International Consultant: Communications Specialist (Women's Economic Empowerment)

Background: UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. UN Women is mandated to lead, coordinate, and promote accountability for the implementation of gender equality commitments across the UN System. Across Asia and the Pacific, UN Women advances gender equality and women’s empowerment through normative, programmatic and advocacy initiatives. Within this mandate, the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Unit leads regional efforts to advance women’s participation and leadership in the economy through initiatives focused on women in the world of work, gender-responsive procurement, gender-responsive entrepreneurship, transforming care systems transformation, and sustainable finance. The WEE portfolio includes a range of flagship programmes, partnerships, advocacy campaigns and knowledge initiatives, including the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) with the private sector, UN Women’s Innovation Platform Gender Action Lab (GAL)-Innovation for Impact, emerging work on Sustainable Finance through the first ever Asia and the Pacific Sustainable Finance Systems Lab focusing on making capital markets more gender-responsive, WeRise Together – focusing on Gender Responsive Procurement, the Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator and a regional TransformCare Programme. These initiatives engage a diverse range of stakeholders, including governments, private sector partners, civil society organizations, women’s rights organizations, development partners and UN entities. As the WEE portfolio continues to expand, there is a growing need for strategic, integrated and result-oriented communications, advocacy and stakeholder engagement to strengthen the visibility, influence and impact of WEE initiatives across the region. Reporting to the Regional Women’s Economic Empowerment Lead, the International Consultant - Communications Specialist leads development and implementation of communications, advocacy, digital engagement and stakeholder outreach across the WEE portfolio. The Communications specialist will also lead different communications consultants and personnel in the WEE regional team and serves as the focal point for WEE communications and works closely with the Regional Communications Unit, Headquarters teams, Country Offices, programme personnel and external partners to strengthen the visibility, influence and impact of WEE programmes, advocacy initiatives and partnerships across Asia and the Pacific. Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work: The Consultant will undertake the following tasks: 1. Develop and implement communications and advocacy strategies • Design and implement communications and advocacy strategies for the WEE portfolio, ensuring alignment with ROAP Communications Strategy and UN Women corporate priorities. • Conduct communications needs assessments for WEE programmes and integrate communications into programme proposals and initiatives. • Support the launch of regional campaigns, advocacy initiatives, and special events related to WEE. • Provide communications advice and guidance to programme teams on visibility and advocacy opportunities. 2. Develop and disseminate communications products • Produce and coordinate dissemination of communication and advocacy materials, including press releases, articles, briefing notes, brochures, factsheets, and stories from the field. • Supervise production of multimedia content (videos, digital stories, infographics) showcasing WEE programme results. • Ensure quality assurance and consistency of WEE communications products in line with corporate branding and editorial standards. • Document success stories, knowledge products, and impact narratives for regional programmes and donor reporting. • Explore the use of AI enabled tools (e.g., automated content generation, translation, analytics dashboards) to improve efficiency and enhance storytelling, while ensuring responsible and ethical use. 3. Manage media relations and digital communications • Build and maintain relationships with media outlets; respond to inquiries and facilitate interviews with UN Women subject experts. • Organize press briefings, roundtables, and media events to highlight WEE initiatives. • Oversee WEE related web and social media content in line with corporate policies. • Develop digital campaigns supporting flagship WEE advocacy initiatives and monitor social media performance to recommend improvements. • Promote innovative digital communications approaches, including responsible use of AI driven analytics to track engagement and audience insights. 4. Partnerships and donor visibility • Liaise with advocacy partners, civil society, governments, and donors to enhance visibility of WEE programmes. • Coordinate communications support for regional events, campaigns, and stakeholder engagement initiatives. • Ensure donor visibility requirements are met in communications outputs and reporting. 5. Knowledge management and capacity building • Document lessons learned, good practices, and innovations from WEE programmes. • Facilitate knowledge sharing initiatives across WEE programmes and Country Offices. • Provide training and guidance to programme staff and communications focal points on communications and advocacy, including introducing AI enabled tools for content creation, monitoring, and digital engagement. 6. Monitoring and reporting • Track communications performance using website, social media, and campaign analytics. • Prepare periodic communications performance reports and track implementation of communications workplans. • Recommend improvements based on communications data and audience insights, including the use of AI powered dashboards for real time monitoring. 7. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. Expected Deliverables: Provide monthly progress report on the following communications activities: • Develop and implement communications and advocacy strategies • Develop and disseminate communications products • Manage media relations and digital communications • Partnerships and donor visibility • Knowledge management and capacity building • Monitoring and reporting • Other duties within their functional profile Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel: This consultancy is office-based at Bangkok, Thailand. The consultant is expected to work on a full-time basis (20 working days per month). • UN Women will cover the cost of the most economical economy-class air ticket for the consultant to travel to the duty station to assume this assignment, and back to the home country at the end of the assignment. Reimbursement will be made based on the actual air ticket invoice submitted by the consultant, following the relevant policy. • As part of the official duty of this consultancy, the consultant may be expected to travel, which will be processed by UN Women, following the duty travel policy. Schedule of Payments: A monthly rate will be paid upon submission of a monthly update reports with an approval of the supervisor. Competencies : Core Values: • Integrity; • Professionalism; • Respect for Diversity. Core Competencies: • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues; • Accountability; • Creative Problem Solving; • Effective Communication; • Inclusive Collaboration; • Stakeholder Engagement; • Leading by Example. Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: Functional Competencies: • Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively, and creatively across different constituencies. • Strong knowledge of managing web‑based knowledge management systems. • Solid understanding of production, graphic design, and photography standards. • Strong knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach. • Strong oral and written communication and editing skills. • Ability to produce clear, compelling advocacy materials and messaging. • Good communication, networking, and advocacy skills with diverse stakeholders. • Ability to provide advice and be strategic and analytical in communications planning. • Familiarity with local and regional media landscapes. • Awareness of AI‑enabled communications tools (e.g., analytics dashboards, automated content generation, translation tools) and ability to apply them responsibly to enhance efficiency and outreach. • Knowledge of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and women’s rights issues is desirable. Required Qualifications: Education and Certification: • Master’s degree or equivalent in communications, journalism, international relations, public policy, political science, digital media, development studies, or a related field is required. • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience: • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, advocacy, public information, digital communications, media relations, stakeholder engagement, or related fields. • Demonstrated experience providing communications advice to senior leadership and implementing communications, advocacy, or stakeholder engagement initiatives at regional, multi-country, or international levels. • Experience working with international organizations, development institutions, governments, the United Nations system, and/or private sector partners is desirable. • Familiarity with AI‑enabled communications tools (e.g., analytics dashboards, automated content generation, translation tools) and ability to apply them responsibly to enhance efficiency and outreach is desirable. • Knowledge of gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, women’s rights, or related UN Women mandate areas is desirable. Language • Fluency in English is required. • Excellent written and verbal communication, advocacy, and editorial skills in English are required. • Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish). How to Apply: Submission package includes • Fill in online application in Quantum • A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) Statements : In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment. Diversity and inclusion: At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need. If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application. UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.) Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.