JOB DESCRIPTION

Background Information – Job-specific

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

Global Portfolios Office (GPO), New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners’ programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement defined activities in support of The Development Coordination Office (DCO).

In its Resolution A/RES/72/279, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the transformation of the UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) as a stand-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat. DCO assumed managerial and oversight functions of the Resident Coordinator (RC) system under the collective ownership of the members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). Under the UN development system reform, a reinvigorated RC system has been rolled out since 2019 and has created new frameworks, instruments, tools and platforms to support the RC system, and enhance accountability and transparency. UN Country Teams are now developing and implementing instruments at the core of the reform, such as the new generation Common Country Analysis (CCA) and Cooperation Framework, including via the UNSDG platform of UN INFO.

The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) serves as the Secretariat to the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) and manages the Resident Coordinator (RC) system at the country level. The Country Business Strategies Section (CBSS) coordinates and supports the implementation of the UNSDG Efficiency Reform, which includes the following initiatives, among others: implementing Business Operations Strategies (BOS), establishing Common Back Offices (CBO), increasing the global proportion of Common Premises (CP), and scaling-up location independent services through a network of inter-agency Global Shared Services (GSS). More information on the Efficiency Reform is available at https://unsdg.un.org/2030-agenda/business-operations.

UNOPS seeks a motivated Communications Senior Officer – Digital and Content to support the development, maintenance, and enhancement of digital communication platforms, content, and online communities of practice. This role will strengthen DCO’s digital presence and engagement, ensuring the effective integration of digital tools to enhance transparency, accountability, and communication across UN Country Teams (UNCTs).

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The Communications Senior Officer – Digital and Content will be a key member of the Communications and Results Reporting Section (CRRS) at DCO Headquarters in New York, supporting the development, maintenance, and enhancement of digital communication platforms, content, and online communities of practice. The incumbent will work under the guidance of the Communications Officer and in close collaboration with external stakeholders and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to strengthen DCO’s digital presence and engagement.

The incumbent of this position will play a vital role in maintaining and improving DCO-backed digital platforms, ensuring effective integration with proprietary data systems, and optimizing digital tools for transparency and accountability. They will also contribute to content creation and digital strategy, producing engaging multimedia materials and leveraging innovative technologies to enhance audience impact. Additionally, the incumbent will support performance tracking and evaluation, analyzing key metrics to inform data-driven decision-making.

Furthermore, the incumbent of this position will coordinate capacity-building efforts, supporting UN partners in utilizing digital tools effectively and ensuring the seamless operation of DCO-managed platforms. They will also contribute to knowledge sharing and best practices, consolidating lessons learned to enhance digital communications strategies.

The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

Functional Responsibilities

The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Maintenance and improvement of Digital Platforms:

Coordinate with external and UN stakeholders to ensure DCO-backed Drupal websites are effectively integrated with DCO proprietary data systems, including UN INFO and IMS, requesting enhancements and monitoring their deployment and maintenance.
Contribute to the enhancement and maintenance of interactive transparency and accountability data portals, including for the Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF), monitoring and updating content, managing changes to project scope, mitigating potential risks and identifying solutions.
Draft and maintain institutional governance documents for DCO-backed digital platforms in collaboration with external and UN stakeholders, including documents related to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), accessibility, and multilingualism. Project Management and Content Creation:

Serve as technical focal point for digital design and development projects related to DCO-managed web and social media platforms, coordinating schedules, maintaining resources and organizing knowledge-sharing activities.
Produce or oversee the production of text and multimedia products, including web stories, blogs, press materials, photo stories, data visualizations, podcast/video scripts, social media posts, etc., conducting interviews and undertaking extensive multilingual content and audience research to compile relevant information that optimize impact and exploring new tools and techniques, including Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) to make content more interactive and engaging.
Develop and maintain website information architecture, prepare content production plans, write drafts, edit copy, and coordinate content review and approval in collaboration with DCO partners at the local, regional and global levels.
Perform translation, editorial and technical quality assurance tasks, including during the development of interactive electronic reports, audio and video products related to the work of DCO and the RCS. Monitoring and Evaluation:

Monitor and evaluate the performance of DCO-backed digital platforms, regularly assessing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), traffic data and other analytics to inform data-driven decisions related to the platforms’ maintenance and enhancements.
Monitor and analyze current events, public opinion, press coverage, and information needs, proposing relevant adjustment to content creation and promotion strategies to maximize impact.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of resources used to monitor and evaluate the performance of DCO-managed platforms and DCO-created content, including online planning/collaboration platforms and data repositories.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

*FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY*

a. Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in communications, information technology or in a field related to the post description with two (2) years of relevant experience is required; OR
A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) preferably in communications, information technology or a field related to the post description with (4) years of relevant experience is desirable.

b. Work Experience

Required:

Relevant experience is defined as experience in public information, journalism, computer science, information technology, digital marketing, or related areas.
Experience creating text and/or multimedia content for websites and/or social media channels in a professional capacity to mobilize multilateral collaboration is required.
Experience working with Drupal or comparable content management systems such as Joomla, Typo3, WordPress, etc. to host complex, multilingual interactive websites is required.

Desired:

Experience developing data visualizations for website and social media outlets using Power BI, Tableau, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva or comparable tools is desirable.
Experience working with project management concepts including Agile, PMP, PRINCE2, Scrum, etc. is desirable.
Experience working with the UN System, or a comparable international organization is desirable.

c. Language

Fluency in English (read, write, speak) is required.
Knowledge of any of the other UN official languages will be considered as an advantage.

Competencies

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.
Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).
Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.
Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.
Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.
Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA-1) or Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA-9) – ICS9
Contract duration: Ongoing contract (subject to good performance, availability of funds, organizational requirements and project duration).

Even though the level of the position is indicated as IICA-1, depending on the incumbent’s personal situation ( candidate with national ID or resident permit), a local fee scale (LICA-9) might be applied in determining the contractor’s fee.

Additional Considerations: The candidate will be required to be available during New York business hours for stakeholder collaboration and a few weekly meetings.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

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. In addition, 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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements