The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Nairobi, UNOPS East and Southern Africa supports sustainable development across 14 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Since 1995, UNOPS has expanded its footprint in Kenya, delivering services in project management, infrastructure, procurement, and financial management. Across the region, the office implements diverse, partner-funded initiatives that respond to national priorities. In Mozambique, this includes delivering specialized equipment (EU), supporting health services (UNICEF), promoting agro-processing (KOICA), and advancing peacebuilding efforts through a Multi-Donor Fund. UNOPS also supports agricultural input distribution and the Northern Crisis Recovery Project, both funded by the World Bank. In Malawi, efforts include developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in partnership with the EU and the British Council. These initiatives reflect UNOPS’ commitment to strengthening national capacities, enhancing service delivery, and supporting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), mandated by the UN General Assembly, promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities and serves as the lead agency for urbanization and human settlement issues within the UN system.

Under the overall guidance of the UN-Habitat Country Manager, and in close collaboration with relevant programme specialists, the Communication Associate will contribute to the development and implementation of communication strategies that align with the organization’s mandate and program objectives. The role includes producing engaging and informative content such as articles, press releases, social media updates, newsletters, and human-interest stories that effectively highlight housing and urban development initiatives.

The Communication Associate will support broader UN-Habitat initiatives in Ghana, liaising with counterparts in the regional office and headquarters, ensuring consistent messaging, visibility, and knowledge sharing across UN-Habitat’s mandate and accelerate the achievement of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Communication Associate will also support visibility and outreach during major global urban observances, including World Habitat Day, World Cities Day and Urban October, while assisting with communication needs for workshops, conferences, and field missions. Additionally, the Communication Associate will ensure consistent messaging across communication channels and contribute to resource mobilization efforts by assisting in preparing communication materials for proposals and donor engagement.

The role also involves supporting thematic experts and the broader UN-Habitat team in Ghana to effectively communicate programme results, impact and sustainability. Key among these programmes are the Smart SDG Cities Programme and the Improved Resilience of Coastal Communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

The Communication Associate will play a pivotal role in advancing UN-Habitat Ghana’s mandate by ensuring housing, climate resilience and sustainable urban development initiatives are effectively communicated to diverse stakeholders. Through strategic messaging, storytelling, and knowledge management, the Associate enhances visibility and understanding of key Programmes such as the Smart SDG Cities Programme and the Coastal Community Resilience Initiative, among others.

By promoting consistent and high-quality communication, the Associate strengthens stakeholder engagement, supports evidence-based decision-making, and amplifies project outcomes to local communities, government institutions, development partners, and the broader public. Their work contributes to increased awareness, adoption of best practices, and mobilization of resources, ultimately reinforcing UN-Habitat’s mandate to foster inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development in Ghana.

The Communication Associate will provide communication and information management support to the UN-Habitat Ghana office, ensuring effective dissemination of information and promotion of UN-Habitat's work. The role involves developing communication materials, managing social media, and coordinating media relations.

Summary of functions:

1. Programme Delivery and Monitoring

2. Stakeholder engagement

3. Quality assurance

4. Knowledge management and innovation

1. Programme Delivery and Monitoring

• Assist programme colleagues to ensure communication activities are fully integrated into project work plans and collaborate with project teams to align messaging with project goals and key milestones.
• Track communication performance indicators, including media reach and stakeholder engagement, and provide timely inputs to project reports, donor updates, and internal performance reviews
• Ensure all project deliverables and activities adhere to UN- Habitat’s branding and visibility requirements while maintaining consistent messaging across all communication channels.
• Provide timely communication inputs that help achieve project deliverables and outcomes while supporting advocacy and awareness efforts to maximize the impact and sustainability of initiatives.
• Assist in the identification of opportunities to communicate pilot initiatives, innovative approaches, and emerging solutions within projects, sharing lessons and successes across projects and with the broader UN-Habitat network.
• Assist with periodic reports, briefs, and dashboards for programme/project teams, senior management, and donors, highlighting key communication outcomes.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

2. Stakeholder engagement

• Support consultations, workshops, and events to enhance project outreach and participation.
• Build and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders, including media, civil society organizations, and development partners.
• Coordinate feedback mechanisms to capture stakeholder inputs and concerns for project improvement.
• Promote collaboration and partnerships through targeted communication and outreach initiatives.
• Assist in organizing stakeholder events, site visits, and field missions to enhance visibility and engagement.
• Ensure stakeholders are informed about project objectives, progress, results, and opportunities for involvement.
• Assist in information sharing with partners, including national and local governments, communities, UN Agencies, donors, academia, private sector, among others, across multiple channels.

3. Quality Assurance

• Review and edit communication materials to ensure clarity, accuracy, and alignment with UN-Habitat messaging and branding guidelines.
• Ensure all content meets quality standards for grammar, style, formatting, and visual presentation.
• Verify technical information and data in communication outputs to maintain credibility and accuracy.
• Maintain consistency in messaging across all communication channels and materials.
• Conduct periodic quality checks of publications, reports, social media content, and outreach materials.
• Support programme/project teams to produce high-quality communication materials in line with UN-Habitat guidelines, learning from best practices.
• Ensure compliance with UN visibility, accessibility, and ethical standards in all communication products.
• Ensure cultural and political sensitivity in all communication materials

4. Knowledge management and innovation

• Assist in documenting and disseminating lessons learned, success stories, and best practices, producing case studies, reports, and other knowledge products that effectively highlight project impact.
• Support the development of internal newsletters, updates, and knowledge bulletins.
• Coordinate knowledge-sharing platforms such as Teams channels, SharePoint sites, or community-of-practice pages.
• Support after-action reviews, learning assessments, and documentation of outcomes.
• Support planning and communication for conferences, knowledge forums, webinars, and innovation showcases.
• Support the packaging and communication of new tools, models, and innovations developed by the organization or partners.

Required

• A minimum of 6 years of relevant work experience with completion of secondary education is required OR
  
• First-level university degree (undergraduate, Bachelor, or equivalent) in Communication, Development Communication, Media and Journalism, International Relations, with two (2) years of relevant experience, will be considered an asset.

Required

• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience is required,
  
• A minimum of two (2) years of extensive working experience in climate/development finance /development cooperation and environment is required.

Desired

• Proven experience in the media landscape, procedures, guidelines, manuals and templates for reporting and verification practices;
• Proven experience and knowledge in International Development Effectiveness and cooperation, environment and climate change, gender and youth, and related issues is an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling web-based management systems.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.