Communication Specialist (Head of Communications Unit)

As the United Nations' lead agency for international development, UNDP works to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality in 170 countries and territories. UNDP assists countries in developing policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capacities, and resilience to achieve the SDGs. Our efforts are focused on three areas: sustainable development, democratic governance and peacebuilding, and climate and disaster resilience.

UNDP Lebanon focuses on four areas of development: social and local development, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, democratic governance and institutional development, and environmental governance.  It has several projects in various parts of the country within its focus areas, and most projects have a dedicated communications team focused on project-oriented communications activities. The communications team is made up of 18 people who work on various projects. 

As part of its efforts to upscale its communications and visibility work in a rapidly changing environment in Lebanon, Management intends to consolidate the communications team and has developed a communications strategy. 

2. Scope of Work:

Senior management of UNDP Lebanon intends to consolidate the communications team as part of its efforts to ramp up its communications and visibility work both in terms of content and quality. As part of these efforts, the management has finalized the communications strategy and needs to implement the strategy. The CO needs a senior level (Specialist) as the team's leader. The selected specialist will report directly to the Resident Representative, who will oversee the overall work of the communications team. The Specialist shall provide strategic communications in the following areas: 

Develop and implement strategic advocacy and policy: 

• Formulate an advocacy strategy with clear priorities that have a strong link to key programme areas in the country office in-line with new country programme document.
• Formulate the action plan with external communications activities to support the advocacy priorities for the country office, to ensure better communication-systems and flows between all communication officers in the different UNDP projects and help provide expertise and leadership on communications methodology and vision. 
• Prepare quality speeches and press releases.
• 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 UNDP’s development programmes. 
• Contribute to support effective advocacy and communication strategy and activities for global and country level fund-raising activities in close collaboration with the Resident Representative and the Deputy Representative

Lead on the production of a communication toolkit: 

• Supervise the production of a basic tool-kit for communication including creative information products, key messages, media monitoring tools, Q&As, fact sheets, talking points. 
• Foster and improve better awareness of UNDP’s leading role and reputation in improving the situation of the most marginalized in Lebanon.
• Identify and develop storylines for publications and substantive article as that contribute to and generate conversations on key development issues.

Lead UNDP digital communications in country office for wider reach through social media and websites.

• Design the country office strategy for digital communications to target the reinforcement and increase presence of UNDP’s work in Lebanon and expand the potential circle of audiences.
• Propose the basis of all social media products by utilizing stocks of multi-media material (existing and fresh). 
• Supervise the content for different digital platforms that includes the country office website and social media to ensure consistency of material.

Increase donor visibility and awareness on UNDP mandate. 

• Develop an action plan to increase donor visibility and meet their requirements inside and outside Lebanon. 
• Conduct through and comprehensive mapping of the action plan to include information on all major donors to the country programme and their visibility requirements.
• Develop and maintain close contacts with government officials, donors, civil society, and private sector as part of the country office communication strategy.

Ensure proper capacity building and knowledge management of the Country Office

• Provide the Resident Representative and the country programme team with professional expertise and advice on all aspects of external relations communication as required.
• Provide coaching support to empower senior staff to better manage media relationships. 
• Organize and provide training, consultancy, and advice to UNDP staff on internal and external knowledge management. 

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

3. Institutional Arrangement

The Communication Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Resident Representative and in close cooperation with the Deputy Resident Representative. The selected incumbent will be required to work outside regular office hours when needed.