Communications Senior Officer

Job Posting Organization:
The UNOPS regional office for Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the implementation of over 250 projects across 40 countries, focusing on fragile and conflict-affected areas. Supported by more than 1,000 staff across five multi-country offices, the organization addresses national priorities through strategic initiatives centered on climate action, health, infrastructure, peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, support for middle-income countries, and small island developing states. The regional office provides strategic direction, operational support, and oversight in key areas such as partnerships, communication, management and monitoring, infrastructure and project management, health and safety, and security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, encouraging knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure development, transparent resource management, and improved quality of life for populations across the continent.

Job Overview:
The Communications Senior Officer is responsible for developing and implementing the overall communication strategy for the UNOPS country office in Madagascar. This role involves designing and monitoring communication plans for all projects implemented in Madagascar, ensuring alignment with donor requirements and UNOPS branding standards. The officer will analyze communication contexts, manage editorial calendars, and produce a wide range of high-quality content, including press releases, social media posts, and reports. The position serves as a key contact for internal stakeholders, external partners, and donors, ensuring effective engagement and adequate representation. The officer will also support the dissemination of strategic messages through various forums and media, contributing to the visibility and impact of UNOPS projects in Madagascar.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Communication Planning: Analyze local and institutional communication contexts to develop, implement, and monitor the overall communication strategy and work plans for UNOPS Madagascar. Design, formalize, and oversee the execution of communication and visibility plans for all projects in Madagascar. Provide analyzed data and key insights to inform the communication strategy. Ensure timely and high-quality execution of communication activities aligned with project objectives. Ensure all strategies and productions strictly adhere to donor requirements and UNOPS branding standards. Analyze local communication contexts, target audiences, and channels to optimize outreach efforts. Support the dissemination of strategic messages through various forums and media.
• Content Creation: Produce a wide range of high-quality materials, including press releases, reports, web articles, blog posts, case studies illustrating project impacts, and informational sheets about UNOPS and its projects. Collaborate closely with technical experts to collect, structure, and transform complex data into accessible communication materials. Design impactful graphic materials (infographics, quote cards, invitations, banners, and presentations) while ensuring strict adherence to branding guidelines. Manage end-to-end multimedia production, including field photography and video editing (interviews, reports) to convey dynamic messages in line with UNOPS, government, and donor policies. Plan, organize, and participate in visibility missions to gather qualitative information and document project progress. Produce case studies and field narratives illustrating the tangible impacts of projects, ensuring visibility materials meet specific donor requirements.
• Digital Presence and Social Media Management: Develop, structure, and rigorously manage editorial calendars for digital platforms and social media. Write engaging posts and manage regular content on official channels, conducting targeted digital campaigns to amplify project impacts. Organize, centralize, and maintain the office's photo library, video library, and visual resource library.
• Stakeholder Management and Representation: Maintain effective communication with donors, clients, partners, and other stakeholders. Plan and execute the organization of external events, ensuring representation aligns with UNOPS standards. Collaborate with technical experts on strategic reporting and visibility initiatives. Contribute to UNCG initiatives and partner communication working groups to ensure alignment and synergy in communication strategies.
• Knowledge Management: Support the organization, facilitation, and delivery of training and learning sessions on communication-related topics. Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and communities of practice (CoP), providing insights and lessons learned from communication project implementations. Conduct research on communication-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries, and briefing notes.

Required Qualifications:
Mandatory: Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in communication, journalism, multimedia, public relations, or a related field with 2 years of relevant experience; or a first-level university degree (Bachelor's) combined with 4 years of relevant professional experience. Desired: A globally or nationally recognized professional certification in communication, journalism, digital communication and social media, or graphic design.

Educational Background:
Mandatory: Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in communication, journalism, multimedia, public relations, or a related field with 2 years of relevant experience; or a first-level university degree (Bachelor's) combined with 4 years of relevant professional experience. Desired: A globally or nationally recognized professional certification in communication, journalism, digital communication and social media, or graphic design.

Experience:
Mandatory: Relevant professional experience in communication, public relations, media, journalism, or related fields. Experience using collaboration and productivity tools (e.g., MS Office, Google Workspace) and web-based management systems. Desired: Demonstrated technical experience in content production, including the use of graphic design tools and video production. Proven experience in social media management. Proven experience in developing and implementing strategic communication plans for complex or multi-project programs. Experience in stakeholder engagement (donors, institutional partners, media) and external coordination" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">communication coordination. Experience working in multicultural environments or within UN system organizations in a developing country. Desired experience in development or humanitarian contexts. Desired experience in developing and monitoring content for diverse audiences, including local populations.

Languages:
Mandatory: Fluent in French and Malagasy. Required: Intermediate proficiency in English.

Additional Notes:
UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. Applications must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Late applications will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities. UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications, and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities. We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation. UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes. Terms and Conditions: For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. For retainer contracts, candidates must complete a few mandatory courses (approximately 4 hours) in their own time before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during the contract. Note that candidates will not receive compensation for taking courses and refreshers. All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. Additionally, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.