Communications Officer

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Nairobi, UNOPS East and Southern Africa supports sustainable development across 14 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Since 1995, UNOPS has expanded its footprint in Kenya, delivering services in project management, infrastructure, procurement, and financial management. Across the region, the office implements diverse, partner-funded initiatives that respond to national priorities. In Mozambique, this includes delivering specialized equipment (EU), supporting health services (UNICEF), promoting agro-processing (KOICA), and advancing peacebuilding efforts through a Multi-Donor Fund. UNOPS also supports agricultural input distribution and the Northern Crisis Recovery Project, both funded by the World Bank. In Malawi, efforts include developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in partnership with the EU and the British Council. These initiatives reflect UNOPS’ commitment to strengthening national capacities, enhancing service delivery, and supporting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Zambia’s broader energy goals is to increase energy access in rural areas through the Rural Electrification Authority(REA) and is implementing the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation(ASCENT) project with the World Bank.

To this end, UNOPS Zambia recently signed an agreement with the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) for the procurement, installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of solar energy systems for public institutions across Zambia, including schools, hospitals, and government facilities.

Reporting to the Project Manager or Head of Office, the Communications Officer (Retainer) will lead all project communication activities and may provide support to other UNOPS projects in Zambia as needed.

The Communications Officer develops and executes strategic communication plans to support project and programme objectives. This role requires analyzing communication contexts, managing editorial calendars, and producing a wide range of high-quality content, including press releases, social media posts, and reports. The incumbent also serves as a key point of contact for external partners and donors, ensuring effective stakeholder engagement and representation.

Communications Strategy and Planning

• Support the creation and execution of approved project/ programme communication strategy and plans.
• Provide analyzed data and insights to inform the communication strategy definition.
• Ensure timely high-quality execution of communications activities aligned with project/ programme objectives.
• Track implementation and ensure compliance with UNOPS rules and regulations.
• Analyze local communication context, target audiences and channels to optimize outreach.
• Support the delivery of strategic messages across various fora and media.

Content Creation and Management

• Develop editorial content - including talking points, frequently asked questions (FAQs), press releases, social-media and website posts, videos and fact sheets.
• Collect and structure data into accessible communication outputs.
• Manage editorial calendars and coordinate content production across channels.
• Partner with technical experts to produce comprehensive reports and features.

Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• Maintain effective communication with donors, clients, partners and other stakeholders.
• Support organization of external events and ensure representation meets UNOPS standards.
• Collaborate with subject-matter experts for strategic reporting and visibility initiatives.

Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on communications topics.
• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned from communications project implementation,
• Conduct research on communication-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with 2 years of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 0 years of relevant experience is required.

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate in communications, journalism, or digital and social media communications is desired.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in communications, public relations, media, journalism or related fields.
• Experience in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems is required.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
• Experience in developing and monitoring content for grassroots-level audiences is desired.
• Experience in use of graphic design, video production, and content creation tools is desired.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.