Communications Assistant

Volunteering IT & Telecom Communications & PR

Overview

Support the planning, production, and dissemination of communications and outreach content.

You have:

• Practical experience in communications, content creation, social media management, or journalism, whether through prior internships, attachments, or personal projects, is desirable.
• Strong writing and editing skills in English and Kiswahili, familiarity with major social media platforms, and basic competence with design and content tools such as Canva or an equivalent.
• Soft skills: creativity, attention to accuracy and detail, sound judgment on sensitive content, and the ability to work to deadlines within a collaborative team.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The credibility of NextGen.Ke depends heavily on the extent to which youth, the private sector, county-level stakeholders, development partners, and the public feel informed and included. The programme's design explicitly calls for a Communication, Outreach and Public Engagement Strategy to ensure that credible information is accessible throughout the design, inception, and deployment phases.

As the first cohorts are recruited and placed, there is a continuous need to produce clear, accurate, and engaging content, to reach young people across all forty-seven counties including the fourteen marginalized ASAL counties, and to protect the programme's reputation against misinformation. The programme therefore requires a Communications Intern to support this work under the Project Manager.

The objective of the Communications Assistant is to support the planning, production, and dissemination of communications and outreach content that builds public understanding of and trust in NextGen.Ke, attracts eligible young people to apply, and keeps stakeholders informed of progress and results.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Communications, the UN volunteer will undertake the following duties: • Content Production: Draft and assist in producing communications content, including social media posts, short articles, success stories, newsletters, and basic graphics, in clear and accessible language. • Social Media Support: Help manage the programme's social media presence, scheduling posts, monitoring engagement, and responding to routine queries under guidance. • Outreach Support: Support outreach activities and events that encourage eligible youth, including young women and youth in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties, to register and apply. • Story Gathering: Collect and document beneficiary stories and testimonials, with due attention to consent and safeguarding, to illustrate the programme's impact. • Media and Materials: Assist in preparing media materials, briefing notes, presentations, and reports, and maintaining a library of photographs and approved content. • Monitoring and Misinformation: Monitor public and media mentions of the programme, flag emerging concerns or misinformation to the Project Manager, and help prepare accurate and timely responses. • Brand Consistency: Help ensure that all content is consistent with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and programme branding and communication standards. Expected Deliverables: • Content Calendar: A maintained content and social media calendar aligned with programme milestones. • Published Content: A steady flow of approved posts, articles, success stories, and outreach materials. • Story Bank: A documented and consent-cleared collection of beneficiary stories, photographs, and testimonials. • Engagement Reports: Periodic reports on communications reach and engagement, with observations and recommendations for the Head of Communications and the Project Manager.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

• Practical experience in communications, content creation, social media management, or journalism, whether through prior internships, attachments, or personal projects, is desirable. • Strong writing and editing skills in English and Kiswahili, familiarity with major social media platforms, and basic competence with design and content tools such as Canva or an equivalent. Photography or short-video skills are an advantage. • Soft skills: creativity, attention to accuracy and detail, sound judgment on sensitive content, and the ability to work to deadlines within a collaborative team.

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) per month and is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$1,602. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org. For example, kindly enter the link Calculator.

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and also in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station.

UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements). UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for the final repatriation travel (if applicable). A resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.

Disclaimer The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 days ago - Updated 8 hours ago - Source: unv.org