Director of Communications [Open to internal and external applicants]

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

As the lead United Nations agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries For six decades, and in some 170 countries and territories, UNDP has shaped the progress of human development, providing integrated support at scale to improve lives for millions of people worldwide. UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 helps countries and communities in their progress towards high human development while protecting the planet through four strategic objectives – prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience, and healthy planet. The plan is powered by three accelerators: digital and AI transformation; gender equality; and sustainable finance. All are underpinned by a commitment to human rights and to leaving no one behind.

The Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) leads and supports UNDP to build and deliver essential strategic relationships and alliances. It creates and delivers a strong public narrative about the organization, impact of our work, and how we align with partners to identify and build solutions towards achieving sustainable development. The Bureau also leads UNDP’s work with traditional donors, as well as building innovative and diversified funding relationships. BERA communications enable strong political and financial backing by providing partners and supporters with a clear understanding of what UNDP does and how our mission, capabilities and services reinforce global, regional, and national development priorities.

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) is responsible for developing all relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s 2026-2029 Strategic Plan. BPPS staff provide technical advice to Country Offices, advocate for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engage in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with BERA and the UNDP Executive Office to craft technical and thematic messages and advocacy initiatives.

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

The Director of Communications reports to the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy and the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, setting, coordinating, and executing strategic communications direction and corporate standards and ensuring delivery across the functions of partnerships, marketing, thematics, and external and internal communications within UNDP.

The Director is responsible for eight Communication Specialist Teams, which are the standard bearers for excellence in communication channels and tools across UNDP. The eight teams comprise: Strategic Communications, Planning & Engagement, Brand, Visibility and Impact for Partnerships, Social & Digital Engagement, Thematic Strategic Communications, Multilateral Events, Media Engagement, and Digital Platforms and Web Design. This pooled and shared resource also supports the Executive Office (ExO) and ensures the best optimal communication practices are being leveraged across UNDP and reinforce the UNDP Strategic Plan.

The Director has dual reporting accountability to both the head of BERA and BPPS, and the Strategic Communications Leadership Team (SCLT). This role requires strong strategic leadership and performance management skills to ensure that the function provides world class communications across UNDP and to leverage the rich diversity of skill sets in the communications teams around the globe. The Director is also expected to encourage and instill a strategic communications mindset across all of UNDP.

The Director, together with the SCLT, will set, decide, monitor, and evaluate annual communications priorities for UNDP, ensuring that the communications efforts deliver on their part of the UNDP strategic plan 2026 – 2029. The Director will be accountable for the degree to which communications work is leveraging the brand, reports and other communications products that are central to UNDP’s identity and positioning within the UN system and in the multilateral ecosystem.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Strategic Positioning and "One UNDP" Brand Leadership

• Provide world class leadership across UNDP’s communications function, leveraging and growing the impact and relevance of UNDP’s role and thought leadership globally.
• Bring vision and honed strategic skills to ensure a clear overall narrative, communications and messaging alignment, leveraging of the goals of the UNDP’s 2026-2029 strategic plan and beyond.
• Serve as a leading communications strategist to the UNDP Administrator and senior leadership team, working with key constituents and partners on thought leadership, corporate messaging, crisis, and issues management.
• Provide strategic, proactive, innovative, and highly visible leadership to a high performing marketing and communications team of more than 70 personnel to creatively advance the reputation, standardized public brand building, and global visibility of UNDP.
• Foster enhanced staff engagement and institutional alignment by leading the strategic development of internal communications, ensuring the streamlined flow of critical information across UNDPs global network under the guidance of the Executive Office and in close coordination with relevant Bureaux.

2. Lead Management of Integrated Specialist Teams and Service Delivery

• Lead the provision of communication services to BPPS thematic teams, in response to priority needs and in accordance with agreed SOPs, and best practices.
• Strategic guidance of relevant technical teams with demonstrated knowledge of the digital landscape and hands-on leadership of social and digital, content development, and digital strategy for UNDP across multiple platforms to showcase global development impact of UNDP and its Partners.
• Lead the development and implementation of compelling and coordinated audience engagement strategy efforts across UNDP at the global, regional, and country levels, ensuring the dissemination of guidance and appropriate level of capacity building within a strong network of communications assets across the organization.
• Promote and execute integrated ways of working within a distributed organizational model to ensure seamless delivery across global locations.

3. Lead Joint Governance and Communications Planning

• Lead the development of annual communication plans for UNDP.
• Provide exemplary senior management and leadership experience and skills to drive communications planning and delivery excellence through the SCLT.
• Lead the development and consistent execution of an internal communications strategy on a variety of platforms in an integrated way across the organization building a culture of staff engagement and internal capacity of UNDP brand ambassadors.

4. Provision of high-level Knowledge-Based Advocacy and Strategic Analytical Approaches

• World class visionary leadership in cross functional and collaborative global marketing and advocacy initiatives.
• Work closely with data and strategic analytics teams with a demonstrated ability to synthesize and utilize research, data, trends, and performance metrics relative to UNDP to provide actionable insights to ensure an optimized advocacy, marketing, and communications agenda within appropriate markets.

5. Media Landscape and Global Engagement

• Ensures engagement with and monitoring of the competitive media landscapes to identify and leverage press and thought leadership opportunities for UNDP Leadership and subject-matter experts, secure stories with media and ensure appearances in key strategic global events.

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

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Journalism, Public Relations, Communications or Marketing is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 15 years (with master's degree) or 17 years (with bachelor's degree) of professional experience and visionary leadership at increasing senior level in media, marketing, branding, and/or advocacy communications is required.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver superior performance in fast-paced environments using "out-of-the-box" thinking and adaptive strategies is desired.
• Demonstrated experience in expert-level interpersonal skills and relationship-building capabilities, backed by an extensive and active professional network is desired
• Proven ability to effectively lead high profile global initiatives, experience with successful communications advocacy, digital communications, and outreach to diverse global and national audiences is desired.
• Proven track record of success in generating and garnering traditional and new media coverage for international development or international relations issues is desired.
• Experience leading teams who carry out best practices in digital communications, including web sites, editorial, media, video, blogs, and social media is desired.
• Proven excellence in people management leading large dynamic teams is desired.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively interact with and maintain strong working relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, including high-level officials, staff, the public, and the media is desired.

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

• Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight.

Learn Continuously:

• Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all.

Adapt with Agility:

• Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes

Act with Determination:

• Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence

Engage and Partner:

• Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion.

Cross-Functional & Technical

Communications - Advocacy strategy and implementation:

Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change.

Communications - Brand and Quality Management

Ability to position a UNDP brand and uphold it to a high level of quality.

Communications - Marketing research and data analysis:
Ability to create actionable marketing intelligence based on primary and secondary research and data analysis.

Business Direction and Strategy - Systems Thinking:
Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Direction and Strategy - Strategic Thinking:

Develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.

Business Development - UNDP Representation:

Effectively represent and advocate for UNDP, its values, mission, work, and positions with various constituencies/audiences, shares UNDP knowledge and activities.

Business Management - Portfolio Management:

Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to
balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.

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.

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

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.