side events or panel discussions at key events for UNOPS related to Africa. Additionally, provide communications support to UNOPS personnel speaking at or participating in events organized by partner organizations -- including preparing talking points, background research and other relevant information.     

• Support and coordinate the work of MCOs/COs' communications focal points, and act as the central, region-wide communications focal point/representative where appropriate. This includes helping to keep the Communications Group up-to-date on all relevant activities and achievements from the region.  

• In close collaboration with the Communications Group and MCO/CO colleagues, continuously identify and prioritize a list of impactful projects from UNOPS Africa portfolio  which could be communicated about externally via stories, articles etc., in line with the criteria set out in the Africa communications strategy. 

• In close collaboration with the Communications Group and MCO/CO colleagues, coordinate and/or support updates to relevant pages on UNOPS website on a regular basis. 

• Coordinate and support the work and supervision of communication focal points and retainers for the development of identified news articles, feature stories, videos, press releases, social media content and/or other multimedia communications products. 

• Support and help manage content on the region’s projects on UNOPS network of social media channels, working closely with the Communications Group and MCO/CO social media account managers. 

• Develop, monitor and implement protocols to prevent and manage potential reputational or media communications crisis situations in coordination with the Senior partnerships Advisor, the Communications Group and other relevant stakeholders. 

Internal communications and knowledge management

• Support the Senior partnerships advisor to develop a mechanism for keeping the regional team informed about current trends and priorities of UNOPS  

• Create a knowledge library with an effective mechanism to maintain it updated

Education

• A Master Degree preferably in Communication,  Journalism,  Public Administration, Economics, International Development, Political Science, or International Relations or related field; or

• A first University degree in Communication,  Journalism,  Public Administration, Economics, International Development, Political Science, or International Relations or related field with a minimum of seven (7) years of qualifying experience may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree.

• A minimum of five years of experience in communication, public relations, outreach and/or related fields is required. 

• Experience in project communication and/or regional level communication on development results with counterparts/partners is required.

• Knowledge and experience with United Nations agencies, government, international cooperation and/or international organizations is required

Desired qualifications (none of the below limits candidates' eligibility)

• Experience managing or preventing communicational and reputational crises is desirable

• Experience leveraging online communication tools and methodologies (such as online monitoring, web analytics, or other online measurement tools) and developing and analyzing online communications performance indicators is desirable. 

• Excellent understanding of the intersection of technology, web, design, editorial, digital, social media and multimedia platforms to tell engaging, impactful and informative stories is desirable.

• Work experience in Africa is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English (both written and oral) is required.

• Knowledge of French is highly desirable.

• 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.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
  
• 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.  
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, 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 recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

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


Working with us

We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.


Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.



Work life harmonization

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