Communications Specialist Contractor

Job Highlight
Turn complex Digital Inclusion work into clear, targeted communication outputs that influence decisions and drive action. This role owns the end-to-end delivery of editorial and content products—from shaping audience‑specific messaging and drafting materials to managing production, distribution, and performance tracking across channels. Working across multiple workstreams, you will translate technical inputs into compelling narratives, apply AI to increase speed and scale, and ensure that every output is aligned to a defined audience, purpose, and measurable outcome.

About
UNOPS Geneva Office is providing support to a wide range of portfolios, including UNEP, UNICEF, UNHCR, and other partners. This position is a Partner Personnel role. The selected candidate will be hired by UNOPS under its rules and regulations and will be engaged as UN Partner Personnel for UNICEF – Digital Inclusion and will operate under the effective management and supervision of UNICEF.

About the Project Office
UNICEF Digital Inclusion accelerates access to affordable, sustainable, safe and resilient digital infrastructure for every child. The team supports governments and partners to expand equitable and affordable connectivity across child‑facing service locations such as schools, health facilities, and social protection locations, and addresses related infrastructure such as electricity and compute. It also works on the Giga partnership to connect every school to the internet.

Role Purpose
Under the supervision and general guidance of the Communication and Advocacy Manager and collaborating with the Multi‑media Specialist where relevant, the Communication Specialist Contractor will be responsible for:

• Co‑developing and continuously refining a content and audience strategy aligned to communication objectives, with primary responsibility for delivering its editorial components.
• Supporting strategic positioning through clear narrative development, targeted audience engagement, and informed communications that articulate impact and innovation.
• Managing end‑to‑end delivery of communication products—especially editorial items—across communication products, with strong AI integration and vendor orchestration.
• Overseeing the full production lifecycle (scoping, drafting, design, iteration, approval, and final delivery) while meeting timelines and UNICEF style and quality standards.
• Optimizing execution through AI‑augmented workflows, developing and maintaining practical AI‑enabled pipelines (prompt libraries, templates, automation) that enhance team productivity and staying current with emerging tools.
• Managing multiple communication workstreams, coordinating across stakeholders, ensuring clear timelines, and monitoring progress.
• Delivering content across channels (reports, documents, websites, physical collateral, presentation materials, event materials, social media) and reporting performance metrics such as engagement, reach, influence and change to refine future outputs.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Writing, Content Development & Editorial Delivery: Contribute to and execute the editorial calendar; produce and edit high‑quality content across formats, translating complex technical material into clear, audience‑appropriate language.
• Audience Strategy and CRM‑Driven Engagement: Support the development of an audience strategy for various pillars of work and products, drive compelling product messaging, and use CRM tools to enable segmented, targeted, and personalised content delivery.
• Vendor & Resource Management: Source, onboard, and manage external vendors and consultants; maintain a roster of vetted providers; manage external production end‑to‑end, ensuring outputs meet required editorial, visual, and multimedia standards.
• Brand Coherence and Voice: Contribute to and maintain the identity and brand systems across Digital Inclusion outputs, enforce brand standards, and ensure consistency, tonal alignment, and coherence with global positioning.

Monitoring and Progress Controls
Contribute to development of and deliver assigned outputs within a rolling 12‑month plan, maintaining full visibility and control of deliverables. Communications products delivered to required quality and timelines. Performance tracked and reported, with outputs demonstrating reach, engagement, and effectiveness against objectives. Continuous optimisation of content, workflows, and tools (including AI) to improve quality, efficiency, and impact.

Education Requirements
Advanced university degree (Master's or higher) in a relevant field (e.g., journalism, media, marketing, social sciences, international relations, economics, or specific technical areas) plus a minimum of five years of professional work experience. First‑level university degree (Bachelor's) combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

Requirements

Experience Requirements – Required
Minimum of five years of professional Erfahrung in Medien, Journalismus, Kommunikation, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit oder verwandten Bereichen im privaten Sektor oder multilateralen Organisationen, die auf globaler/internationaler Ebene tätig sind. Nachgewiesene Fähigkeit zur eigenständigen Durchführung von Kommunikationsoutputs von Anfang bis Ende und starke Beispiele für effektive redaktionelle, multimediale, audiovisuelle Produkte. Praktische Erfahrung mit KI-Tools in Kommunikationsabläufen (Schreiben, Bearbeiten, Design, Video, Übersetzung, Automatisierung). Starke organisatorische und Projektmanagementfähigkeiten, mit der Fähigkeit, mehrere Prioritäten und Fristen zu bewältigen. Erfahrung in der Verwaltung externer Anbieter oder Berater, einschließlich Briefing, Feedback und Qualitätssicherung. Starke Schreib- und Bearbeitungsfähigkeiten, Fähigkeit, komplexe technische Themen in klare, zugängliche Inhalte zu übersetzen. Erfahrung mit CMS, sozialen Medien und anderen Verbreitungsplattformen. Fließende Englischkenntnisse sind erforderlich; zusätzliche UN-Sprachen werden als Vorteil angesehen.

Experience Requirements – Desired
Erfahrung in internationaler Entwicklung, Infrastruktur, Technologie oder politischen Umfeldern. Kenntnisse über bewährte Kommunikationspraktiken, einschließlich SEO-Prinzipien. CRM-Vertrautheit (Salesforce, HubSpot oder gleichwertig) für Zielgruppensegmentierung und gezielte Inhalte. Nachgewiesene Erfahrung in der Zusammenarbeit in multikulturellen Arbeitsumgebungen, die effektiv mit Kollegen auf allen Ebenen interagieren, im Einklang mit den Kernwerten von UNICEF und den Werten der Digital Impact Division & Digital Inclusion.