Communications Intern (Partnerships)

UNOPS South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  

With its head office in Bangkok, EAPMCO covers 24 countries and territories across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific: New Caledonia, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, DPRK, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. 

The Partnerships and Outreach Unit at UNOPS EAPMCO: 

The communications team for the Multi-Country Office is part of the Partnership and Outreach Unit. It works to set and implement the strategic direction for communication and outreach across the 24 countries of implementation, and oversees the communications and outreach of all project teams and Business Units across the Multi-Country Office. 

The unit works to increase UNOPS visibility across  East Asia and the Pacific to become better known and recognized. As a part of this, the team works to strengthen internal communication and knowledge sharing, as well as increasing the quality and effectiveness of external visibility and outreach. 

Within this context, the communications team is looking for the support of an intern to backstop a range of communication tasks,  at a time of repositioning communications and visibility within the Multi-Country Office

Under the overall guidance of the Communications and Partnerships Officer, the Communications Intern will undertake the following duties and responsibilities, as relevant and applicable based on the detailed work plan to be established with the incumbent. 

Duties and responsibilities:

• Identify and capitalize on communication and outreach opportunities to assist EAPMCO in becoming known and recognized;

• Draft high-quality copy for external news stories, newsletter, factsheets and web content;

• Draft and post social media content for EAPMCO owned channels, in line with UN and UNOPS requirements;

• Track content production and monitor both reach and impact;

• Ensure data and visualization quality in internal and external communications such as intranet, presentations, monthly newsletters, and brochures;

• Support the updating of EAPMCO’s communication strategy and plan, as well as relevant strategy development of communications within EAPMCO offices;

• Support the organization of promotional events and high-level meetings in coordination with the HQ Communication Group and EAPMCO units;

• Support follow-up on country-specific UNCT partnerships and joint communication opportunities, including facilitating organization of events, meetings and workshops, as appropriate;

• Provide support in preparing background materials for high-level discussions with funding partners and with government counterparts;

• Conduct research on partner strategies, opportunities and development trends and needs across the geographical scope of the MCO (24 countries) to identify areas of collaboration within UNOPS mandate;

• Any other Communications task as directed by the supervisor to ensure the support to EAPMCO’s communications and resource mobilization activities;

• Backstop the EAPMCO partnerships team as needed and draft concept notes, project documents, project briefs, proposals, presentations for further discussion with clients and donors.

Training components and learning elements:

The incumbent will have access to project and portfolio documentation to learn about project management and development cooperation in the areas the portfolio covers. She/he has the opportunity to join official meetings and learn about UNOPS, the UN and multilateral cooperation. She/he will get exposure to key stakeholders, multi-partner donors, international non-governmental organizations and other representatives.

The incumbent will also have full access to UNOPS intranet, Google Communities of Practice (COPs) in Project Management, Gender Mainstreaming, Innovation and Research, Sustainable Infrastructure, etc.   

The intern will be part of a dynamic team and will be learning on the job on a daily basis. At the end of the internship period, the incumbent will have learned the basis to work as a Partnerships and Communications entry level. In addition, the intern will gain a sound understanding of UNOPS regulations and processes related to partnerships development and unit specific communication. 

Participation in missions or training courses:

The incumbent will have access to the UNOPS Learning Zone and apply for training in Programme Management, Gender Mainstreaming, Coaching, and mandatory training as per UNOPS policy. No official travel is foreseen for the internships.

Education:

• All applicants must have graduated from a university programme at the Bachelor, Masters or PhD levels within three (3) years prior to the application date of the internship.

• Bachelor's degree in development studies, political sciences, journalism international relations, communications, engineering, social science, or related fields is required.

• Master’s degree in an above mentioned field would be an asset. 

Experience:

• Applicants are not required to have professional work experience but experience working in communications/partnerships development/business development areas are highly desired.

• Experience working with graphic design and video production, and familiarity in making slide decks, info sheets, and other standard communication products is desired.

• Experience in Southeast Asia and Pacific countries and familiarity with the media/social media landscape in this region is highly desired. 

• Strong networking, communication, negotiation and presentation skills desired;

• Proficiency in the use of the GSuite applications is desired;

• Excellent communication skills required; and

• Good time management skills and strong teamwork skills are required. 

Languages:

• Fluency in written and oral English required. 

• Working knowledge of other UN languages, or local languages in Southeast Asia and Pacific countries, is an asset.

• 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.