Social Media Strategy Support - Unipod Malawi

Volunteering

Overview

Support implementation of UniPod's social media strategy and increase visibility.

You have:

• Degree or ongoing studies in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, Public Relations, Digital Media, Graphic Design, or related fields.
• Experience managing social media platforms and creating digital content for an organization, university, nonprofit, or innovation hub.
• Familiarity with content planning, social media strategies, and tools such as Canva, CapCut, Meta Business Suite, or similar platforms.
• Strong understanding of LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, including platform analytics and best practices.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and content creation skills, including basic graphic design and video editing.
• Strong organizational skills, creativity, and the ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Interest in youth innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of Chichewa is desirable.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

UNDP Malawi, in collaboration with the Government of Malawi, established the University Innovation Pod (UniPod) at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) in 2024. The UniPod is a state-of-the-art facility that promotes innovation, product development, prototyping, and small-scale manufacturing. It bridges academia, local innovators and industry by transforming ideas into practical solutions that address Malawi’s development challenges. At the regional level, the UniPod is connected to UNDP’s timbuktoo initiative and contributes to a growing network of university-based innovation and entrepreneurship hubs across Africa.

The UniPod is seeking to strengthen its online presence and use its social media platforms to increase awareness of the facilities, services and opportunities available to young people, innovators and industry across its five specialized laboratories. In this regard, UNDP seeks to engage a UN Volunteer to support the implementation of a social media strategy aimed at increasing the UniPod’s visibility, expanding its audience and sustaining meaningful engagement across its digital platforms.

Through this assignment, the UN Volunteer will gain practical experience in digital communications and development-focused storytelling while contributing to a UNDP-supported initiative advancing youth innovation and entrepreneurship in Malawi. The assignment will also provide opportunities for the volunteer to develop a professional portfolio of digital and social media content, gain exposure to UNDP initiatives and approaches to innovation and sustainable development and strengthen their understanding of communications within an international development context. Upon successful completion of the assignment, the volunteer will also be eligible to receive a reference letter recognizing their contribution and experience.

Duties and Responsibilities • Support the implementation of UniPod Malawi's social media strategy across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. • Develop, schedule, and publish engaging content aligned with the monthly content calendar and platform-specific objectives. • Create digital content, including graphics, photography, short-form videos, and captions that showcase UniPod's programs, innovators, events, and impact. • Produce youth-focused storytelling and short-form educational content highlighting innovation, entrepreneurship, and UniPod's services. • Coordinate content featuring student innovators, startup founders, mentors, partners, and ambassadors, and support collaborations with local content creators during key campaigns and events. • Monitor social media performance, prepare monthly analytics reports, and recommend improvements to increase reach and engagement. • Maintain consistent branding across digital platforms and document content creation processes to support long-term sustainability. • Collaborate with UniPod staff, UNDP Malawi, interns, and volunteers, and provide regular progress updates to the assigned supervisor.

Expected Outputs • Consistent implementation of UniPod's social media strategy across all digital platforms. • A regularly maintained monthly content calendar and high-quality multimedia content aligned with UniPod's branding. • Consistent output of at least 12-15 social media posts per month in alignment with the social media calendar • At least four recurring short-form video series promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and UniPod's programs per month. • Successful digital promotion of UniPod events, innovation challenges, and entrepreneurship initiatives. • A documented increase in social media engagement by 10-15% across platforms during the assignment period. • Monthly social media analytics reports with recommendations for improvement. • A repository of reusable communication assets and a concise social media handover guide to support long-term sustainability. • Requirement of five posts a week and about two videos a week, totaling 20 posts and 8 videos a month. Aim to boost UniPod’s following and engagement across all platforms.

Education • Degree or ongoing studies in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, Public Relations, Digital Media, Graphic Design, or related fields.

Experience • Experience managing social media platforms and creating digital content for an organization, university, nonprofit, or innovation hub. • Familiarity with content planning, social media strategies, and tools such as Canva, CapCut, Meta Business Suite, or similar platforms. • Experience working with multidisciplinary or volunteer teams is an asset.

Skills and Competencies • Strong understanding of LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, including platform analytics and best practices. • Excellent communication, storytelling, and content creation skills, including basic graphic design and video editing. • Strong organizational skills, creativity, and the ability to work independently and meet deadlines. • Interest in youth innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. • Fluency in English; knowledge of Chichewa is desirable.

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Added 21 hours ago - Updated 2 hours ago - Source: unv.org