Communications Officer

Volunteering Communications & PR Environment

Overview

Support Guinea-Bissau's climate adaptation through effective communication.

You have:

• Experience in marketing, strategic communication, public relations, or related fields.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience working with the UN or other international development organizations.
• Familiarity with communication tools and approaches for development.
• Ability to adapt and work effectively in a challenging environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with different partners.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and digital communication tools.
• Demonstrated capability in producing and editing high-quality documents.

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

Guinea-Bissau, one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, faces significant challenges in addressing the impacts of rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and coastal erosion. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by UNDP`s Environment Unit, aims to strengthen the country's capacity to adapt to these challenges.

The project focuses on integrating climate risks into national and sectoral planning, particularly in agriculture and tourism, two critical sectors for economic growth and resilience. Effective communication is crucial to the success of the NAP project. It ensures stakeholders are informed, engaged, and aligned with the project’s objectives. It also amplifies the visibility of the project’s achievements, mobilizes political and financial support, and helps raise public awareness of climate adaptation efforts. To achieve these goals, the project must communicate its results effectively to a wide range of audiences, including government institutions, local communities, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and the international development community. To support this, UNDP is recruiting a national UN Volunteer to assist with communications. The UN Volunteer Communications Officer will play a vital role in bridging the gap between technical project outcomes and public understanding. By developing and implementing a comprehensive communication strategy, the Officer will ensure that the project's milestones, successes, and lessons learned are shared effectively. This involves leveraging various communication channels, including traditional media, digital platforms, and community outreach, to reach diverse audiences. Given Guinea-Bissau's socio-political and economic context, the communication strategy will also emphasize inclusivity, highlighting the participation of marginalized groups, including women and youth. The Communications Officer will work closely with the project team, under the supervision of the Head of the Environment Unit, to ensure that gender-sensitive and culturally relevant messaging is incorporated into all communication efforts.

This role provides a unique opportunity for a skilled communicator to contribute to Guinea-Bissau’s efforts toward building resilience to climate change while advancing the goals of sustainable development and community empowerment. Through innovative and impactful communication, the Communications Officer will help position the NAP project as a cornerstone of Guinea-Bissau’s climate action efforts, fostering a legacy of adaptation and resilience for future generations.

Under the supervision of the Head of the Environment Unit, reporting hierarchically to the NAP Project Manager and in collaboration with the UNDP Communications Unit, the UN Volunteer Communications Officer will:

Strategy Development: • Design and implement a communication strategy for the NAP project, aligned with UNDP and GCF guidelines. • Identify key audiences and tailor communication tools to meet their needs. • Content Creation and Dissemination: • Develop high-quality communication materials such as press releases, newsletters, fact sheets, and social media content. • Document and publicize success stories, lessons learned, and project milestones. • Coordinate the design and production of visual materials, including infographics, brochures, and videos.

Media Engagement: • Build and maintain relationships with local and international media. • Organize press events, including project launches, workshops, and public awareness campaigns. • Monitor media coverage and provide regular updates to the project team. • Stakeholder Engagement: • Facilitate stakeholder consultations and workshops, ensuring effective communication of project goals and outcomes. • Maintain an up-to-date contact database of stakeholders and media partners.

Digital Presence: • Manage the NAP project’s digital platforms, ensuring regular updates and user-friendly content. • Train project team members on best practices for social media and digital communication. • Monitoring and Reporting: • Develop and implement mechanisms to measure the impact of communication activities. • Prepare biannual reports summarizing communication efforts, outcomes, and recommendations for improvement.

Cross-Cutting Themes: • Integrate gender-sensitive messaging into communication materials. • Highlight the inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable groups in project activities.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: • Establish and manage a photo and video library for the project to document activities and results. • Contribute articles and write-ups for UNDP publications, websites, newsletters, and press releases.

Support to UNDP Environment Unit: • Provide communication support to the Environment Unit projects and initiatives as required, ensuring alignment with the overall UNDP Country Office communication strategy. • Assist in organizing and promoting UNDP events, campaigns, and public outreach activities, including International Volunteer Day and climate action campaigns. • Coordinate with the Communications team within UNDP to harmonize communication efforts and contribute to the visibility of UNDP’s broader programming in Guinea-Bissau. • Manage and continuously update the UNDP platform "Na No Mon", ensuring it reflects accurate and timely information on the NAP project’s activities, achievements, and the Environment Unit’s initiatives, as well as relevant climate adaptation efforts • Attend the UNDP Communications team regular meetings and be participative.

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management • Integrity • Teamwork and respect for diversity

Marketing, strategic communication, public relations, public information and reporting, journalism, mass media and broadcasting communications, advocacy or other communication related experience.

• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills. • Experience working with the UN or other international development organization is highly desirable.
• Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. • Culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels. • Familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development.
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment. • Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel. • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment. • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
• Sound security awareness.
• Have affinity with or interest in nature, climate and energy issues, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System

The UN Volunteer Communications Officer will be based in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. The city offers basic amenities, but flexibility and adaptability are essential for living and working in a context with limited resources and infrastructure

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org