Introduction

The International Labour Organization (ILO) plays a key role in advancing decent work solutions in contexts of displacement and return across Syria and neighbouring countries. In host countries, its interventions focus on expanding access to decent work and supporting socio-economic development. In Syria, the ILO contributes to creating the conditions for sustainable returns by supporting reintegration and promoting socio-economic recovery.

Guided by Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience, the ILO implements a comprehensive forced displacement and return programme that bridges humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts through the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) Nexus. This programme promotes inclusive and sustainable reintegration by combining policy reform, institutional strengthening, and interventions that generate employment, enhance social protection, and formalize livelihoods for returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and local communities.

Key initiatives under this programme include:

• The PROSPECTS Partnership, funded by the Government of the Netherlands and jointly implemented with UNHCR, UNICEF, IFC, and the World Bank. In the Arab States the project covers Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria.  It contributes to the empowerment of refugees in the host countries, returnees and vulnerable local communities through interventions that promote decent work.
• The Joint Durable Solutions Project, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNHCR, IOM, and ILO, covers Lebanon and Syria. It seeks to strengthen resilience and create conditions for safe, voluntary, and dignified returns through integrated support for livelihoods, skills development, and employment-intensive recovery.

Together, these programmes contribute to rebuilding livelihoods, strengthening labour market institutions, enhancing skills systems, and revitalizing micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Syria and in the host countries. They are implemented in close coordination to ensure a coherent, cross-border approach to return and reintegration, aligned with the ILO’s Programme of Support for Syria and its broader mandate. The incumbent will assist in promoting decent work, social justice, and inclusive recovery.

Reporting line:

The incumbent will report to the Regional Chief Technical Adviser – PROSPECTS Regional Programme with technical backstopping from the Regional Communication Team in ILO’s Regional Office for the Arab States. Under the guidance of the supervisor, the incumbent will be responsible for:

Description of Duties

1. Developing and implementing communications plans to raise visibility of the ILO’s forced-displacement, reintegration, and employment-intensive recovery programmes across Syria and neighbouring host countries, ensuring alignment with ILO standards.
2. Producing high-quality written and visual content that includes human stories, infographics, videos, digital assets, and social-media content that effectively communicate results, impact, and decent-work messages to national stakeholders, donors, and affected communities.
3. Drafting compelling narratives, press releases, op-eds, talking points, and reports that articulate ILO’s policy positions, programme achievements, and decent work priorities within forced displacement, return, and recovery contexts.
4. Supporting crisis communications and reputational risk analysis, including monitoring media trends on migration, labour markets, and returns; preparing evidence-based inputs for senior management; and ensuring coherent messaging with UN partners in sensitive operating environments.
5. Coordinating digital communications and multimedia outreach, including programme-specific web pages, optimizing social media channels, ensuring accessibility, and producing digital campaigns that highlight employment, skills, and reintegration interventions.
6. Conducting digital media analytics and developing data-driven insights to track communications reach and impact; informing content strategy; and guiding adaptive communications in both Syria and host-country contexts.
7. Under the guidance of the responsible supervisor, maintain close liaison and strategic partnerships with national counterparts, social partners, governments, workers' and employers' organizations, and UN/non-governmental organizations (UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF), donor communications teams, media organizations, and influencers to amplify visibility of decent-work interventions and cross-border reintegration efforts to discuss matters and follow up on a broad range of country programmes and projects.
8. Strengthening internal communications, including preparing staff updates, supporting crisis-related internal coordination, facilitating learning events and briefings, and helping ensure coherence between field offices, the Regional Office, and HQ.
9. Co-ordinate, promote linkages and share best practices and lessons learnt with other relevant ILO projects/programs, ILO units and external stakeholders.
10. Providing guidance, training, and technical support to programme teams and implementing partners on ILO communications standards, ethical storytelling, visual identity, digital content creation, and data protection compliant with ILO and UN norms.
11. Coordinating the production of communication materials for joint initiatives under PROSPECTS and the EU Durable Solutions project, ensuring message coherence, donor visibility compliance, and integration of decent-work perspectives across joint campaigns and advocacy events.
12. Promote the inclusion of gender equality and non-discrimination in all aspects of the communications activities.
13. Undertake other duties as required.

Required qualifications

Education

• Advanced university degree (master ‘s or equivalent) in Communication or a relevant field.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in one of the afore-mentioned fields or other relevant field with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the required experience stated below, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

• At least five years of professional experience in Communication is required.
• Prior experience with UN and international organizations is a strong advantage, as would be work in the context of forced displacement.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of English is required. A good working knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage.

Competencies

• Good knowledge of the programmes, operations and activities of UN organizations.
• Ability to provide technical advice and to guide and coordinate the work of external collaborators, general service staff and young professionals in the area of specialization.
• Ability to formulate new concepts and methodologies.
• Good knowledge of computer applications for information collection, management and dissemination. 
• Knowledge of audio/visual production techniques and methods.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and gender-sensitive behaviour and attitudes are also required.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Excellent analytical skills and knowledge of analytical tools and qualitative and quantitative techniques.
• Ability to prioritize work, work under pressure, and meet strict deadlines. Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to take initiatives and work independently with minimum supervision.
• Flexibility and willingness to learn and undertake personal and professional development.

optional section (if needed)

Candidates assessed by the Panel and considered to be eligible for appointment but who are not selected for this vacant post may be offered an assignment to another position at the same or lower grade provided that they meet the minimum qualifications required.