Background

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.

Sustainable Finance Hub

Within the context of SDG Financing, UNDP has launched a Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH) which is conceptualized as a finance and innovation platform that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the SDGs, supports COs with technical advice and tools and products, lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy and other global flagships initiatives, which fully supports the implementation of the Strategic Plan and supports governments to align public and private sector investments and activities with the 2030 Agenda. The Hub operates as an integral part of the Global Policy Network as well as the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and works with colleagues from GPN, BERA and across all Bureaux, as well as, with external stakeholders and partners. The Hub serves as a connector, broker and global coordinator among internal and external actors; curates and manages UNDP’s catalogue of service offers on SDG financing to governments, investors and companies, via the COs, to significantly enhance the scale and impact of UNDP’s work.

UNDP’s Work on Insurance and Risk Financing.

The collaboration between the insurance industry and the development sector has grown significantly over the last five years. Key initiatives, such as the Insurance Development Forum, InsuResilience Global Partnership and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, have evolved into significant policy and standard setting partnerships, bringing together countries, the development sector, and the private and mutual/cooperative sectors of industry. Increasingly, these partnerships are moving beyond policy to programming, with a strong focus on not only delivering insurance and risk financing solutions to countries and communities, but also on long-term transformational change of insurance markets.

UNDP’s growing work in this space has led to the creation of the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, a flagship initiative on insurance and risk finance within the newly created Finance Sector Hub. This work covers a range of critical areas where insurance and risk transfer solutions and collaboration with the industry can add significantly to achieving and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) Covering inclusive insurance, sovereign risk financing, insurance investments, natural capital, health, SME development and more, UNDP’s work will look to not only develop and deliver insurance solutions together with countries and communities, it will also look to work with partners to transform insurance markets, working on legislation, regulation and institutional capacity.

Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will work on the development and implementation of effective communications, and visibility strategies for the Insurance and Risk Financing Facility. This will include a roadmap of digital products & projects to enhance the IRFF content management framework and platforms, as well as day-to-day social media management & website, newsletters, and event communications. In collaboration with IRFF team and internal stakeholders, the candidate will deliver the strategies towards improvement of digital outreach via content creation, products and platform management. The Communications Specialist will also be required to ensure high visibility for the relevant IRFF/SFH/UNDP portfolio of projects and partnerships.

Overall duties and responsibilities

• Develop and implement the digital advocacy strategy across web, social media, and, communicate effectively with donors, partners, internal UNDP stakeholders via the appropriate public facing communication channels.
• Liase with and coordinate IRFF communications activities with other communications staff within the Sustainable Finance Hub as well as with BERA and BPPS Communications Teams.
• Define and maintain standard internal and external communications processes, methodologies and guidance documents in line with UNDP corporate standards.
• Guide the work of consultants related to all communication and creative products  such as web design, films, social media products, infographics, publication design, etc.
• Ensure a good understanding of insurance and risk finance for development topic by wider audience looking at trends and best practices and tracking the web presence of other actors in this space.
• In consultation with the Engagement Specialist, provide communication guidance on impact reporting to other colleagues across the IRFF.
• Design and coordinate the implementation of regional & country communications plans for the IRFF.

Website Management

• Manage the IRFF microsite editorially (http://www.irff.undp), coordinating with web developers on the site functions.
• Collect and interpret data on web analysis so as to steer the website’s growth and relevance. 
• In sync with the IRFF Research, Knowledge & Engagement Specialist and IRFF team members, ensure that the information on the website is up-to-date, accurate, accessible, speaking to target audiences  and- demonstrating IRFF’s vision, scale and activities.
• Prepare templates for content sourcing from team members based on an editorial calendar, making sure that the IRFF website appeals to target audiences.
• Contribute to the development of factsheets, infographics, feature stories, and public messaging.
• Develop and maintain a Web Content Management System (CMS) training manual and train other  team members on editing website content as may be needed.

Digital advocacy, social media & design

• Develop a long-term and sustainable digital advocacy strategy for IRFF. 
• Produce original and innovative content on IRFF for social media channels and ensurie the proper set-up an maintenance of  the LinkedIn page .
• In coordination with Engagement specialist, draft communication materials (press releases, brochures/flyers, knowledge product highlights, blogs, video scripts) for targeted audiences (donors, governments, NGOs, private sector) in a  clear, attractive and audience specific manner.
• Develop editorial templates for use by other team members. 
• Develop databases on insurance industry media persons,  monitor relevant news and updates.
• Review design of publications from a brand perspective. Guide vendors  on design corrections. Update and design internal documents using InDesign, Adobe Suite, etc. 
• Produce content for the IRFF newsletter, maintaindatabases, track newsletter performance and ensure steady and quality increase in IRFF target audience.

Event communication and country communication coordination

• In sync with Engagement Specialist develop key messages, source vendors, create event visual environment, event related mail-outs.
• Developing event communication kits for flagship events. 
• Advising Regional Specialists and Country Offices  to address their communication needs.

 Internal communication

• Keep internal audiences informed of IRFF developments via intranet, SparkBlue, Yammer, Teams groups, Internal emailers

Institutional Arrangement

The Communications Specialist will work under the direct supervision of  the IRFF Research, Knowledge & Engagement Specialist, and in close collaboration with the Sustainable Finance  Hub, UNDP BERA and BPPS  communications colleagues as well as with IRFF Country National Officers who will be responsible for feeding into the communication goals, and strategy.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Innovation – Ability to make new and useful ideas work
• Leadership – Ability to persuade others to follow
• People Management – Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
• Communication – Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Delivery – Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Required Skills and Experience

Travel: 

UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only in the event that the function will be undertaken physically in the duty station and excludes working from home arrangements.

Cost of other travel, as deemed necessary by UNDP  while performing the outlined functions, shall be at UNDP’s expense and in accordance with the applicable UNDP travel policy.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.?

• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

• A written sample in English (max 2 pages long), demonstrating ability to write  about sustainable development topics in non-technical language, clearly articulating ideas and concepts to different audiences.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience in communications, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials might be requested at the discretion of the hiring unit