Communication Specialist (P-4), TA (6 Months), #137032, Amman - Jordan, MENA RO

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Voice

Military escalation in the Middle East has intensified amid ongoing conflicts and rising regional tensions. Exchanges of strikes between states and non-state actors, cross-border attacks, and expanded military operations, resulting in severe humanitarian consequences, with growing impacts on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Currently, 12 countries are affected by the crisis to varying degrees — directly, through secondary spillover effects, or indirectly through economic and social impacts. The crisis may also trigger refugee and returnee movements affecting countries in ECAR and ROSA, necessitating cross-regional coordination to ensure a coherent humanitarian response in close collaboration with partners.

The situation remains highly fluid, underscoring the need for strong centralized coordination and clear parameters for communications and advocacy to support both country-specific and multi-country responses. Given the magnitude and complexity of the crisis, this requires a well-resourced communications and advocacy capacity to respond effectively, positioning UNICEF as a leading humanitarian actor, elevating the organization’s visibility and ensuring a strong and credible voice advocating for the protection, rights and well-being of children across the region.

In this context, robust communication and proactive media engagement are critical to ensure that the realities and needs of affected children and families are visible on the regional and global stage. Strategic communications play a key role in mobilizing support, influencing decision-makers and sustaining humanitarian action. By delivering timely, credible and compelling reporting, UNICEF can elevate awareness of the different crisis contexts in the region, strengthen advocacy for urgent assistance, and help galvanize the resources and attention required to respond effectively.

How can you make a difference?

In this role, you form part of the MENA Regional Office Advocacy and Communication function and support the delivery of integrated regional advocacy, communication, media, public engagement, and policy influence priorities across the region, in particular humanitarian contexts. Under the supervision of the Regional Chief of Advocacy & Communication (P-5), you contribute to the design, coordination and implementation of advocacy and communication strategies that strengthen UNICEF’s positioning, visibility, and influence in line with MENA priorities. You provide technical and advisory support across assigned areas of responsibility: communication strategy implementation, media engagement and spokesperson functions, digital communications, stakeholder engagement, and technical assistance, support and capacity building for Country Offices. In doing so, you help advance a coherent, agile, and evidence-informed advocacy and communication function across diverse country typologies, including fragile and crisis-affected settings, and support stronger alignment between advocacy, crisis communications, and regional public positioning.

Key tasks and responsibilities:

1. Media engagement and spokesperson functions
2. Content development and media packaging
3. Strategic communications and messaging
4. Coordination and planning
5. Stakeholder engagement

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  JD_Communication Specialist_P-4.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.
  A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work Experience:At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in communication, advocacy, or media relations, including experience in an emergency or conflict setting.
  Experience in developing communication and advocacy products, narratives, and content for external audiences, including public, donor, diplomatic, or institutional stakeholders, is required.
  A strong track record of spokesperson experience is required.
• Skills include media engagement, crisis communication, and spokesperson expertise, along with the ability to work under pressure in complex environments, strong interpersonal and coordination skills, and a solid understanding of the MENA region.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Fluency in Arabic, and/or French, and/or Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese or Russian) is an asset.
• Field work experience in complex emergencies is desirable.
• Background/familiarity with Emergency situations in MENA region, is desirable.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.