Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme works in about 170 countries and territories, helping Governments achieve their own development solutions to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion.

On October 21, 1974, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Barbados entered into an agreement to “support and supplement the national efforts of developing countries at solving the most important problems of their economic development and to promote social progress and better standards of life.”

Subsequently, similar agreements were entered with Governments of an additional nine countries and territories that the UNDP Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean serves: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Multi-Country Office (MCO) aims to create an enabling environment where our national governments have the capacities for inclusive and sustainable human development; meet their regional commitments, and internationally agreed objectives including the SDGs. UNDP’s work in the region continues to evolve and includes three clusters: Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE), Prevention, Recovery and Resilience (PRR), and Poverty and Governance (P&G). The MCO hub is in Barbados, with Project Offices in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Communications Associate will support programmatic activities and will be responsible for positioning projects’ objectives and activities through mainstream media, multimedia and social media platforms. Under the guidance and supervision of the MCO Communications Analyst, the selected candidate will be responsible for drafting and editing communication materials, developing and implementing advocacy and campaign materials, and press launches for project activities. The Communications Associate will work in close collaboration with other UNDP communications personnel in the MCO and regionally, project teams in the relevant countries, government officials, international and local media, subject matter experts, and civil society, ensuring successful project communication strategy implementation.

Summary of Key Functions:

Coordinate, implement and monitor project communications and partnership strategy.
Coordinate and engage in media outreach in priority countries and the region while working closely with national, regional and international media.
Contribute to the development of key communication products and publications.

Coordinate, implement and monitor project communications and partnership strategy:

Provide communications inputs to projects’ monitoring and evaluation plans, annual work plans and budgets, and other project deliverables.
Monitor and measure the impact of the communication strategy to ensure effective communication of project interventions to target audiences and adjust accordingly.
Support the attracting and nurturing of key relationships with a variety of institutional partners in the priority countries through targeted outreach and advocacy.
Develop project templates and production guidelines to ensure quality and consistency.
Support the planning, logistic and administrative arrangements of knowledge-sharing events.

Coordinates and engages in external communications and outreach in priority countries and the region while working closely with national, regional and international media:

Promote projects and lead media outreach in priority countries and regionally by working closely with national, regional, and international media partners.
In collaboration with partners, increase coverage and understanding of the programmatic work of UNDP through strategic media using innovative communication tools and various types of media, including digital and social media.
Proactively market project work and activities in the national and regional media by regularly pitching success stories and positioning project stakeholders for interviews and commentaries in print and multimedia outlets.
Guide timely responses to reputational management inquiries raised by media and donors, in close consultation with project team leads.
Monitor and analyze national and international media and share information with the project teams.
Ensure project websites and related social media platforms are aligned with UNDP and project donor corporate goals and messages and used effectively.

Support the development of key communication outputs and knowledge management:

Collaborate with stakeholders/partners to develop relevant impact stories and other communications products.
Undertake field visits to beneficiary countries as required, interacting with beneficiaries and partners, documenting their communication needs and gathering communication materials (interviews, success stories/challenges, videos, photos etc.) for both internal and external use.
Organize, produce, package and disseminate multimedia content (print, video and electronic), ensuring compliance with UNDP and donors’ corporate branding guidelines.
Draft and edit reports, press releases, communication products (success stories, fliers, posters, leaflets, booklets, project event calendars, etc.) and other documents as required.
Draft and/or edit a range of other materials, such as advisories, speeches for UNDP senior management and project team, news briefs, fact sheets for inclusion in media kits and further public outreach.
Coordinates and supports all aspects of the branding of communications products, assets, and publications, ensuring full compliance with UNDP and donors’ corporate guidelines.
Support knowledge management and lessons learning by assisting with communications-related document retention in the designated corporate platforms.

Perform other duties within your functional profile as assigned and deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the office and the organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Communications Associate reports to the MCO Communications Analyst with matrixed reporting to Project Coordinators/Leads of assigned projects.

Please note: this is a home-based position, however candidates are required to have legal authorization to work in one of the below countries covered by the Barbados MCO and must be residing in one of the countries to be considered for the position.

Antigua and Barbuda
Barbados
Dominica
Grenada
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Montserrat
Anguilla
British Virgin Islands

N.B. The currency of the salary will be pegged to the country of residence of the selected candidate.

Competencies

Core Competencies

ACHIEVE RESULTS - LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
THINK INNOVATEVELY - LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
LEARN CONTINUOUSLY - LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
ADAPT WITH AGILITY - LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
ACT WITH DETERMINATION - LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
ENGAGE AND PARTNER - LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
ENABLE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION - LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional Competencies

BUSINESS DIRECTION & STRATEGY
- EFFECTIVE DECISION MAKING: Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- KNOWLEDGE FACILITATION: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
- COMMUNICATION: Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications.

Technical Competencies

PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT
- RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
COMMUNICATIONS
- MEDIA RELATIONS: Ability to develop media relations across all aspects of media work including relationships with media and preparing media materials such as messages.
- CREATIVE DIRECTION AND COPYWRITING: Ability to creatively communicate concepts in an engaging and simple way.
- STORYTELLING: Ability to convey information in engaging narratives through digital media to achieve communication outcomes.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Min. Academic Education Secondary Education is required, or
University degree (Bachelor’s degree) in Communications, Journalism, Broadcasting/ Media and/or Public Relations, Marketing/ Strategic/ Corporate Communications, International Development, Development Studies, International Relations, Public Policy, Social Sciences or a related field will be given due consideration but not a requirement.

Experience:

A minimum of seven (7) years (with Secondary Education) or four (4) years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience institutional/ corporate/ development communications, journalism, media and/or public relations, public information, digital content creation and/or management, or stakeholder engagement is required.

Additional Requirements

Experience in designing, coordinating, or managing advocacy/awareness campaigns and/or communication strategies.
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, good knowledge and experience in handling web-based management systems.
Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
Strong coordination, planning, and organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.

Additional desirable criteria:

Proven ability to develop a diverse range of high-quality communications products tailored to diverse audiences is an advantage.
Proven experience with organizing, producing, packaging and disseminating multimedia content or Experience supporting digital communications platforms, including websites and social media channels is an advantage.
Experience in supporting planning, logistics and administrative arrangements of knowledge-sharing events is an advantage.
Experience supporting communications for development themes such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, gender equality, governance, youth, or sustainable development is an advantage.
Experience working with Eastern Caribbean governments, local non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and community-based groups is desirable.
Experience working in a regional/multi-country setting is an advantage.
Ability to work independently or effectively in multi-disciplinary, multicultural teams and hybrid work environments is an advantage.
Prior professional experience working with UNDP or another UN/development agency, with sound knowledge and experience in all aspects of development communications is an advantage.

Languages:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
Fluency in written and spoken Spanish is an advantage.

Important applicant information

All posts in the NPSA categories are subject to local recruitment.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Communications Associate (Open to internal and external applicants)