Associate Communications Officer

United Nations · Lilongwe

Posted November 6, 2026Listing expires November 19, 2026

Job Opening ID287546

Job NetworkPublic Information and Conference Management

Job FamilyPublic Information

Category and LevelNational Professional Officers, NO-B

Recruitment TypePosition Specific Job Openings

Duty StationLILONGWE

Department/OfficeResident Coordinator System

Date PostedNov 5, 2026

Deadline : Nov 19, 2026

Org. Setting and Reporting

The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an empowered and independent UN Resident Coordinator – the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System and Representative of the UN Secretary-General at country level – support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDGs.

The Associate Communications Officer maintains relationships with management in their entity, with other Communications specialists in the organization, with managers in other functional areas and with staff to provide and clarify information, to exchange information, to plan and coordinate communication and advocacy activities, to seek guidance; to support reporting efforts, provide updates on activities, to discuss communications support to other functional areas, to support the Crisis Management Team, when required, and to support training activities in the area of communications, as necessary. The Associate Communications Officer also maintains external relationships with counterparts in United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, government officials, development partners, civil society representatives and local community representatives, digital/community influencers, vendors, media and think tanks, and academia to support building and managing partners, consult and coordinate activities, exchange information and best practices, coordinate activities to strengthen information integrity, if needed, support organizing events and campaigns. The Associate Communications Officer will contribute to crafting clear, timely and evidence-based messaging on humanitarian needs, preparedness and response, in coordination with UN agencies and humanitarian partners, to raise awareness, support resource mobilisation and communicate the needs and priorities of affected communities, consistent with humanitarian principles. The position is located in the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) in Lilongwe, Malawi and reports to the Head of RCO.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

• Contribute to gathering insights and analysis from traditional, social, and digital media monitoring, including public narratives and areas of reputational risk to inform communications strategy.
• Contribute to the implementation of communications strategies that raise awareness, drive engagement, change behaviour, build support and have measurable impact with target audiences.
• Contribute to the drafting narratives and messaging on the work of the UN that engage target audiences across different channels and platforms.
• Contribute to media mapping, reaching out to and fostering relationships with traditional and new media outlets.
• Contribute to the development of media lines, including in crisis situations and on sensitive issues.
• Contribute to the drafting and production of communications products, such as press releases, press statements, web stories, reports, and infographics.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of communications campaigns that engage and have measurable impact with target audiences through appropriate channels and platforms.
• Contribute to the development and coordination of strategic communications partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to reach target audiences and maximize impact.
• Contribute to the creation of content, interviews, news and programming for UN and/or community radio channels and podcasts.
• Contribute to the creation and updating of policy, guidance and/or training related to strategic communications, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
• Keep abreast of the latest trends in communications and maintain expertise in relevant and emerging technologies.
• Maintain confidentiality, integrity, and discreet handling of sensitive information in compliance with the UN data privacy, security requirements, and standards.
• Monitor, analyse and report on communications approaches, activities and strategies to assess their performance and effectiveness.
• Contributes to the collection and analysis of data and identification of trends or patterns and provides draft insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Documents requirements and background information used for data analysis.
• Perform other related tasks as assigned.

Competencies