Communications and Advocacy Specialist, Astana, Kazakhstan,

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The UN Women Country Office (CO) Kazakhstan is based in Astana. CO programming includes support to the Government, civil society organizations, and other partners in the development and implementation of innovative approaches aimed at achieving gender equality and women's empowerment. In Kazakhstan, UN Women supports efforts of the national partners and UN agencies in the implementation of gender equality commitments in compliance with international standards, the UN human rights conventions, resolutions, and agreements ratified by the Republic of Kazakhstan. It provides strong and coherent expert and technical support to the implementation of gender equality's priorities in national and UN efforts and building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. It strengthens coordination on gender equality and women's empowerment programming, enhancing cooperation in a framework of the Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030. 

In Kazakhstan and Central Asia, UN Women supports also national partners  in advancing gender equality commitments under international conventions and commitments, including CEDAW and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Sustainable Development Agenda until 2030,  UN SCR1325 Women, Peace and Security, Generation Equality Forum movement. The Communications and Advocacy Specialist will play a key role in strengthening UN Women's visibility, advocacy, and partnerships, including through Central Asian Alliance on Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) hosted by UN Women.

Reporting to the UN Women Kazakhstan's Country Head of Office, the Communications and Advocacy Specialist plays a vital role in shaping and delivering the organization's messages, engaging stakeholders, building relationships, and maintaining a positive image of the organization. She/He will be responsible for assisting in the planning, development, implementation, and monitoring of the CO's communications and advocacy strategies to increase the visibility, strengthen cooperation and awareness of the UN Women's triple mandate's implementation, as well as advocate for gender equality and women's empowerment issues in the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

The Communications and Advocacy Specialist works in close collaboration with the UN Women Programme, Projects, Operations teams, experts, and consultants of the CO, HQ/Regional communications teams, staff/personnel of other UN Agencies, the National Commission for Women and Family Affairs and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan, the Government, representatives of ministries and state bodies, media, civil society, multilateral and bilateral donors, diplomatic communities, International Financial Institutions, academia, private sector, youth organizations and others.

1. Develop and implement communications and advocacy strategies for the UN Women Country Office (CO) full portfolio

• Design and roll out short, mid- and long-term communication strategies for the Country Office and/or regional initiatives such as EU GBV Multicountry Programme  and Central Asian Alliance to End GBV  and other joint initiatives and projects in the Country Office's portfolio implemented on the national, regional and global levels. 
• Ensure alignment with UN Women's Global Strategic Plan (2026–2029), UN Women Country Office Kazakhstan Strategic Note and UNSDCF for Kazakhstan , corporate identity, and communication guidelines.
• Conduct communication needs assessments and integrate advocacy elements into programme and project planning.
• Coordinate and implement national and regional communication campaigns, including 16 Days of Activism, International Women's Day and other flagship initiatives in close cooperation with national, international partners, UN Entities and UN Women programme, project teams
• Integrate communications, advocacy and outreach strategies into proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives
• Design, coordinate and lead implementation of joint UN communications activities in the framework of Gender Theme Group, Extended Gender Theme Group and UN Communications Group, which are relevant to UN Women's mandate.
• Initiate, manage, coordinate and assist in procurement, HR and operations procedures related to the implementation of the CO's communications and advocacy strategy

2. Media relations and visibility of the UN Women Country Office (CO) full portfolio

• Serve as focal point for media inquiries; build and maintain strong relations with national, regional, and international media.
• Identify opportunities to engage in dialogue with public or/and target audiences and motivate them to engage with the CO, using creative products and methods.
• Provide high-quality responses to inquiries, prepare related correspondence, materials, interviews, Op-Eds, etc
• Provide media support to events, roundtable discussions, press conferences and briefings for media and other partners
• Develop and disseminate communication materials, including briefing materials, audio video-multimedia products, designs, animation, videos, press releases, and human-interest stories in line with UN Women and donor guidance
• Develop a crisis communication plan in case of a crisis situation, craft key messages, and coordinate media responses to protect the organization's reputation.
• Maintain the CO's calendars of the UN observances, international occasions, global, regional, andnational holidays, and significant events. Coordinate with the CO team for timely and high-quality messaging.Draft and disseminate press releases, feature stories, articles, talking points, and Op-Eds.
• Organize press briefings, media interviews, and coverage of UN Women events.
• Prepare high-quality talking points, briefs, overviews, background information, analysis of political landscape, partnerships and other information pertaining to communications and advocacy upon Senior Management's request. 
• Ensure consistent branding, messaging, and visibility across platforms.

3. Partnerships and  relations with partners, donors and key actors

• Cultivate relationships, facilitate collaboration, and ensure effective communication to build trust and support for the organization's goals.
• Strengthen ties with the private sector, public opinion leaders, influencers, and civil activists.
• Independently research, collect and analyze information on potential partners and donors and recommend relevant outreach strategies to the management.
• Continuously identify and build new communication partnerships to enhance UN Women's visibility.
• Develop creative partnerships for joint advocacy with civil society, government, private sector partners, media, celebrities, academia, the international community, and other stakeholders to ensure that CO advocacy around key issues reaches the target audience, including the public and the donorsand monitor and analyze the results.
• Provide inputs to packages for programmatic and project initiatives for donor and key partners 'review.
• Manage and coordinate the development and delivery of joint communication campaigns with partners and donors.
• Manage and advance work with the Private sector, including through Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), identify, coordinate, and implement joint initiatives with the Private sector, including quasi-state entities.
• Coordinate joint communication efforts, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and advocate for gender equality and women's rights.
• Identify resource mobilization opportunities, communicate to the CO's management, and provide support in the development of the new programme, projects, and initiatives proposals.

4. Digital and social media engagement

• Oversee and enhance UN Women's digital presence through social media platforms, the website, and other digital channels.
• Monitor social media trends, analyze engagement metrics, and leverage data-driven insights to inform communication strategies.
• Produce compelling and impactful content for various digital and online platforms. Ensure consistency in messaging and adhere to UN Women's communication guidelines.
• Develop and manage the CO website, initiate and create content, update regularly, and provide oversight and quality assurance into its content based on corporate requirements.
• Design a creative social media strategy for the CO's full portfolio and its implementation plan. Produce multimedia interactive products (including videos, infographics, audio, animation, etc), engage the audiences in the dialogue, and manage the CO social media accounts in line with corporate social media policy;
• Analyze the performance of CO's digital presences and recommend adjustments to the strategies and products.
• Maintain CO's audio-video archive and ensure that its regular replenishment.
• Brief team on photography and video making, ensure high standards and quality that they can provide inputs to this archive as well.
• Upload information to the knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, and resources.
• Manage and oversee procurement processes pertaining to the communications and advocacy activities of the CO.
• Support the CO in corporate and UN coordination and gender mainstreaming initiatives upon request.

5. Knowledge management and reporting

• Ensure quality assurance of UN Women CO's full portfolio, including the Alliance Knowledge Products and its compliance with UN Women Knowledge Management standards. 
• Design and produce high quality CO's visual and print products in line with the UN Women corporate branding, publication, photo, social media and other guidelines;
• Oversee the timely publication and update of materials on virtual platforms such as Act for Equal Central Asia, Spotlight Initiative and other platforms developed within CO's portfolio. 
• Document good practices, lessons learned, and success stories from UN Women programmes.
• Prepare communication reports, briefs, and updates for management, donors, and partners.
• Provide training and internal communication support to UN Women teams.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women's Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to communicate professionally, sensitively, effectively, and creatively across different constituencies 
• Ability to research, analyze information, and report 
• Good knowledge of web-based knowledge management systems, digital tools, and innovative approaches 
• Experience in journalism, video production, graphic design, and photography 
• Good knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach 
• Good knowledge of the local country media landscape, national and regional contexts 
• Good communication, presentation, networking, and advocacy skills 
• Ability to be strategic, creative, proactive, and analytical 
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and/or as a team member.  

• Bachelor in communications, public relations, journalism, international relations, marketing, design, or a relevant field is required; 
• Master degree in a relevant field of study is an asset

• At least 7 years of professional work experience at the national or international level in public relations, marketing, journalism, communications or advocacy, and international relations (5 years with relevant Master Degree). 
• Experience in the production of multimedia materials for social media. 
• Proven experience in strategic communication, media relations, and digital engagement.
• Experience working with international organizations, government, or civil society is an asset.
• Skills in multimedia content production (photo/video editing, design) is desirable.
• Specialized training/ certificate in the related area is an asset. 

• Fluency in English, Russian, and Kazakh.
• Knowledge of other Central Asian languages is an asset.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women's policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.