Functional Responsibilities

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Senior Partnerships Advisor, the Communications Specialist – Public Relations and Outreach, will have the following key responsibilities:

Strategic positioning of UNOPS in Africa

• Monitor new initiatives from key partners in Africa and advise how UNOPS should position ourselves in relation to those.
• Monitor crisis and disaster, whether man-made or natural, in Africa and coordinate with the Regional Director, relevant MCOs and PLG, what UNOPS’ response should be.
• 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.

 Outreach

• Identify events at regional and global levels that are of strategic importance to UNOPS and where UNOPS AFR should take part.
• Identify and/or contribute to organizing side events or panel discussions at key events for UNOPS related to Africa. Additionally, provide communications guidance  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 provide recommendations on outreach activities with key partners, particularly those that also have regional offices based in Nairobi.

 Management and implementation of strategic external communication 

• In coordination with the Senior partnerships advisor, the AFR communication specialist and the Communications Group, the specialist will oversee the implementation of the external communication strategy and the implementation action plan for the region.
• Review and support the implementation of the Multi-Country Office communication strategies to ensure alignment with the regional communication strategy.
• In close collaboration with the AFR Communication Specialist, the Communications Group and MCO/CO colleagues, coordinate and/or support updates to relevant pages on UNOPS website on a regular basis.
• Develop, monitor and implement protocols to prevent and manage potential reputational or media communications crisis situations in coordination with the Senior partnerships Advisor, the AFR communications personnel and the Communications Group and other relevant stakeholders.
• Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and ex..

Requirements

Education

• A Master’s 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.

Experience

• A minimum of five years of experience in communication, public relations, outreach and/or related fields is required.
• A minimum of 2 years of  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.

Language Requirements

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