Strategic Communications and Partnerships Specialist

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners by providing quality services, integrated solutions and management support through strategic, cost-effective and results-oriented approaches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) has a global mandate to accelerate progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. Hosted by UNOPS, we work at the intersection of energy, climate and development, partnering with governments and organizations worldwide to end energy poverty, double energy efficiency, significantly expand renewable energy and combat climate change.

Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere, can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We promote this vision by pushing for higher ambitions, stronger policies, greater finance flows, increased localization and green jobs, and faster results toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind. 

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Since then, our CEO has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

This role sits at the intersection of Communications and Partnerships. It sharpens how SEforALL tells the story of its impact and uses that story to move decision-makers, showcase country-level results, and unlock funding in support of our mission.

Key areas of responsibility

1. Position sustainable energy as the foundation of climate and development action

 Shape and advance a compelling narrative that positions sustainable energy as the enabler of progress on climate, health, jobs, gender equality and economic growth, and shift how it is understood in the global discourse.

2. Move decision-makers from commitments to implementation

 Design and deliver targeted communications that help governments, institutions, and financiers turn pledges into concrete policies, investments, commitments and results.

3. Strengthen country-level ownership and impact visibility

 Elevate locally led success stories and work with country partners to amplify them, building the evidence, credibility and political momentum for replication and scale.

4. Mobilize funding and partnerships at scale

 Use communications to build credibility, visibility and urgency around SEforALL's work, supporting fundraising and strategic partnerships that unlock public and private finance.

The Strategic Communications and Partnerships Specialist will lead the development of human-centred storytelling that brings SEforALL's mission, programmes and impact to life for diverse global audiences. The Specialist will translate complex energy, climate and development issues into clear, engaging narratives that demonstrate tangible impact, elevate the voices of beneficiaries and partners, and strengthen SEforALL's position as a trusted leader on sustainable energy.

Working across the Communications and Partnerships & Development (P&D) teams, the Specialist will identify and develop stories and campaigns that support advocacy, executive positioning, stakeholder engagement and resource mobilisation. The Specialist will also ensure a consistent, distinctive SEforALL narrative across programmes, platforms and external engagements.

This is a part-time retainer role, with an expected commitment of up to 12 days per month on average over 12 months.

In duty stations where the National Professional Officer (NPO) category has been established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), the contract modality (Local ICA or International ICA) may be evaluated based on the nationality and/or permanent residency status of the preferred candidate.

Under the direct supervision of the Directors of Communications and of Partnerships & Development (P&D), the Specialist will be responsible for the following key functions: 

Storytelling and Content Development

• Lead the build-out of SEforALL's new storytelling platform, producing narrative content that centres on beneficiaries and partners.
• Work with programme and country teams to identify and craft human-centred stories that demonstrate tangible impact.
• Introduce innovative storytelling approaches, including digital advocacy and multimedia formats.

Advocacy and Strategic Communications

• Craft messaging for leadership, international events and global campaigns that advances advocacy and influences policy agendas.
• Strengthen executive positioning through speeches, briefing notes, talking points and op-eds.
• Work with internal teams to ensure communications reflect organisational priorities and extend SEforALL's global reach.

Resource Mobilisation and Donor Engagement

• Partner with leadership to articulate SEforALL's value proposition and mobilise resources and partnerships.
• Coordinate the development of a private-sector donor interface that diversifies funding streams through flexible, rapid-contribution mechanisms.
• Design and produce donor-facing assets, including pitch decks, brochures and programme overviews, to support the fundraising strategy and secure funding.

Impact Reporting and Insights

• Gather and synthesise qualitative and quantitative impact data from SEforALL convenings, and translate the findings into tailored messaging for internal stakeholders and external funders.
• Monitor global energy and climate discourse to identify communication and positioning opportunities.
• Capture lessons learned and analytics to continuously refine SEforALL's global communications approach.

Required

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in communications, journalism, business studies, public policy, climate, sustainable energy or related fields is required.

• A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in communications, journalism, business studies, public policy, climate, sustainable energy or related fields with additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the master's degree.

Required

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in strategic communications including messaging, creating compelling narratives, speech writing, writing articles, producing complex communications products that incorporate sound structure, clarity, logic and persuasion is required.

• Experience in the climate, sustainable energy or development sector is required.

  
  

Desired

• Experience in translating complex technical and policy issues into clear, compelling, and accessible content, including speeches, op-eds, reports, briefs, and digital content is desirable.

• Proven ability to engage diverse governments, donors, private sector, civil society and media with tailored and persuasive messaging is desirable.

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations is desirable.

• 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.