Communication Specialist

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

UNICEF’s Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP) Division works to deliver income, influence, and brand recognition for UNICEF globally. Within the PFP Division, the Communication for Partnerships (C4P) unit provides communication support, visibility, and recognition to high-value private sector partners. C4P’s role is to design and drive compelling joint communication plans and frameworks from initial engagement and throughout the life of each global partnership in collaboration with National Committees and country offices with high-value fundraising operations. The C4P unit works to mitigate reputational risks and manage communication responses linked to reputational issues for high-value partnerships (businesses, foundations, high net-worth individuals, membership, and faith-based organizations).

For every child, a Champion

Reporting to the Communication Manager (Partnerships), this role will work closely with PFP’s high-value partnerships teams, due diligence team, the content team as well as teams in the Programme Group, regional and country offices. In addition, this role will work in close collaboration with National Committees from the earliest stages of partnership negotiation to understand and manage partner expectations and goals and take these into account when designing the partnership communication strategy and plan.

How can you make a difference?

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Increase visibility and awareness of UNICEF’s private sector partnerships: Provides strategic direction to communication and visibility linked to global high-value partnerships, ensuring that related activities are in line with PFP’s fundraising, advocacy, and brand positioning objectives as well as UNICEF’s ethical and brand guidelines. Ensures effective profiling of partners through UNICEF external global channels (website, reports, and social media channels) to ensure visibility and recognition of partner investment.
2. Develop and support implementation of communication activities for partnerships: In close coordination with high value fundraising teams in PFP and the National Committees, reviews or develops communication materials such as news releases, op-eds, blogs, social media posts, briefing notes, talking points, partnership question & answer (Q&A) documents, partner communication materials referencing UNICEF; coordinates with media/PR specialist (country support and development team) and the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy (DGCA) regarding global media outreach. Sources or facilitates the development of engaging content for partners’ internal and external communication channels. Assists in the planning, coordination, and implementation of launch plans for high value partnerships.
3. Monitor and manage reputational risk: Provides communication parameters aligned to due diligence recommendations for sensitive or high-risk partnerships at the initial and launch phase. In close consultation with the National Committees, country offices and other units in the Media and PR Services Section, manages communication around risk issues linked to partner engagement, contributes to the prevention of media/PR crises, and works with internal stakeholders, high-value fundraisers, partners, the National Committees, and PR agencies to successfully manage crisis response when required.
4. Knowledge sharing: Creates, maintains, and updates organizational policies to guide global communication around UNICEF’s partnership and engagement with the private sector, in coordination with internal stakeholders, other UNICEF divisions, the National Committees, regional and country offices.
5. Provide team leadership for partnership communication requirements of new business or existing high value partners: Under the guidance of the Communication Manager (Partnerships), leads on strategic direction for partnership communication for all new or existing high value partners. Monitors team member performance and ensures appropriate development and training of staff. Provides support and guidance to staff and leadership to foster and maintain staff engagement, motivation, and sound staff-management relations.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Public Relations, Marketing, Communication, Journalism, Management, or another relevant technical field.
• Alternatively, a first-level university degree in a relevant field combined with two (2) additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years of experience working in the field of communication, partnership management, or marketing is required.
• Experience in developing and implementing communication and risk mitigation strategies is required.
• Experience in writing news releases, feature stories, social media planning, and execution is required.
• Experience in working with foundations or public and private sector partners and donors on communication and public relations is required.
• Supervisory experience is considered as an asset.
• Experience working in the UN/UNICEF Country Office, Regional Office, or other UNICEF Divisions is considered as an asset.
• Familiarity with the work of UNICEF National Committees is considered as an asset.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.