Strategic Communications Consultant

The Strategic Communications Consultant will provide strategic communications, media advisory and executive positioning support to strengthen the visibility, influence and public engagement of the G20 Global Land Initiative Coordination Office. The role involves developing communication strategies, managing media relations, content development, and supporting high-level engagement and events.

Responsibilities

• Develop and support implementation of ICO's communication strategy and plan aligned with UNCCD priorities, COP processes, G20 priorities and major political moments.
• Provide strategic communications advisory support to the G20 Global Land Initiative Initiative Coordination Office leadership team on institutional positioning, public messaging and media engagement.
• Develop strategic narratives and messaging frameworks related to G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office mandates.
• Identify strategic communications opportunities to strengthen the visibility and positioning of G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office globally.
• Support positioning of G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office and the leadership in high-level international political and policy discussions.
• Support development of the terms of reference for a communication and public relations campaign to promote G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office globally.
• Support strategic communications, positioning and awareness campaigns of the ICO.
• Support the management of media suppliers and PR agencies.
• Conduct strategic assessment and advisory support related to G20 GLI institutional positioning and alignment with related initiatives and sub-brands.
• Provide guidance on alignment across G20 GLI and UNCCD campaigns and CoP processes.
• Draft, edit and coordinate high-level communications materials for G20 GLI's G20 Initiative Coordination Office leadership including speeches, talking points, opinion pieces, media statements, interview briefs, social media content, captions, and messaging documents.
• Develop and implement social media content plans for the G20 ICO in Arabic aligned with the English social media platforms.
• Ensure all communications products reflect G20/UNCCD priorities, key institutional messages and the tone of the leadership public engagements.
• Support strategic engagement with top-tier Arabic and international media outlets.
• Identify high-value media and visibility opportunities for the leadership of G20 GLI G20 Initiative Coordination Office.
• Support preparation for media interviews, public engagements and strategic communications moments.
• Contribute to strengthening G20 GLI G20 Initiative Coordination Office visibility across regional and international media platforms.
• Provide strategic communications support related to major G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office events and high-level engagements including remote and on-site communications coverage as feasible.
• Monitor communications performance, media visibility and audience engagement across relevant platforms.
• Provide strategic recommendations and insights to optimize communications impact and outreach.
• Identify emerging communications risks and opportunities related to G20 GLI Initiative Coordination Office positioning and strategic priorities.
• Prepare periodic strategic communications and analytics reports.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in public relations, journalism, communications or political/social sciences is required.
• Experience in developing strategic communication plan for large organisations is required.
• Experience in working with top-tier Arabic broadcast, print and online media is required.
• Experience creating quality content for media, including excellent writing and editing skills in Arabic is required.
• Knowledge of environmental, policy, and outreach issues and activities relevant to the work of UNCCD is an advantage.
• Familiarity with G20/UNCCD issues and work is an advantage.
• Experience working in a multicultural and multinational environment is desirable.
• Experience working in countries affected by desertification, land degradation and drought is desirable.
• Knowledge of the UN issues related to sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources is desirable.
• Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply.
• Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein.
• Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
• For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection.
• An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel.
• Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC.
• A mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.

Skills

• Strategic Communication Planning
• Media Relations
• Content Development
• Arabic Writing
• Arabic Editing
• Broadcast Media Experience
• Print Media Experience
• Online Media Experience
• Environmental Policy Knowledge
• UNCCD Knowledge
• Sustainability Knowledge
• Multicultural Environment Experience
• Windows 11
• MacOS
• MS Office 365
• SharePoint Development
• OneDrive
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• Multifactor Authentication

Languages

Arabic, English