Regional Communication and Advocacy Specialist, Asia Pacific (IPSA-11) UNCD at UNDP

Bangkok, , Thailand -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

02 Mar, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

02 Dec, 25

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Communication, Advocacy, Public Relations, Crisis Management, Content Creation, Media Relations, Event Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Brand Awareness, Digital Technologies, Training, Networking, Social Media, Impact Stories, Strategic Planning, Partnership Management

Industry

International Affairs

Description

Background Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates). Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and personnel on regular PSA contracts. Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates. General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity. UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031. As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, UNOs, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders. UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including: SME Finance Sub-National Finance Digital Finance UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States. UNCDF adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNCDF personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration. As part of the Directorate, the Strategic Communications Team supports the Executive Secretary and all Divisions to elevate UNCDF’s corporate positioning both internally and externally, strengthen brand visibility and thought leadership by leading the development, harmonization, and amplification of communication activities and deliverables in line with overall business strategy, priority areas and upcoming Strategic Framework. The Strategic Communication Team collaborates with the External Relations Team to shape strategic engagements for UNCDF’s Executive Leadership Team (Executive Secretary, Chief Investment Officer, Chief Finance Officer, and Chief Operations Officer). Duties and Responsibilities 1. Lead and oversee regional communications efforts in the Asia Pacific region Working with the UNCDF headquarters, lead, manage, and direct UNCDF’s project-based communications in the region in alignment with corporate standards and vision. Support senior management in building partnerships with government counterparts, MDBs/DFIs, high net worth individuals, civil society organizations, NGOs and the private sector. Develop and promote joint communications products and inter-agency initiatives and events. Support senior management with the engagements with funding partners and co-create content highlighting achievements and results of UNCDF’s work. Provide quality assurance for Asia Pacific communications products including briefing notes, op-eds, social media posts and press releases. Ensure consistent branding and messaging to enhance UNCDF’s influence, visibility, and reputation with governments, international organizations, donors, the private sector. 2. Create and disseminate content for the Asia Pacific region Develop regional communications products (monthly newsletter, weekly social media posts, regular thought leadership, impact stories, etc.) and advocacy campaigns aligned with UNCDF’s niche positioning in inclusive and development finance. Create innovative and data driven communications products adopting emerging technologies including the use of AI tools to develop multimedia content, campaign assets, success stories, and messaging tailored to donors and diverse stakeholder groups. Write and edit external communication messages, talking points, create and update power points for the Regional Team Lead, write and disseminate press releases, and op-eds for international and national media outlets, Lead the scriptwriting, direction and production of video content that communicates UNCDF’s project's activities and impact on the region, in close collaboration with global videographer. Integrate blended finance application narratives into advocacy messaging to highlight UNCDF’s role in reaching underserved populations. Collaborate with designers, videographers, and other creative professionals to produce compelling and impactful content. Manage content distribution across social media platforms, websites, and media outlets and ensure regular optimization is made based on analytics and evolving trends. 3. Engage with media network in Asia Pacific Conduct media landscape analysis to identify key media and development trends. Collaborate with the global media manager to build and maintain relationships with media outlets, journalists, editors, influencers and bloggers, including outlets covering fintech, impact investing, and development to ensure widespread coverage of UNCDF’s activities and outcomes. Develop media protocols and rapid response strategies for crisis communications to manage reputational risks and ensure consistent messaging during sensitive or high-stakes situations, and coordinate with senior leadership and communications teams to prepare media statements and talking points including in support of HQ team during Asia Pacific time zones. Pitch regional stories, op-eds, and coordinate media visits, event coverage and interviews to position for senior management in the Asia Pacific region. Monitor media coverage and analyze engagement metrics to refine outreach strategies. Organize media briefings and orientation sessions for media to deepen understanding of UNCDF’s mandate, priorities and impact. 4. Facilitate Stakeholder Engagement Develop, design, and execute innovative advocacy campaigns and plans that support positioning of UNCDF work in the Asia Pacific region in global forums and regional platforms, to mobilize strategic partnerships and donor engagement to support UNCDF’s goals. Support UNCDF’s resource mobilization efforts by co-developing donor visibility plans and branded content packages with a key focus on Asia Pacific. Develop and maintain a strategic calendar of high-impact regional events to optimize UNCDF’s visibility and positioning, ensuring timely participation by the Regional Investment Lead and Specialists in forums aligned with investment and advocacy priorities. Facilitate strategic communications partnerships with regional development banks, fintech associations, and local government networks. Support key regional personnel from the Investment Division to engage with stakeholders in frontier markets to amplify UNCDF’s work in last-mile delivery. Coordinate joint messaging other UN agencies on cross-cutting initiatives such as gender-lens investing and digital public infrastructure. Refine advocacy messaging based on emerging trends in donor and stakeholder engagement. Engage with local communities, NGOs, and government bodies to ensure inclusive and accurate participation, in engagement with UNCDF projects. 5. Coordination, Capacity Building and Knowledge Exchange Build the capacity of communications and programmatic staff by providing communications and media training, to facilitate knowledge sharing (especially with the two other regions namely West and Central Africa and the Caribbean, and East and South Africa and the Arab States), including South-South and peer-to-peer exchanges, to share best practices, success stories, and innovations in communications and advocacy. Coordinate closely with UNCDF management, communications and project teams to align communications messaging and knowledge management updates. Organize and facilitate planning workshops with internal and external stakeholders to align communication priorities with programmatic goals and donor expectations. Participate in the UNCDF’s communication group meetings and provide updates from management and project teams as needed. Work with local partners and project teams to adapt global messages and campaigns to local languages, cultural contexts, and media landscapes. 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 3 Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3 Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3 Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3 Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands Act with Determination: LEVEL 3 Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3 Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3 Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity People Management UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site. Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: Communications: Advocacy strategy and implementation Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies that lead to impactful change create and ideas to align challenging Communications: Brand & Quality Management Ability to position the UNCDF brand and uphold it to a high level of quality. Communications: Media Relationship Ability to develop media relations across all aspects of media work including relationships with media and preparing media materials such as message Business Development: Partnership Management Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies Business Direction and Strategy: System Thinking Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system Business Development: Collective Intelligence Design Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information, ideas, and technology to solve problems and design solutions or services. Knowledge and understanding of Collective Intelligence Design principles, methodology and practices. Business Management: Communication 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. Required Skills and Experience Min. Academic Education: Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Communication, Journalism, International Relations, International Development, Public Administration, or related field is required. or A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree. Min. years of relevant work experience: Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at the regional or international level in public relations, advocacy, or communications. Required Experience, knowledge and skill: Demonstrated experience in managing reputational risks and leading crisis communications. Experience in leading and managing regional communications and advocacy work in least developed countries, small island developing states, developing economies and/or frontier markets. Experience in creating communications content for donor visibility, brand awareness, thought leadership, and partnerships, including crafting human-led and impact stories, op-eds, blogs, reports. Proven experience organizing and managing events and training workshops. Proven ability to manage editorial workflows in large and decentralized organizations (involving national, regional and global levels) and content calendar across owned and earned channels. Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint, Canva, CMS like Drupal, and email marketing tools like Mailchimp. Experience coordinating with remote teams, creative vendors, or field-based communications or programmatic focal points. Demonstrate a good network with major media outlets. Experience in media relations, drafting press releases and opinion pieces that have been positioned in the media, ideally in the financial and/or development sector. Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section: Prior experience and knowledge of the UN system or knowledge of international development, economic, and social affairs issues, including the work of the United Nations. Proven strong ability to write and create compelling content for different platforms (social media, websites, newsletters, etc.). Experience in Asia and the Pacific region. Extensive experience training, mentoring, guiding, and coaching personnel on a range of communications subjects, including excellent presentation skills. Track record in producing success and impact stories, lessons learned, and best practices across a region. Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical financial jargon into simple language and compelling narratives. Good understanding of social media content pipelines, including analytics-driven optimization, audience growth, and cross-platform publishing. Proven experience and knowledge of sustainable development and/or development finance. Experience in using AI and/or digital technologies to produce and develop innovative communications content for impact. Direct global experience in managing multimedia production include planning, logistics, direction, storytelling, scripting and managing edits in the studio and in the field. Demonstrated ability to work in fast-paced environments and matrix-based organizations. Required Language(s): Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language is desired. 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. Scam alert UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee regional communications efforts in the Asia Pacific region, ensuring alignment with corporate standards and vision. Develop and disseminate content, engage with media networks, and facilitate stakeholder engagement to enhance UNCDF's visibility and impact.