Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

BPPS’s Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy and Waste, with the support of the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit, works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy and waste related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy and waste.

The newly established UNDP Climate Hub is the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to the “Climate Promise” that aims to support programming countries designing and implementing pledges under the Paris Agreement, including ambitious National Determined Contributions, with climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions fully embedded in the national development planning and budgetary processes. The Climate Hub will build on UNDP’s existing over USD 4 billion country-level climate portfolio on Climate Change Policies and Strategies, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate and Forests, covering over 142 countries, as well as on UNDP’s Nature portfolio, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP’s Digital offer and other relevant portfolios on youth, gender, health, climate security among others.

The UNDP Climate Hub is responsible for: 

• Thought leadership on Climate and to be the custodian of UNDP policy positions on Climate;
• Strategy and vision formulation;
• Pipeline development in coordination with the other hubs and the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit;
• Provision of integrated policy and programme support to Country Offices;
• Global engagement, advocacy in collaboration with BERA;
• Integration across thematic areas;
• Strategic Partnerships development and resource mobilization;
• Lead and Support global flagship initiatives and partnerships on Climate;
• Serve as focal point with relevant UN coordination mechanisms and Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change);
• Cross-organization knowledge and learning; and
• Innovation.

UNDP is recruiting a Climate Communications Specialist to assist the UNDP Climate Communications Lead in managing the daily operations of the UNDP Climate Communications team. The Communications Specialist will play a vital role in overseeing the editorial team, ensuring high-quality content production, and managing the Climate Hub communications team. In addition, h/she will provide support to UNDP Climate advocacy campaigns, collaborating closely with the UNDP Climate Intelligence and Innovation pillar to provide essential communications support for the upcoming knowledge products developed by the Climate team.

Scope of Work 

a)           Lead and oversee editorial content production of UNDP Climate Communications Team: Lead and initiate editorial content; drafting of speeches and op-eds for UNDP Climate director and other high level staff on climate; Lead production and coordination of engaging and informative content produced by the Climate Hub communications team by providing guidance, review and clearance.

b)           Take an active role in daily management and implementation of the UNDP Climate communications strategy: Oversee day-to-day management of communications team to achieve the goals set in the Climate Hub communications strategy. This includes recruitment of any new members, close supervision of select team members, and setting agenda for weekly communications team calls.

c)           Support UNDP Climate advocacy campaigns: Provide logistical, editorial and procurement tasks as needed to ensure the team’s advocacy campaigns can be delivered successfully, with impact and on time.

d)           Coordinate closely with UNDP Climate Intelligence and Innovation pillar to help deliver communications to the Climate team’s upcoming knowledge products: Act as a bridge between knowledge colleagues and UNDP Climate communications team to ensure smooth processes between knowledge management and communications.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The UNDP Climate Communications Specialist reports directly to the UNDP Climate Communications Lead. S/he will be part of the larger Climate Strategies and Policy Team (CSPT) and UNDP Climate Hub.

Competencies

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

Min. Education requirements             

• Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, International Relations, Business Management, Environmental Sciences, International Development or related discipline is required, or
• A first-level university degree (a bachelor’s degree) in the afore mentioned areas with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience         

• A minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional work experience in private sector, a government, civil society organisation, or United Nations agency / international organization working on development and communications is required.

Required skills

• Demonstrated experience on editorial content is required.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, including the ability to produce high quality communications products is required.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-expert audiences is required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills are required.
• Previous experience in working on climate communications is required.
• Previous experience with UNDP or UN agencies is required.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Familiarity with UNDP’s climate portfolio and with Climate Hub would be considered an asset.
• Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments is an asset.
• Experience in bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to deliver creative products is an asset.

Required Language(s)              

• Fluency in English is required.
• Additional UN language would be an asset.