Project Communications Specialist

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.

In 2018, the State Council has approved the construction of Shenzhen as a national sustainable development agenda innovation demonstration zone, with the theme of “innovation leading the sustainable development of super large cities”. Established as an administrative district in 2017, Longhua District has become a hub of innovation, housing 1,179 new innovative micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the highest number of new additions in the city for the year 2023.

Jointly established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange (CICETE), and the People’s Government of Shenzhen Longhua District (Longhua District Government), all of which consisting of the Project Steering Committee (PSC). This project aligns with the goals and tasks of Shenzhen as a national sustainable development agenda innovation demonstration zone, aiming to establish a foothold in Longhua District. This project will span five years from 2024 to 2029, aimed to leverage the knowledge and resources of UNDP global Innovation Network to explore innovative solutions for sustainable development in a mega city context, anchored in Longhua District of Shenzhen. It also focuses on empowering MSMEs through training activities and network building to create a unique "international innovation brand" for Longhua District through knowledge exchange, sharing best practices and experiences, which is in line with Shenzhen’s mandate as a National SDG Innovation Demonstration Zone. A UNDP SDG Innovation Lab (Shenzhen Longhua) will be set up as a key deliverable of the project.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It is on the ground in 177 countries, working on solutions to global and national development challenges. UNDP China assists China in developing its own solutions to the country’s development challenges and works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law and democratic governance, and by promoting environmental sustainability and South-South Cooperation.

UNDP Communications, Innovation and Partnership Team promotes greater understanding and visibility of UNDP’s work by utilizing various communications tools. Fully engaging with the media, social media and leveraging on a strong network of Public-Private Partnerships, the team leads the design, management, and implementation of UNDP’s overall communications strategy, including design and roll out high-impact, multimedia campaigns; programme-oriented communications products; media relations and key events; localization of global content for Chinese audiences; and publications on critical development issues. On the innovation front, the team is facilitating and prototyping innovative solutions and experiment with new ways of working to tackle complex development challenges outside the traditional development cycle.

Under the supervision of Longhua PMO, the Specialist UNV will undertake the following tasks to support project implementation and management:

Communications • Provide effective support to the implementation of the project communications strategy and action plan to increase public engagement in advocacy and awareness-raising events; • Draft well-designed contents relevant to project activities for social media and media engagements. • Provide effective support to prepare, translate and assure the quality of project communications outreach materials, including but not limited to press releases, stories, blogs, re-ports, issue briefs, speeches, briefing notes, etc; • Collect information and prepare contents for the project website;

Event Coordination • Provide support to the coordination of project-related event planning, organization, and execution of events and/or activities as outlined in the annual work plan of the project including but not limited to conferences, training, seminars, workshops, summits, etc.; • Work closely with UNDP to implement parts of direct support under the “UNDP direct sup-port to NIM” modality, in accordance with the annual work plan under the consensus of all parties; • Assists with event-related vendor and stakeholder coordination.

Administration • Assist in project procurement processes and financial management; Prepare recurring financial reports as scheduled and special reports as required for budget preparation, audits and other reasons; • Assist in the drafting of annual work plan and budget revisions as requested;

Furthermore, UNVs are encouraged to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for in-stance, IVD celebration events);
• Get acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking; • Contribute news and articles on field experiences and submit them to UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UNV volunteers; • Promote online volunteering and encourage individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering Service whenever technically feasible.

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Building Trust ☒ Client Orientation ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Self-Management ☒ Working in Teams

Social Sciences, Communications, International Relations, Economics, International Development, Political Sciences. Previous working experience in similar functions would be desirable.

The duty station of the national UN Volunteer is located in Shenzhen city, where modest public infrastructure and health services are available. The city has excellent health services available. In general, rent for apartments in central locations is high relative to other regions in China, but quality is good. Shenzhen is well served by many shopping malls, large supermarket chains and international brands. Buses and subways are the most common form of mass transportation. Metered taxis are widely available and domestic and regional travel by train and airplane is popular.