Communications Officer Creative Collaborations

Reason

Communications Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In line with its Global Communications Strategy UNHCR requires skilled communications professionals to conceive and execute a range of activities that help us lead the narrative on forced displacement generate empathy and mobilize action. This body of work spans communications strategy and coordination news and media relations multimedia content production social media engagement Goodwill Ambassadors and other influencers public outreach and campaigns fundraising analytics and brand.
UNHCRs Communications Officers need to cultivate a keen understanding of our target audiences including an up-to-the-minute grasp of the methods and tone of voice that resonate deeply win trust and spark quality engagement. They must be vigilant about editorial and journalistic standards attentive to protection concerns and political sensitivities and focused on communicating successfully with key demographics. These audiences will vary by location language and platform among other factors as well as whether the aim is to inform advocate or raise funds.
Communications Officers functions working relationships and skills specializations differ depending on language location grade and whether they sit within a country operation a regional bureau or the Global Communications Service. UNHCRs primary target audiences include public media and policymakers while our main partners and influencers include peers and private sector trusted figures and our own workforce. Some communicators will focus mainly on news and media relations for example while others will produce multimedia content manage social media accounts or lead advocacy campaigns. Forging partnerships with media outlets that reach target audiences is a central role for all Communications Officers.
All Communications Officers are expected to work strategically in support of UNHCRs operational and communications objectives for their geographic area of responsibility (AoR) as well as global priorities. Communications approaches should reflect our core values as an organization that is caring trustworthy proactive outcome-focused and responsive. This will reinforce UNHCRs role as the lead agency that protects refugees internally displaced and stateless people and mobilizes action to provide solutions.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter UN Staff Regulations and Rules UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability addition staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core functional cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCRs core values of professionalism integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Support the development and implementation of communications strategies for countries situations and special projects; identify thematic priorities and target audiences to meet UNHCRs global communications objectives.
- Monitor news and popular trends to insert UNHCRs messaging into ongoing conversations; identify key moments for proactive communications.
- Forge strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations who can help produce and promote UNHCR content activities and messaging as well as provide research insights to improve communications; promote the work of engaged businesses and civil society actors.
- Contribute to development of news-driven and authoritative content to lead the narrative on forced displacement and show UNHCRs impact (e.g. interviews press releases flagship reports speeches) create emotive storytelling to generate empathy (e.g. stories multimedia content) and mobilize action by signposting concrete steps people can take to help refugees (e.g. digital diplomacy action-driven campaigns fundraising).
- Ensure content created reaches maximum impact by developing strategies for distribution from the outset boosting the visibility of our content on relevant UNHCR channels and placing it on external channels.
- Closely monitor the implementation of communications projects and adjust accordingly. Benchmark the results of communications projects against set success indicators; build on communications successes.

Additional duties for news and media roles:
- Develop and implement communications strategies campaigns events and other initiatives in support of UNHCRs strategic objectives including its need for leading share of voice on refugee and related matters and ensure coverage of refugee situations in their country or region in global and domestic media.
- Research prepare fact-check edit and produce professional media and communications materials for target audiences and ensure their timely dissemination via UNHCRs communications channels ensuring highest quality standards.
- Draft media releases statements and media briefing notes and secure clearances working in conjunction with relevant focal points and keeping sensitive to needs of both internal and external audiences.
- Act as a spokesperson for UNHCR organizing press events handling interviews requests and providing responses to requests from media relating to UNHCR and its work.
- Engage with journalists and public audiences via social media channels.
- Regularly provide ideas for communications initiatives and considered professional communications advice to senior staff of UNHCR.
- Undertake missions and field trips with media and other official visitors in support of UNHCR and its work.
- Actively maintain media relations for UNHCR ensuring that media (and other important external stakeholders such as governments embassies NGOs etc.) are briefed regularly on issues of importance to UNHCR and have access to information and UNHCR expertise.
- Prepare and manage communications budgets.
- Ensure alignment with UNHCRs global branding and messaging.
- Continually maintain and upgrade communications skills keeping abreast of emerging platforms and tools and systematically reviewing media impact results and other measurement tools for learning purposes.

Additional duties for news and media roles within the Global Communications Service
- Oversee coordination of communications work for their designated regions and thematic issues working closely with communications staff in bureaux and country offices and in collaboration with the senior communications officers/advisers in that region.
- Manage a wide network of relationships at all levels across bureaux divisions and offices (including the Executive Office) to ensure timely internal information sharing as a foundation for grounded communications and to build consensus around communications proposals.
- Maintain close involvement in communications recruitment and training needs for assigned regions keeping in mind UNHCRs goals of employing and retaining the worlds leading humanitarian communications expertise.

Additional duties for news and media roles within Country Offices
- Act as the primary interface on communications matters between their country office and the Global Communications Service.
- Act as the lead for crisis communications work for their country alerting the GCS/News & Media Sections crisis communications lead to risk issues and ensuring close coordination.

Additional duties for news and media roles within Regional Bureaux
- Regularly provide ideas for communications initiatives and considered professional communications advice to senior Bureau staff and Representatives of Country Operations overseen by the Bureau.
- Oversee data and information gathering and sharing of information with a view to ensuring the Bureaus authority as a centre of up to date knowledge and expertise relating to its region.
- Assist the Senior Management of the Bureau to implement advocacy objectives for the Bureau and oversee development of supporting communications strategies for these working in conjunction with staff of the Global Communications Service and communications staff in the region.
- Ensure Bureau staff are aware of UNHCRs global positioning needs.

- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Journalism; International Relations; Political Science;
Communications; Public Information; Media
Film / Video; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
not specified

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Minimum 4years of professional experience in journalism and/or communications mainly at international level.

Desirable
Experience developing and implementing communications strategies. Strong social media presence. Experience working on advocacy campaigns. Experience working with goodwill ambassadors and other high-profile influencers. Experience with brand management. Experience with measurement and evaluation especially providing analysis of media coverage social media engagement web traffic etc. Experience reporting writing editing for magazines newspapers and websites. Experience using digital asset management systems. Experience with digital analytics and performance reporting.

Functional Skills
Required skills will vary according to the precise nature of the role location etc. but may include:
CO-Drafting and Documentation
CO-International Media Contacts
CO-Preparation of key messages/talking points/speeches
CO-Spokesperson skills
CO-Strategic Communication
CO-Public Speaking
CO-Video production for digital platforms (including news organizations)
CO-Journalism (incl. print broadcast photography video layout & graphics)
CO-Editing
CO-Digital content production
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse harassment including sexual harassment sexism gender inequality discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

The Communications Officer - Creative Collaborations is part of the Creative Services Section of the Global Communications Service (GCS) and is the Content Creator Engagement and Creative Collaborations lead based in Madrid. This role is a strategic investment in strengthening UNHCRs relevance reach and impact in an increasingly creator-driven communications landscape. As particularly young audiences engage with content through trusted creators and collaborative storytelling this role is essential to building authentic collaborations amplifying our narrative and ensuring our creative output remains innovative inclusive and aligned with audience expectations. By dedicating resources to creator engagement external digital publishing and creative collaborations we enable more effective content distribution unlock new creative perspectives and position the organization to adapt to evolving digital platforms while maximizing the impact of our content investments.

This role reports to the Creative Coordinator in the Creative Section and works across GCS to leverage opportunities together with the creative teams particularly the Social Media team. This role requires active internal coordination with relevant GCS colleagues on areas of overlap in the Strategy and Coordination Section the Creative Section and the Goodwill Ambassador team.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy and planning:

- Develop and maintain a global content creator engagement strategy and a distribution placement and creative collaborations strategy and annual plan in support of GCS priorities and audience objectives.

-Establish a creator engagement framework and a publisher engagement framework (priority themes audiences geography).

-Support planning for major moments and milestones such as World Refugee Day.

-Liaise and guide operations and PSP markets on local content creator and publisher engagement.

-Coordinate and collaborate closely with relevant teams across GCS and relevant operations and bureaux.

Identification outreach and relationship management:

-Research identify and recommend content creators and storytellers for short-term and long-term collaboration.

-Research and identify placements/collaborations with platforms publishers and high-reach social accounts especially youth and news social accounts.

-Maintain a pipeline of priority creators and a pipeline of publishers including youth-facing news/social journalism and emerging formats.

-Lead outreach and pitching and manage creator relationships from engagement through delivery.

-In close collaboration with the Social Media team conduct outreach and pitching for content placements and collaborations with digital platforms and big social accounts.

-Onboard creators and publishers and provide briefings on UNHCR humanitarian principles and key messaging.

-Support creators and publishers through production by providing guidance assets and logistics coordination for missions as needed.

-Coordinate delivery timelines and quality control for publishing in collaboration with producers and relevant teams.

-Sustain longer-term collaborations through regular updates keeping partners engaged and by focusing on continued creative collaboration.

Due diligence and risk management:

-Lead due diligence and risk assessment including reputational screening content safety and values alignment.

-Coordinate internally including with relevant bureaux and operations to validate recommendations and mitigate risk.

-Ensure creators and publishers uphold UNHCR standards (safeguarding consent dignity responsible storytelling).

Monitoring reporting and learning:

-Track performance of creator and distribution collaborations and contribute to reporting.

-Support evaluation against agreed-upon success metrics (reach engagement action outcomes where applicable).

-Document learnings and help build institutional knowledge and capacity-building including in the field (guidance/templates/case studies) to strengthen future collaborations.

Living and Working Conditions:

Given the size of the country and the high level of decentralization inter-regional missions within the country are frequently needed. Staff members (and their eligible dependents) are accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation to perform their duties in the country.
Spain stands out in terms of quality of life living experience for foreigners and raising children. It is a modern and welcoming country which counts on excellent infrastructures and transport networks in and out. Madrid is a city that is experiencing constant growth and over time it has developed an increasingly multicultural population. It offers high living conditions and an average cost of living rather low compared to other Western European capital cities.

Education is compulsory for children aged between 6 and 16 and optional from 0 a 6 although widely implemented. The school year runs from mid-September to the end of June with the main holidays in December/January and July/August. Spain s public schools have good standards and charge minimum fees . There is also a wide range of semi-private private and international schools. Among the internationals most follow the British curriculum but there are some that follow the American curriculum or the International Baccalaureate. Fees are usually high and competition for places is stiff.

Spain has a very good public healthcare system that can be used by foreigners who are eligible to have a Spanish social security number. Medical staff are well-trained and often speak English. Excellent private care is also available at a price.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Certifications

Competencies

Bi-Annual 2026 Compendium - Part B

Additional Information