Communications Assistant

Host entity: UNU CHN

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Community development, Art, design, culture, Communication, advocacy, public information

Application deadline: 11/10/2026

Mission and objectives

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through re-search and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU's work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals' full breadth, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

Assignment context

UNU Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) is one of 13 research and training Institutes that comprise the think tanks in the UNU system. UNU Macau is a research institute at the intersections of digital tech-nology and sustainable development. The Institute conducts policy-relevant research and generates solutions, addressing pressing challenges expressed in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Develop-ment through high-impact innovations and the latest technologies. Through its research, the UNU Institute in Macau encourages data-driven and evidence-based actions and policies to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

One of the Institute’s missions is to nurture the next generation of interdisciplinary computing, in-formation and social scientists, and engineers to be leaders in the field of Information and Communi-cation Technology (ICT) for development. To this end, the institute seeks to build a team of experts to help deliver the institute’s mission and work plan. The Institute’s research tends to be more applied, and strives for policy impact in the UN system, at international, regional and national levels.
The UNU Institute in Macau is situated in the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, and it is the only UN entity in the city. Macau is one of the most dynamic regions in Asia, where techno-logical innovations have become an integral part in driving social and economic change. Macau is part of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), that hosts many private sector companies and technological gi-ants that are just a short distance away.

Task description

Under the supervision of the Communications and External Relations Officer at UNU Macau, and being a part of the UNU Communications team and the UN China Communications Group, the Communications Assistant is responsible for elaborating an institutional communications work plan and calendar, proposing tools for multimedia content research and production in the regional context, development and maintenance of online presence, and support to outreach efforts and campaigns. The Communications Assistant will undertake the following tasks:

Institutional communications:
• Develop and maintain a communications work plan and calendar in line with institutional priorities, with a focus on web content and social media;
• Support the development of an institutional communications and advocacy strategy;
• Provide support and training to interns and personnels at UNU Macau, especially communication fellows.

Content research and production:
• Research digital initiatives for all communications purposes, in coordination with researchers at UNU Macau;
• Coordinate content production with the Communications team at UNU Macau, especially multimedia content;
• Prepare up-to-date information, articles, and publishing content based on institutional priorities;
• Arrange for the translation of materials when required, ensuring brand and quality of such materials.

Support events and campaigns:
• Liaise with the communications team and external partners to ensure support for activities, such as but not limited to the UNU Macau AI Conference and other institutional events;
• Collect and analyse data and feedback for final reporting on events;
• Support outreach initiatives to raise visibility and media interest in the work of UNU Macau and the contributions made by UNU Macau to the local communities.

Skills and experience

Minimum requirements (must-haves):
• Experience in multi‑media content editing, including audio, video, and image formats, using professional tools such as Adobe Premiere, Audition, Photoshop, Illustrator, or equivalent.
• Skills in content design, with the ability to create visually engaging layouts and graphics for institutional publications, reports, and social media.
• Practical experience in preparing content for both online and print publication, ensuring formatting consistency, accessibility compliance, and alignment with branding.
• Strong computer literacy, including proficiency in standard office software (MS Office suite) and familiarity with content management systems for web publishing.
• Excellent command of written English, with the ability to produce clear, concise, and polished content tailored to diverse audiences.

Additional assets (desirable):
• Experience in motion graphics or animation using tools such as After Effects.
• Skills in photography or videography, including the ability to capture original visual material for institutional use.
• Prior UN experience or familiarity with UN editorial standards, branding guidelines, or internal publishing systems.
• Proficiency in additional languages, for example Cantonese, to support regional communication.

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Creativity
• Judgement and decision-making
• Planning and organising
• Professionalism
• Self-management

Living conditions

The duty station of the national UN Volunteer is located in Macau SAR, China. The volunteer will receive a standard volunteer living allowance (VLA) as well as other entitlements. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator.

The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.