Project Communications Analyst

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. The Fiji multi-country office covers ten countries including Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu as well as provides support to regional initiatives. 

UNDP in the Pacific has developed its multi-country programme document (MCPD, 2023-2027) to guide its interventions in the next five years in full alignment and directly to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF, 2023–27). The Office covers 10 countries in the Pacific with an extensive portfolio which has grown over time. The UNSDCF and UNDP MCPD are designed in full alignment with the 2030 agenda, Samoa Pathway, and 2050 Blue Content Strategy, which is endorsed by the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) among others.  The UNDP Pacific Office next five-year plan strategic priorities are encapsulated under three outcome areas: (i) Planet, (ii) Prosperity, and (iii) Peace.

Resilience is one of UNDP’s six signature solutions – alongside poverty and inequality, environment, energy, governance, and gender equality – to support countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no one behind and resilience. As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2025, and the new MCPD (2023-2027), UNDP Pacific office aims to supporting countries and communities in building resilience to diverse shocks and crises, including conflict, climate change, disasters and epidemics.

Tuvalu, with a land area of 26km2, is the fourth smallest nation in the world with a population of about 10,000. Due to its geographical remoteness and relatively limited size of the economy, it is one of the least developed countries. It is also one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impact of climate change induced sea-level rise and intensifying storm events. Recent cyclones have already shown large scale population displacement, significant loss and damage of agriculture resources and infrastructure, contamination of water supplies, coastal erosion and scouring, impacting long term sustainable development of the country.

As such, in response to this climate challenge, the Government of Tuvalu has recently received funding confirmation from Government of Australia to fund an estimated 8ha of raised land protecting an additional estimated 800m of densely populated and exposed foreshore.  The project will be known as Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project, Phase 2 (TCAP2). This project aims to reduce the vulnerability of the southern lagoon shoreline of Fogafale Island the urban capital of Tuvalu to the impacts of wave inundation, shoreline erosion and inundation due by sea level rise. It follows the successful demonstration of the infrastructure work  under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) resourced TCAP Project, which has built 7.3ha of new raised safe land. TCAP2 follows closely TCAP I design, approach and established management and safeguards work and requirements. The foreshore that TCAP2 will protect and enhance is a continuation of the dysfunctional shoreline protected by TCAP and the Government of Tuvalu’s similar protection work (Queen Elizabeth II Park) and thus, the TCAP2 site starts only 50m to the south, as contiguous with TCAP and effectively an extension of TCAP project.

The project has the following 3 main outputs.

1. Output 1: Construction of coastal protection infrastructure of the southern lagoon shoreline of Fongafale Island in Funafuti. This is expected to protect approximately 800 m of vulnerable shoreline on the capital as well as provide approximately 8 ha of new safe raised land (reclamation). 
2. Output 2: Building capacity of Tuvalu government and civil society organizations in aspects of coastal protection works, mitigation of impacts, and planning and implementation.
3. Output 3: Undertake policy and strategic analytical studies that demonstrate the feasibility of vertical adaption (reclamation and land raising) for atoll nations like Tuvalu.

The Project desires to recruit a Project Communications Analyst  who will work under the overall guidance of the International Project Manager and International Communication Specialist and  direct supervision of the National Project Manager and in close coordination with PMU staff. 

The Project Communications Analyst  will work alongside an international team to provide support on the ground and advise on opportunities to develop communications products, to raise awareness of the project and its outputs. He/she advocates for  and represents the project and  UNDP in the area of communications and is expected to maintain a network with colleagues from UNDP, UN Agencies, Government officials, donors and civil society.

The Project Communications Analyst is to identify opportunities to interview beneficiaries of the project, and develop an in-depth understanding of the project progress to update other members of the team and the public. This includes through conducting interviews, identifying moments to raise awareness about specific milestones in the project and supporting the International Communication Specialist and UNDP MCO to amplify content at the global level.

• Develop communication strategy and plan building on learning from TCAP, the project deliverables, national laws and policies, UNDP’s  MCO Communication Strategy and guidelines, DFAT/MFAT guidelines and strategies.
• Implement the communications plan in coordination with all stakeholders by making sure that stakeholders are aware of certain milestones in the project.
• Ongoing advice on communications activities, related to proposed projects activities including developing press releases for public awareness at certain milestones; identifying stakeholders to interview for web stories; speaking with local communities to understand their perspectives and gather interviews and photos of project developments that could be turned into web stories or social media.
• Supporting the communications team by developing social media plans and social media content to amplify project outputs. 
• Support project staff, national project partners and contractors to identify and address internal capacity and communication needs including coordination with the UNDP MCO.  
• Produce a range of communications products – including web and social media updates, videos, photos, human interest stories, news articles and printed materials for communities – to ensure maximum exposure of the projects, GoT, UNDP and, particularly, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji; 
• Support communication goals by collecting regular photos, team updates and arranging and coordinating a shared space to store these materials so that they can be used in public outreach.  
• Prepare policy papers, fact-sheets, briefing notes, thematic reviews, success/human stories and speeches, as needed;
• Work as media focal person and provide and facilitate the national and international media
• In Coordination with the PMU arrange events for public awareness and visibility and representation in relevant regional/global events and preparation of the appropriate material for the events
• Make necessary arrangements, as needed, for national and foreign media visits to the country in close collaboration with the Government of Tuvalu and global UNDP communications colleagues (where relevant);
• Produce different visibility materials as required by the project 
• Supporting writing of the reports for donors and other stakeholders 
• Conduct surveys on the best outreach mechanisms and introduce innovative ways for communication and visibility.
• Support in knowledge management activities 
• Establish a database of all internal and external communication materials with a corresponding file management system;
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.