Communications Specialist (Home-Based)

UNDP•New York, NY

14h•Remote

About The Position

The Joint SDG Fund supports countries as they accelerate their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It operates through joint programmes (JPs) that provide the mechanism for transformative solutions implemented by governments and national stakeholders and supported by the UN Country Team led by Resident Coordinators (RCs). Strategic direction for the Fund is provided by the Strategic Advisory Group chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General as the chair of UN Sustainable Development Group. The Fund is managed by the Operational Steering Committee, comprised of representatives of UN entities, and with the support from the Secretariat of the Fund. The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) hosts the Fund and provides for the alignment with the broader UN Development System reforms. The Administrative Agent of the Fund, in charge of financial management, is the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF-O). Official documents (e.g. Terms of Reference and Operational Guidance) of the Fund and information on funding can be found on the Gateway portal. To advance the dual mandate of supercharging the UN Development System reform to be fit for purpose and, in turn, supporting the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Fund incentivizes coherent and coordinated join UN action, anchored in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks at country level under the leadership of Resident Coordinator (RC). Serving as the catalytic funding to piece together emerging policy priorities and financing strategies, the Fund aims to galvanize the UN Country Teams around integrated policies and identify the fiscal space to overcome the political and financial hurdles to scale and accelerate progress towards the SDGs. The Joint SDG Fund adopts a portfolio approach focused on the key SDG transitions of digital, food systems, social protection & jobs, energy, education and climate action to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, the Secretariat team is expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration. Within this framework, the Communications Specialist will manage the Fund Secretariat’s digital communications, media relationships and vendors, as well as facilitating communication and knowledge sharing.

Requirements

Expert knowledge and use of the most current versions of Adobe CC graphic software and tools
Excellent knowledge of new trends and technologies in web- and digital-based graphic design
Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in the field of communications preferably at an international level is required.
Experience in designing communications strategy and materials, public advocacy campaigns, editing articles, and human-interest stories.
Experience in sharing stories and creating boards for social media posts.
Experience forming relationships with web designers/coders in updated the website, graphic designers and videographers for visuals and merchandise.
Experience managing and working with teams of people particularly in civil society engagement.
Experience in the use of computers applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) as well as web-based management systems.
Fluency in English is required.
Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Science, Communications, Journalism, or related field is required. or A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Nice To Haves

UN field experience at the international level
Knowledge or experience using Drupal.
Experience in private sector engagement.
Working knowledge of other UN languages is desirable.

Responsibilities

Maintain Joint SDG Fund presence in public dialogue where appropriate.
Develop relationships with key partners to maximize visibility and traffic to Joint SDG Fund digital platforms and to maximize the distribution of content.
Coordinate the production and publishing of daily content (text, images, video or HTML) that support and engage audiences in a meaningful way.
Lead on the production of high-quality communications products for print, audio/visual and social media in UN languages, including short videos, infographics and other related materials
Work closely with the Development Coordination Office, Funds and UN Entities to collaborate and share effective communications strategies to increase public awareness
Lead on the identification of new communications opportunities and products consistent with the Joint SDG Fund’s branding and visibility
Cultivate strong internal relationships and partnerships with third party vendors
Design attractive, engaging and modern visual materials to convey key messages to various target audiences in compliance with Joint SDG Fund branding, such as design elements for web-based platforms (websites, newsletters, social media)
Design and develop infographics, posters, leaflets, logos, brochures, reports and any other design required to meet communications objectives
Promote optimum visibility of Joint SDG Fund activities through effective media relations, placement and distribution of information material and creative partnerships with bi-lateral, multi-lateral and non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
Produce communication products and materials to support the work of the Joint SDG Fund for a wide variety of media and donor and government partners.
Editing and creating short video clips for social media and larger campaigns ensuring details to subtitles and graphics are cohesive.
Developing and producing multimedia content, including infographics and video editing for social media and web platforms.
Conceptualizing and implementing visual identities and brand guidelines for global campaigns.
Ensuring all visual materials align with UN Joint SDG Fund communication strategies and effectively transmit messages to target audiences.
Leading design projects from conceptualization to completion, including managing external vendors and coordinating with teams.
Working in close coordination with design comprehensive workflows for tasks as well as assignment management; troubleshoot project or process problems as they arise and initiate improvements to design, collaboration, and efficiency processes as needed
Contribute to overseeing and coordinating the design and production of the Joint SDG Fund’s projects; establish project objectives, and lead design from the initial planning stages through completion; provide updates and solicit feedback on projects from team and stakeholders; bring state of the art practices, techniques, technologies and approaches to bear on the Fund's graphic design work
Participate at various internal and external meetings; organize or participate in working groups to streamline graphic design production and workflows
Ensure the visual’s compliance with all the potential uses needed (online, print, large scale, high res, black & white, etc.) as well as file formats
Create robust visual content for campaigns and manage Trello boards and generate identical designs for alternative languages when required
Develop communication messages into existing Joint SDG Fund initiatives linked to communication/ knowledge sharing efforts; and
Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to goals and activities.
Provide substantive and sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice including corporate communications repositories.
Organize and provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff on internal and external knowledge management.
Work with the team to ensure all knowledge products are captured, updated, readily available and in the right order, as and when necessary.
Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Joint SDG Fund Secretariat.