Associate Communications Officer
About UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. With a presence in over 130 countries, UNHCR works to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home.
Job Summary
UNHCR Peru is seeking a creative and motivated Associate Communications Officer to lead and coordinate its communication efforts in Lima. This role involves developing and implementing communication strategies, managing news and media relations, producing multimedia content, and engaging with various audiences to lead the narrative on forced displacement and mobilize action. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in communications, journalism, advocacy campaign management, and stakeholder relations, with fluency in English and Spanish.
Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In line with its Global Communications Strategy, UNHCR requires skilled communications professionals to conceive and execute a range of activities that help us lead the narrative on forced displacement, generate empathy and mobilize action. This body of work spans communications strategy and coordination, news and media relations, multimedia content production, social media engagement, Goodwill Ambassadors and other influencers, public outreach and campaigns, fundraising, analytics and brand.
UNHCR’s Associate Communications Officers need to cultivate a keen understanding of our target audiences—including an up-to-the-minute grasp of the methods and tone of voice that resonate deeply, win trust and spark quality engagement. They must be vigilant about editorial and journalistic standards, attentive to protection concerns and political sensitivities, and focused on communicating successfully with key demographics. These audiences will vary by location, language and platform, among other factors, as well as whether the aim is to inform, advocate or raise funds.
The Associate Communications Officers’ functions, working relationships and skills specializations differ depending on language, location, grade, and whether they sit within a country operation, a regional bureau or the Global Communications Service. UNHCR’s primary target audiences include public, media and policymakers, while our main partners and influencers include peers and private sector, trusted figures and our own workforce. Some communicators will focus mainly on news and media relations, for example, while others will produce multimedia content, manage social media accounts or lead advocacy campaigns. Forging partnerships with media outlets that reach target audiences is a central role for all Associate Communications Officers.
All Associate Communications Officers are expected to work strategically in support of UNHCR’s operational and communications objectives for their geographic area of responsibility (AoR) as well as global priorities. Communications approaches should reflect our core values as an organization that is caring, trustworthy, proactive, outcome-focused and responsive. This will reinforce UNHCR’s role as the lead agency that protects refugees, internally displaced and stateless people and mobilizes action to provide solutions.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
- Support the implementation of communications strategies for countries, situations and special projects; identify thematic priorities and target audiences to meet UNHCR’s global communications objectives.
- Monitor news and popular trends to insert UNHCR’s messaging into ongoing conversations; identify key moments for proactive communications.
- Forge strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations who can help produce and promote UNHCR content, activities and messaging as well as provide research insights to improve communications; promote the work of engaged businesses and civil society actors.
- Contribute to the development of news-driven and authoritative content to lead the narrative on forced displacement and show UNHCR’s impact (e.g. interviews, press releases, flagship reports, speeches), create emotive storytelling to generate empathy (e.g. stories, multimedia content) and mobilize action by signposting concrete steps people can take to help refugees (e.g. digital diplomacy, action-driven campaigns, fundraising).
- Support the supervisor in ensuring content created reaches maximum impact by developing strategies for distribution from the outset, boosting the visibility of our content on relevant UNHCR channels and placing it on external channels.
- Closely monitor the implementation of communications projects and adjust accordingly. Benchmark the results of communications projects against set success indicators; build on communications successes.
- Additional duties for news and media roles include: implementing campaigns, researching and producing media materials, drafting releases, acting as spokesperson, engaging on social media, providing communications advice, undertaking field trips, maintaining media relations, managing budgets, ensuring brand alignment, and upgrading skills.
- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
For P2/NOB equivalent (IICA-1):
- 3 years relevant experience with an Undergraduate degree (e.g., Journalism, Communications, International Relations, Political Science, Media, Film/Video); OR
- 2 years relevant experience with a Graduate degree; OR
- 1 year relevant experience with a Doctorate degree.
Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
- Minimum 1 year of professional experience in journalism and/or communications, mainly at the international level.
- At least 3 years of proven experience leading a communications team, including developing communication strategies.
- Experience working on advocacy campaigns.
- Experience with brand management.
- Experience providing analysis of media coverage, social media engagement, web traffic.
- Experience using digital asset management systems, digital analytics and performance reporting.
- Experience reporting, writing, editing for magazines, newspapers and websites.
- Experience in preparing internal and external communications documents such as press releases, talking points, key messages, etc.
- Proven experience in designing communication campaigns related to social or humanitarian topics.
- Excellent communication skills, as well as written and oral language skills, both in English and in Spanish.
- Proven experience in stakeholder management, in particular the media, UN agencies, government, and donors.
Desirable:
- Working experience in an international NGO or a UN agency.
- Experience designing visibility materials, particularly for donors.
- Strong social media presence.
Functional Skills
- CO-Digital content production
- CO-Editing
- CO-International Media Contacts
- CO-Journalism (incl. print, broadcast, photography, video, layout & graphics)
- CO-Preparation of key messages/talking points/speeches
- CO-Public Speaking
- CO-Spokesperson skills
- CO-Video production for digital platforms (including news organizations)
- IT-Web Content Management
- CO-Drafting and Documentation
Language Requirements
- Knowledge of English and Spanish is required.
Additional Information
As part of the interview process, candidates can expect questions to be asked in English.
Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision, or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. No late applications will be considered. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
Standard of Professional Conduct
The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality. (Note: This standard text for IRC seems to be a copy-paste from a previous job; this role is for UNHCR. The UNHCR equivalent is: All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.)
Standard of Professional Conduct (UNHCR): All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
HOW TO APPLY
Application Deadline: June 1, 2025.
Interested candidates who meet the requirements should apply via the UNHCR careers portal using the link below.
