Job Responsibilities

• Prepare and conduct communications needs assessments for the country office (projects, country programme, corporate change initiatives);
• Draft and edit the country office communications and outreach strategy based on the country office strategic priorities and the UNDP External Communications Action Plan;
• Provide communication input during project and programme formulation to integrate communication strategies into UNDP’s development program;
• Maintain increased coverage and understanding of UNDP’s work in the country or practice area through media stories, in line with the UNDP External Communications Action Plan.
• Provide guidance and recommendations to senior management on sensitive communication matters, ensuring alignment with organizational values and the external political context;
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with public statements, press releases, and other external communications, particularly those with political implications;
• Ensure that all communications reflect a nuanced understanding of political and social dynamics, tailoring messages for diverse stakeholder groups, including government officials, civil society, and international organizations;
• Facilitate dialogue with stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maintain trust in politically sensitive environments;
• Monitor media and political developments that could impact UNDP’s communication strategies, preparing timely updates and recommendations for the Country Office;
• Evaluate the impact of strategic communications to inform future messaging and adapt to evolving political and social contexts.
• Identify and develop storylines for publications, drafting articles that generate discussions on key development issues;
• Coordinate and manage country office publication activities, ensuring content management aligns with corporate guidelines;
• Liaise with journalists and maintain a database of contacts.
• Support the implementation of the country office’s digital communication strategy;
• Generate content for the website and social media platforms, ensuring consistency and maximizing outreach.
• Promote and maintain public information campaigns on UNDP activities;
• Collaborate with programme staff to collect and package information for stakholders reviews, supporting campaign and advocacy initiatives;
• Organize stakeholder engagement events like roundtable discussions, press conferences, and interviews;
• Support the “One UN” agenda in line with UNDP’s Campaign and Advocacy efforts;
• Ensure journalists have access to subject-matter experts and UNDP spokespeople, providing newsworthy information.
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned relevant to programme goals and activities;
• Contribute to knowledge networks and corporate communications repositories;
• Provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff on knowledge management;
• Maintain the UNDP Intranet for internal knowledge sharing and ensure relevant knowledge products are accessible to external stakeholders via the corporate website;
• Collaborate with Programme teams to ensure all knowledge products are captured, updated, and readily available.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
• The Communications Officer will report to the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kuwait.