Communications Assistant for Lusophone/Spanish speaking countries

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. At country level, the UNV Field Unit (FU) and/or designated UNV personnel are responsible for the mobilization and placement of UN Volunteers in UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes in the areas of peace, development and humanitarian assistance. UNV Field Units/designated UNV personnel represent and position UNV in the respective countries with a focus on the UN Country Team, bringing UNV’s services and solutions closer to its partners within a client service approach and collaborating with other stakeholders from government, civil society and private sector. As UNDP represents UNV at country level, UNV personnel are usually hosted within a UNDP Office and are accountable to the Supervisor and UNV Executive Coordinator for compliance with UNV and UNDP policies, rules and regulations.

The UNV Field Units (FU) are mainly accountable for the mobilization and placement of UN Volunteers in UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes focused on peace, development, and humanitarian needs. The UNV Field Units represent and position UNV in the respective countries and bring UNV’s services and solutions closer to its partners from governments, UN entities, civil society, and private sector. For further information about the work of the UNV Programme, kindly visit https://www.unv.org/.

The Communications Assistant will play a pivotal role in supporting UNV's communication efforts in Lusophone and Spanish speaking countries, acting as a focal point to coordinate activities across São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Equatorial Guinea. Under the daily supervision of the Portfolio Analyst in Dakar and the overall coordination of the Regional Communication Analyst based in Dakar, the UNV Communications Assistant will undertake the following tasks: Duties and Responsibilities: Communication Coordination: - Serve as the primary communication focal point for the assigned countries to support the regional communications plan, in line with the UNV communications strategy - In consultation with UNV Field Units, coordinate and implement the regional communication plan and activities across the portfolio - Facilitate information sharing and collaboration among UNV Field Units (Programme Managers, UNV Support Officers, Country Coordinators, Programme Assistants,) and the regional communications team - Ensure that communications activities are co-branded with UN partners based on their mandates and UNV support - Support, monitor, and report on international day celebrations in the portfolio, including International Volunteer Day (IVD) - Undertake communications-targeted in-country monitoring missions in consultation with the Country Coordinator and Regional Office Communications Analyst - Support targeted talent outreach activities through communications and advocacy, in consultation with the Regional Office Talent Acquisition Analyst. Content Creation and Storytelling: - In close consultation with the Regional Communications Analyst, support the development and dissemination of engaging storytelling content, including articles, success stories, and case studies among UNV stakeholders (UN partners, UNV Field Units, UN Volunteers) in the portfolio countries. - Collect and document testimonials from targeted UN Volunteers and UN partners in the portfolio, highlighting their experiences and the impact of UNV contributions. - Create compelling narratives that showcase the contributions and achievements of UN Volunteers and the communities they serve for country-specific newsletters, webpages, etc. - Ensure all content aligns with UNV guidelines and effectively communicates the organization's mission and values. Social Media Management: - Manage and update active social media accounts relevant to the portfolio. - In close consultation with the Regional Communications team, create engaging content, including posts, stories, and updates, to increase visibility of the UNV Programme and audience engagement. - Analyze social media trends and provide recommendations for enhanced online presence. - Prepare social media cards and tailored emails for application calls. Reporting and Analysis: - Provide a quarterly report on communication activities of the portfolio. - Provide inputs and recommendations for regional communication reports and analyses.