Project Communications Associate

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP Pakistan works with the Government and communities to develop and implement local solutions to development challenges. In an evolving development context, UNDP supports the efforts of Government of Pakistan to build a more equitable, prosperous, peaceful, and resilient society, and to achieve its SDGs and COP25 targets.
Resilience, Environment and Climate Change Unit (RECCU) is supporting projects across the country to respond to the growing threat of climate change, to mainstream environmental concerns into national development planning processes, and to expand access to environmental and energy services for the poor. In particular, UNDP has sought to ensure that the poor have stronger capacities to manage, adapt, and monitor climate change. Climate Change is a huge development challenge as well as a huge environmental challenge. It is a growing problem and is now hitting the poorest and the most vulnerable first and hardest.

The 2022 floods in Pakistan have affected 33 million people, resulted in the loss of more than 1,700 lives, displaced around 9 million men, women, and children, and inundated almost one-third of productive agricultural land in Pakistan. These downstream challenges are compounded with institutional issues whereby the Government of Pakistan requires support for developing overarching frameworks to structure its flood response activities and technical expertise to set up and develop bankable projects, establish standardised mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, and enhance strategic communications for public outreach.

UNDP has responded to the challenge by developing and launching a flagship Flood Recovery Programme (FRP) to support the Government of Pakistan’s flood recovery and rehabilitation efforts. The Programme has four key objectives dealing with the following thematic areas:

• Restoration of housing and access to/revival of essential community services.
• Restoration of livelihoods and income-generating capacities.
• Restoration of governance and service delivery.
• Accelerated environmental clean-up with strengthened capacities for Disaster Risk Management.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Communications Associate will support FRP’s outreach, communication and stakeholder engagement across all workstreams, working closely with the programme implementation teams to a) develop and implement specialised communication strategies, plans and products; b) support outreach and external stakeholder engagement in line with approved guidelines and strategies; and c) support donor reporting, communication and knowledge sharing in line with UNDP and donor-specific guidelines.

A summary of key functions is listed below:

• Coordinate the development and implementation of a comprehensive communication strategy and plans for FRP.
• Facilitate reporting and effective communications on FRP activities, progress and results.
• Support FRP’s multi-level stakeholder engagement efforts, including engagement with project beneficiaries, external partners and implementation teams.
• Contribute to FRP knowledge building and knowledge sharing.

The Project Communications Associate will be directly responsible for completing the below set of tasks within allotted, agreed-upon time frames:

I. Coordinate the development and implementation of a comprehensive communication strategy and plans for FRP, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Contribute to planning and design of internal and external strategies for communications and outreach, including design and implementation of the programme Communications, Outreach and Visibility Strategy, with detailed annual plans in line with UNDP Pakistan CO Communications Strategy and donor agreements;
• Conduct programme-wide communications needs assessments, identifying potential opportunities for outreach and engagement in coordination with the programme implementation and M&E team;
• Draft annual and quarterly communication work plans in coordination with the FRP programme team;
• Coordinate the management and oversight of work plan and budget utilisation for FRP communication activities in close coordination with the programme team;
• Develop communication and advocacy materials for outreach, awareness-raising and stakeholder engagement, including briefing, media and communication materials (including press releases, talking points, project briefs and factsheets);
• Support development, implementation and tracking of community mobilisation initiatives, creating specialised communication strategies for enhanced uptake;
• Facilitate preparation and clearance of all electronic and print products (press releases, event programmes, knowledge products, etc.) for events at national, provincial and local levels;
• Coordinate procurement requests for implementing communication activities, including drafting relevant Terms of Reference, technical specifications, and requests for quotations;
  - Oversee, track and monitor the work of vendors and other suppliers to ensure timely production and high quality of communication products;.
  - Coordinate with the UNDP Communications Unit to ensure adherence to Country Office requirements regarding all communication and outreach plans and products.

II. Facilitate reporting and effective communications on FRP activities, progress and results, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Prepare and/or oversee the preparation, design and production of all project communications and outreach materials;
• Ensure adherence to UNDP and donor communications and visibility requirements in all communications (including print and electronic) products of FRP;
• Ensure that information and data from the field are captured, documented, analysed and reported in a results-based and timely manner;
• Identify storylines and achievements within the FRP for online and print publications; draft success stories and learning products as needed;
• Undertake field visits as appropriate to document the implementation of programme activities with a ‘communications lens’ to ensure visibility and sharing of best practices, preparing case studies and success stories;
• Prepare and disseminate both routine and specialised outreach products that promote the strategic and timely flow of information and key messages about FRP products and results for internal and external users;
• Prepare quarterly newsletters, success stories, press reports, press briefings, and project presence in social media and UNDP corporate networks through preparation and regular review and updating of content;
• Prepare clear and concise reports and PowerPoint presentations for various meetings, workshops, and conferences, including the Project Board meeting and donor briefings.

III. Support FRP’s multi-level stakeholder engagement efforts, including engagement with project beneficiaries, external partners and implementation teams:

• Under the guidance of the Programme Manager, support development and roll-out of FRP external stakeholder management and communication strategies at local and policy levels in collaboration with the field teams;
• Coordinate field-level community mobilisation efforts, adapting project materials and communications strategy to local context;
• Support M&E team in conducting beneficiary feedback surveys and organising project grievance redress mechanisms, maintaining a two-way flow of information to inform project planning and needs;
• Support organisation of project events, workshops and dialogues with external stakeholders in collaboration with the programme teams.

IV. Contribute to FRP knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Maintain FRP library/ database of reference materials, photos, and digital assets;
• Liaise with project implementation, M&E and other relevant teams to record and consolidate data from various internal and external sources and maintain an updated information database;
• Liaise with relevant UNDP Country Office teams (such as the RECCU and the Communications Unit) to ensure smooth reporting and knowledge management of project visibility and other related materials
• Coordinate the translation, adaptation, or rewriting of information received for the local context; disseminate materials to appropriate stakeholders;
• Upload communication products and materials to FRP workspace at UNDP SharePoint;
• Support the development of user-friendly, visually appealing and innovative knowledge, research and communication products to highlight key features and achievements of FRP’s work; suggest further areas of improvement for overall project reporting and communication.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: Level 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: Level 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
• Learn Continuously: Level 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: Level 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
• Act with Determination: Level 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: Level 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Level 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Communications

• Advocacy strategy and implementation: Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change
• Media Relations: Ability to develop media relations across all aspects of media work including relationships with media and preparing media materials such as messages
• Video Production: Ability to produce or oversee the production of high-quality video and audio products
• Digital asset management: Ability to use digital asset management (DAM) systems to effectively store, share and organize digital assets such as images, videos and other media

Business Management

• Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
  Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
• Digital Awareness and Literacy: Ability to monitor new and emerging technologies, as well as understand their usage, potential, limitations, impact, and added value. Ability to rapidly and readily adopt and use new technologies in professional activities, and to empower others to use them as needed. Knowledge of the usage of digital technologies and emerging trends

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Secondary education is required. OR
  Bachelors Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Development Studies, or equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

• A minimum of 6 years (with high school diploma) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in communications is required.
• Experience in the use of computers and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) as well as web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use and handling of social media and digital communications tools is required
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex and lengthy material into engaging, high-impact digital content for social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube is desired
• Proficiency in digital content creation and photo/video editing tools like Coral, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Premiere Pro), Canva, and/or Da Vinci Resolve is desired
• Demonstrated experience in drafting/ writing content for project reporting, press releases, policy briefs, website/ social media in a clear and concise manner is desired
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Urdu is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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