Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a UN agency that works in about 170 countries and territories, helping eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience. It thereby helps them sustain progress and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In Ukraine, UNDP operates in three programme priorities, such as Democratic Governance and Inclusive Social Fabric, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery and Growth, and Sustainable Environment and Energy Transformation. Since the start of the hostilities in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, UNDP in Ukraine has been present on the ground, through its hubs around the country, supporting regional and local authorities and civil society partners in their emergency response and crisis management.

Lessons from the past years informed the development of UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2025-2029) and the scale-up of the Area-Based Recovery (ABR) Framework. The Framework’s programmatic pillars of Reconstruction, Returns, Resilience, and Reforms are focused on ensuring community recovery and creating conditions for the return to a development pathway in Ukraine.

Addressing the country’s complex reconstruction and recovery requires a holistic, systems-based response that empowers all parts of society - including government, local authorities, the private sector, and citizens - with the capacity and resources to respond effectively. To ensure a whole-of-society approach, the framework offers an integrated, participatory, and inclusive methodology to advance recovery in communities most affected by the war.

In this context, the Communications Associate will enhance the ABR project’s visibility, credibility, and stakeholder engagement by ensuring clear, timely, and gender-responsive messaging across medial platforms and events.

Duties and Responsibilities

Assist in developing and implementing communication plans:

Assist in developing and implementing communication and media plans for the project at regional level. Assist in designing and implementing targeted communication campaigns. Collaborate with relevant units and personnel to help the project develop concept notes that include outreach, advocacy, and communication components.

Develop and edit high-quality communication content:

Prepare press releases, media advisories, and feature stories for the UNDP website and social networks on various issues relevant to the project’s objectives in both English and Ukrainian. Update official UNDP in Ukraine social media platforms (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Flickr, to highlight project achievements. Develop talking points as well as information and briefing notes as requested by UNDP senior management. Edit and format project reports and promotional materials, ensuring they meet UNDP communication standards. Regularly update booklets, factsheets, newsletters, and other informational materials for both internal and external audiences. Coordinate with production and printing agencies to create audio, video, animation, and print products. Maintain and update a library of reference materials, such as reports, communication tools, booklets, photographs, and videos of project activities.

Support media relations and project visibility and knowledge sharing:

Organize press conferences and other media-related events as part of the project’s activities. Ensure branding and visibility materials are prepared and displayed according to UNDP standards. Prepare background documents and assist in organizing donor and corporate missions, including audio-visual and media coverage of project activities and achievements. Prepare media monitoring reports on project activities. Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners. 

Ensure the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in the field of expertise; promote a safe and enabling environment free of discrimination and abusive behaviour corporate standards:

Assist with ensuring the project contributes to the promotion of gender equality by reaching, involving, and benefiting both women and men. Use the principles of gender-responsive communications in line with the UNDP corporate standards. Be aware of relevant gender issues and concerns in the field of expertise. Support the promotion of team culture of gender equality and zero tolerance to any sexual misconduct in the team through leadership and personal example. Demonstrate respect for gender equality in professional interactions, identify and address sexism and gender discrimination. Assist with informing and briefing personnel and partners about corporate sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse policies.

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

Institutional Arrangement

The Communications Associate will work under direct supervision of the Communications Specialist and overall guidance of the Programme Manager (Area-Based Recovery).

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline. Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback. Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident. Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships. Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Business Management

Digital Awareness and Literacy: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skilfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed. Customer Satisfaction/Client Management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns. Partnerships Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies. Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Business Development

Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness

Crisis and Fragility Policy and Engagement: Humanitarian-Development Peace (HDP) Nexus.

2030 Agenda: Peace 

Governance: Inclusion and Participation of Marginalised Groups

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary Education is required. OR A University degree in the field of Communications, Public Relations, Community Development, Social Sciences, or other relevant field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years (with Secondary Education) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of practical, progressively responsible experience in Public Relations, Media, Communications, Journalism, or other relevant fields.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Ukrainian is required for local personnel.

Required Skills:

Experience in the usage of office software packages. Proven track record of strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills in English and Ukrainian.

Desired Skills:

Experience of working with and proficiency in graphic design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and multimedia editing software for basic content production and adaptation when needed would be considered an asset. Proven previous experience in developing and implementing communications strategies/plans for organizations or projects would be considered as an asset. Prior experience of cooperation with international, governmental, and non-governmental organizations would be considered an asset.

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. 

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.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process.