Communications Specialist

UNDP works to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities through the sustainable development of nations, in more than 170 countries and territories. The Regional Bureau of Asia has the responsibility to guide and support 24 Country Offices in achieving the objectives of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  RBAP staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, governments and other relevant stakeholders; advocates for UNDP corporate messages and represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

Rapid and continued economic dynamism has translated into growth and reduced poverty levels in several countries in Asia and the Pacific. Greater foreign direct investments and capital movements, accentuated by higher regional mobility, are reasons for further optimism for future regional growth. This progress has often come at the expense of the human rights of minorities, marginalized and disadvantaged and at-risk groups in the interest of investments and financial gains.

The UNDP Asia-Pacific, Governance and Peacebuilding Team, Business and Human Rights Unit, is currently engaged in promoting the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). The UNGP clarifies states’ duty and businesses’ responsibility to uphold international norms and treaties on human rights. These Guiding Principles rest on three pillars: 1) the State’s duty to protect human rights; 2) the corporate responsibility to respect human rights; and; 3) the joint responsibility of both the State and businesses sector to provide access to remedy for victims of business-related abuses.

UNDP’s business and human rights Initiative has the objective of strengthening the business and human rights agenda in Asia and globally through awareness raising, capacity building, and peer-learning among a diverse set of stakeholders including governments, businesses, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and others. UNDP’s B+HR Initiative provides technical and advisory support to governments and national human rights institutions; promotes corporate human rights policies, due diligence practices, and remediation; amplifies the voices of rights holders and highlights the need for effective remedy through awareness raising, capacity building, facilitating peer learning,  conducting research and developing toolkits. The Business and Human Rights unit intends to hire a Communications Specialist to lead B+HR Asia Portfolio communications.

The Communications Specialist will undertake the following tasks to support the B+HR Asia Initiative:

Develop and implement internal/external communication strategies and outreach for the B+HR Asia initiative

• Plan and elaborate communication needs assessments for the programme at regional and global level and advise targeted country offices.
• Lead communication program for B+HR Asia and work closely with the regional and global team to ensure communication strategies support achievement of B+HR Asia’a targets.
• Develop a yearly communications action plan in line with the overarching strategy. Provide constructive and timely advice on inclusion of communications components in programme and projects formulations to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of B+HR Asia programmes.

Develop and Oversee Communication Strategies

• Design and implement a comprehensive communication strategy that outlines key messages, target audiences, and communication channels.
• Lead the development of engaging content strategies for various platforms, including articles, blog posts, newsletters, and social media updates, ensuring alignment with project objectives and target audiences.
• Provide guidance on creating visually impactful materials, such as infographics, presentations, and reports, to support advocacy and communication efforts.

Strategic Website Management

• Oversee the maintenance and continuous improvement of initiative websites (e.g., www.rbhrforum.com, www.safbhr.com, www.csera.com), ensuring they effectively communicate objectives, activities, and outcomes.
• Ensure websites are user-centric, accessible, and optimized for search engines, enhancing visibility and stakeholder engagements.
• Strategically plan and manage updates, ensuring content reflects the latest project developments and resources.

Lead Social Media Strategies

• Develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy for the B+HR Asia Initiative, managing accounts, scheduling content, and ensuring alignment with overarching communication goals.
• Use data-driven insights to refine social media campaigns and foster engagement with key audiences.

Coordinate High-Impact Events

• Provide strategic oversight for workshops, webinars, and conferences, ensuring alignment with project objectives and seamless execution of logistics, promotion, and follow-up activities.
• Guide the preparation and dissemination of event materials to maximize visibility and engagement.

Strengthen Stakeholder Relations

• Lead efforts to identify and engage key stakeholders, including businesses, NGOs, and government agencies, fostering partnerships that enhance project visibility and impact.
• Serve as a strategic liaison to facilitate meaningful collaborations and strengthen relationships across sectors.

Monitor and Evaluate Communication Effectiveness

• Develop mechanisms to track, analyze, and report on the effectiveness of communication initiatives, ensuring alignment with project goals.
• Provide high-level recommendations to refine strategies based on analytics, stakeholder feedback, and evolving priorities.

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

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

• Negotiation and Influence. Reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates win-win situations
• Systems Thinking. Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management

• Risk Management. Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks

Communications

• Digital Strategy. Ability to plan the use of resources through digital channels to reach and engage target audiences effectively and to achieve particular objectives
• Brand and Quality Management. Ability to position a UNDP brand and uphold it to a high level of quality
• Campaign Management. Ability to produce and implement communications and advocacy campaigns which lead to impactful change
• Multimedia Production. Ability to create and combine images, text and audio-visuals to produce multimedia content.