Project Communication Assistant (SB‐2 SC5 Min)

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Service Contract

Level :  SC5

Hiring Unit : Natural Sciences Sector (SC)

Duty Station : Almaty

Work location : On site

Duration of contract : 12 months

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC+5 Time) : 23/08/2026

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

(Only candidates who are entitled to work in Kazakhstan may apply to this position)

Long Description

Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Almaty Office, the supervision of the GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Cryosphere Project Manager and the GLOFCA Project Officer, and in coordination with the Programme Specialist for Natural Sciences, UNESCO Almaty Office, the incumbent shall contribute to the overall communications for two UNESCO projects: Adaptation
 
Fund (AF)-funded project “Reducing vulnerabilities of populations in the Central Asia region from glacier lake outburst floods in a changing climate” (GLOFCA), and the Global Environment Facility-funded project “Strengthening the Resilience of Central Asian Countries by Enabling Regional Cooperation to Assess Glacio-nival Systems to Develop Integrated Methods for Sustainable Development and Adaptation to Climate Change” (GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Cryosphere project).

In particular, working in close collaboration with the two project managers and the Project Implementation Teams at the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office, the incumbent will perform the following key functions:

MAIN TASKS AND SERVICES

1.    Contribute to execution of the communication strategies of the two Projects and their activities to promote effective communications with external and internal audiences in compliance with UNESCO’s communication guidelines, as well as GEF and AF’s requirements.

2.    Design, plan and review Terms of Reference for Projects promotion and visibility and assist in the related contract preparation and final evaluation.

3.    Identify relevant media partners and prepare a list of media (mailing list) interested in coverage of the two Projects’ activities, with an engagement plan for a long-term partnership.

4.    Oversee publishing of six-monthly newsletters in cooperation with the Project Implementation Teams at the UNESCO Almaty Office, National Coordinators in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as project implementing partners. Create respective mailing list for the newsletter.

5.    Maintain project websites updated by regularly drafting and uploading news items, human stories, articles and other content based on the results of the projects’ activities and inputs of the Project Implementation Teams. Make proposals on how to improve, redesign and further develop the websites.

6.    Propose a social media strategy and publish posts/stories as considered necessary on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts of the projects, if available, as well as provide project-related content for publishing on UNESCO Almaty accounts.

Long Description

7.    Develop, shoot and edit short videos about project-related topics. This includes working with project documents, recording interviews, collection and compilation of archive records, as well as voiceover. Cooperate with Projects’ National Coordinators in producing short videos.

8.    Accompany project partners in the field to obtain new footage and photos of the pilot sites, as required by the Project Management Unit in Almaty.

9.    Oversee graphic designs for necessary promotional materials, as required for project needs.

10.    Coordinate knowledge management of the projects, ensuring preparation of publications and knowledge products, as well as concise, user-friendly reports or presentations that can be shared with the general public to demonstrate concrete results achieved, including:
a)    Writing, production and dissemination of social media content under the supervision of the Projects’ supervisors
b)    Developing of the concepts of various publication materials (flyer, brochure, banner and video) of the Projects
c)    Overseeing communications aspects at Projects events, including handling media relations (printed, online, television and radio)
d)    Managing organization and storage of projects knowledge to ensure its accessibility and consistency across platforms

11.    Undertake any other task that might be required to successfully perform the above-mentioned work assignment, provided those tasks are consistent with the incumbent’s professional qualifications.

DURATION OF THE CONTRACT

Initially for one year, with 3 months probation period

COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

• Accountability (C)
• Knowlegde sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Professionalism (C) 
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)

   

  For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

•    Completed higher education degree in mass communication, media studies, journalism, or in studies with a specialization in information and communication technology and knowledge society issues.

WORK EXPERIENCE

•    At least two years of relevant professional experience in the field of communication and information, public advocacy, marketing, PR, website development, social media or other relevant fields.

Long Description

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

•    Ability to maintain effective communication with internal and external stakeholders
•    Good negotiation and networking skills, organizational and coordination skills, and flexibility
•    Ability to work as part of a multi-cultural team, to take initiative and to provide quality and timely support and services
•    Ability to take ownership of given tasks and demonstrate proactivity
•    Ability to interpret rules and manage priorities in order to meet tight deadlines
•    Discretion and capacity to deal efficiently and tactfully with people of different cultural and social backgrounds
•    Ability to work under stress and cope with multiple tasks
•    Good ICT skills, including:

•    proficiency in the use of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
•    practical experience in CorelDraw (or any other software for vector graphic design)
•    practical experience in Photoshop (or any other raster data processing)
•    practical experience in Adobe Premiere (or any other video processing software)
•    Practical experience in WordPress

LANGUAGES

•    Excellent knowledge of English and Russian (written and spoken).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

WORK EXPERIENCE

•    Experience in working on communications issues focusing on environment or natural sciences
•    Experience in working or partnership-building with UN Agencies, the private sector, civil society and NGOs

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

•    Salary: base monthly gross USD 1,312.16
(monthly rates in reference to the local UN FTA salary scales of the locally recruited staff, corresponding to 66% of the gross base salary; subject to change in case of changes in local UN salary scale).

•    Medical and Pension Coverage.
As additional payment, upon proof of enrolment in an appropriate pension and/or medical scheme, the following contributions will be added to the SC holder's remuneration:
(a)    up to 10% of the SC holder's remuneration to represent UNESCO's sole contribution for pension; and
(b)    up to 5% of the SC holder's remuneration to represent UNESCO's sole contribution to medical insurance.
The SC holder must provide the proof of affiliation to local or private social security scheme if in receipt of an additional payment.

•    Income Tax.
The remuneration paid to SC holders is not exempt from any income tax which may be levied by the tax authorities in the country where work is performed or any other tax authorities.
UNESCO shall not reimburse any taxes, duties or other contributions for which the SC holder may be personally liable in respect of payments made under the terms of his/her contract.
SC holders will be solely and personally responsible for complying with tax laws that are applicable to them, and for paying any taxes (in particular income tax), duties or other contributions for which they may be personally liable, under any tax laws applicable to them, in respect of any payments made to them under the terms of their SC contract.

•    UNESCO's salaries are paid in the currency established by the local UN System (currently in Kazakh Tenge at the applicable mid-month UNORE).

•    Annual leave is granted at the rate of 2,5 working days for each completed month of service. The annual leave entitlement must be taken in full during the contract period.

•    Please note that UNESCO is a non-smoking Organization.

Long Description

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.

To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted. 

The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.  

Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course. 

Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of personnel shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
• UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
• lndividuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
• All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
• The statutory retirement age at UNESCO is 65 years.
• UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the hiring process.