Communications Officer United Nations Office for Project Services Experience: 3 to 5 Years Vientiane, Laos Apply By: 03-12-2024

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Job Description

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 recognised. 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 a communications officer to strengthen the communication offering to all Country Offices falling under EAPMCO, at a time of repositioning communications and visibility within the Multi-Country Office.

Functional Responsibilities:

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

Summary:

Content development
Backstop project based communications
Strategic communications planning
Support to stakeholder management
Knowledge management
Other

Content development:

Develop and disseminate high quality multi-media communication products;
Draft high-quality copy for external news stories, newsletter, factsheets and web content for EAPMCO as directed by the Head of Partnerships;
Draft and post social media content for EAPMCO owned channels, inline with UN and UNOPS requirements;
Assist with monitoring social media analytics and adapting content as required;

Backstop project based communications:

Advise on, in collaboration with the Head of Partnerships, support and coordinate project level communications, in support of overall EAPMCO objectives;
As directed by the Head of Partnerships, actively identify and capitalize on communication and outreach opportunities to assist EAPMCO in becoming known, recognized and trusted by partners;
Ensure data and visualization quality in internal and external communications such as intranet, presentations, monthly newsletters, and brochures;
Support the organisation of promotional events and high-level meetings in coordination with the HQ Communication Group and EAPMCO units as directed by the Head of Partnerships;
Provide guidance and support to all MCO personnel on effective media outreach, positioning and strategic visibility;
Share information and knowledge, and provide proactive support and follow-up in building and maintaining effective project-communications unit relations;
Backstop the communication and project teams across EAPMCO when and as needed;

Strategic communications planning:

Support the development and the updating of EAPMCO’s communication strategy and plan, as well as relevant strategy development of communications within EAPMCO offices;
Support the development of a communication network across the EAPMCO countries of operation by supporting the mapping of needs and advising colleagues on best practices to increase UNOPS branding and outreach in each locality;
Develop and maintain EAPMCO’s editorial calendar based on project, Country Office and MCO needs;
Identify and implement opportunities to increase partnerships, and resource mobilisation for EAPMCO through communications and visibility;

Support to stakeholder management:

Under the delegation and at the request of the Head of partnerships, represent UNOPS in UN Country Team Communication Groups and develop joint agency communication opportunities, including facilitating organization of events, meetings and workshops, as appropriate;
Coordinate with RCO communication groups to increase EAPMCO’s visibility under the guidance of the Head of Partnerships;

Knowledge management:

Participate in the UNOPS communities of practice /contribute to the knowledge management and active 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

Other:

Mainstream Gender Equality and Social Inclusion principles in all communications;
Report on and monitor the impact of communications, tailoring approach on an ongoing basis as required;
Any other Communications or Partnership related task as directed by the supervisor to ensure the support to EAPMCO’s communications and resource mobilization activities.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

Advanced University degree (Master’s degree) in social sciences, journalism, international relations, development studies, political science, Economics, Engineering or related fields is required.
First University degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above mentioned field with additional two years of relevant experience may substitute an advanced degree.

Experience:

Minimum one (1) year of relevant experience in business development, external relations, communications, program management or related fields is required;
First university degree in combination with an additional two (2) years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.
Minimum one (1) year of relevant work experience in international development is an asset;
Experience in developing, disseminating and monitoring the reach of knowledge products, social media content and articles for a wide range of audiences is an asset;
Experience working with graphic design and video production, and familiarity in making slide decks, info sheets, social media content and other standard communication products is desired;
Experience of working in an international context is desirable;
Understanding of local contextual knowledge in South East Asia and the Pacific is an advantage; and
Experience of working in the UN system is an added advantage.

Languages: