The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has caused a severe and highly complex humanitarian emergency with global impact not witnessed in Europe for over 70 years. The international response has been significant, with exceptional support provided by many donor countries and organizations. UNOPS, with its ability to add considerable value in its core areas of infrastructure, procurement, and project management services, is part of the response to the ongoing emergency and is expanding its capacity in the country to be able to provide robust and timely support over the long term, through the recovery and reconstruction phases.
Recognizing the enormity and complexity of the challenges ahead, UNOPS established a dedicated Ukraine Country Office (based in Kyiv), from where its operations will be planned, resourced, implemented, managed, and controlled in the months and years ahead, with the support of the UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (based in Geneva) and UNOPS HQ (Copenhagen).
UNOPS Ukraine is looking to strengthen its communication function, specifically in relation to one of its largest projects under implementation at the moment, “School Repairs in Ukraine”, funded by the EU. The project aims to restore over 70 schools across four oblasts (Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv), providing around 20,000 students with safe learning environments. Project communications are expected to be extensive, as dozens of schools are repaired at the same time, and will require solid management and execution.
It is in this context that UNOPS Ukraine is looking to recruit a Communications Associate. The Associate will work closely with the Communications Analyst to implement the communications plan of the “School Repairs in Ukraine” project, as well as achieve UNOPS Ukraine’s overall communications objectives.
Functional Responsibilities:
Summary of key functions:
Communications strategies and plans
Content production and management
Stakeholder relations
Knowledge building and knowledge sharing
Communications strategies and plans:
Contributes to developing, reviewing, and updating the communications strategies, plans, and objectives for UNOPS Ukraine and individual projects.
Supports the development of new and innovative ways of communicating with target audiences and advises on cultural sensitivities.
Retrieves data on project progress from relevant project teams as instructed by the Communications Analyst, to be used in communications materials.
Content production and management:
Writes and edits a variety of text-based external communications materials, including but not limited to stories, press releases, speeches, articles, web content and social media posts, in support of external communication plans and objectives. The Associate clears these products with relevant internal and external stakeholders, responding to feedback as appropriate, and ensures publication. The Associate stores the products as instructed.
Drafts official letters and emails to current and potential partners where requested.
Develops and disseminates relevant messages for internal communications purposes where requested.
Designs and produces basic infographics, presentations, and other visual materials to support UNOPS communications efforts.
Plans and supervises the collection and production of visual content (advanced infographics and presentations, photos, videos) to support office and project communication efforts where additional professionals (graphic designer, photographer, videographer) are engaged. The Associate sets their objective(s), scope of work, plans their deployment on site, receives their outputs, and stores them appropriately.
Stakeholder relations:
Engages with external stakeholders as requested, which include donor representatives, project beneficiaries, relevant authorities, service providers, the media, and others. The Associate approaches these interactions with professionalism, projecting a positive image for UNOPS and its projects.
Assists in organising online and offline events to promote UNOPS and its activities.
Knowledge building and knowledge sharing:
Provides advice, guidance, and training to UNOPS Ukraine personnel on communications best practices, UNOPS communications policies and guidelines.
Provides sound contributions to internal knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learnt, sharing experiences and best practices.
Contributes feedback, ideas, and suggestions regarding business processes, seeking to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
The Communications Associate may be required to perform additional tasks as requested by the Communication Analyst.
This is a local position, it is therefore open to Nationals of Ukraine and to individuals who have a valid residence/work permit.
Education Experience Language requirements:
Education:
High School Diploma is required;
A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in communication, media, linguistics, journalism, social studies, international relations, or related fields will be considered as an asset and may substitute some of the required years of experience.
Experience:
With a high school diploma, a minimum of 6 years of work experience in copywriting, media, public relations, or communications is required.
Experience in managing social media accounts and websites is desirable.
Experience with international technical assistance projects, working with the UN, international, or national NGOs is desirable.
Skills in image editing are an asset.
Language requirements:
Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian, and English is required.
