Communications Officer - MCDRS

Work for the IMF. Work for the World.

The Communications Officer in the Regional Studies and Analytics Division (MCDRS) of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department (MCD) serves as the department’s focal point for outreach, communications, and editorial coordination. The role combines strong editorial leadership with a strategic communications and outreach function, supporting the effective dissemination of MCD’s analytical and policy work and senior management messaging to both internal and external audiences.

This is a hybrid, department-wide function with year-round responsibilities that extend beyond flagship publication cycles. The Officer plays a central role in shaping the presentation of MCD outputs, coordinating closely with the Communications Department (COM) and other IMF stakeholders, and ensuring consistent, high-quality messaging aligned with Fund-wide standards and strategic objectives.

Roles and Responsibilities
- Editorial and Analytical Communications (approximately 50%)

• Provide editorial leadership and production support for MCD’s core analytical products, including the Regional Economic Outlook (REO), departmental papers, Staff Discussion Notes, speeches, and selected working and country-related papers, as needed.
• Line edit and substantively edit complex economic and policy texts to improve clarity, coherence, accessibility, and suitability for intended audiences, while ensuring full compliance with IMF editorial standards and style.
• Act as the principal editorial liaison with authors, COM, and translation and production services, monitoring production schedules and ensuring timely delivery of publications.
• Coordinate and lead proof reviews and revision processes for major publications, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and incorporation of agreed changes prior to release.
• Draft and edit outreach materials associated with analytical products, including press remarks, blogs, op-eds, video scripts, talking points, and background notes.
• Ensure consistent messaging across written products and complementary formats, including social media content, infographics, and other digital materials, in collaboration with COM.

Outreach, Communications, and Coordination (approximately 50%)

• Serve as MCD’s departmental focal point for outreach and communications, coordinating closely with COM on publication timelines, message alignment, and outreach strategies.
• Support senior management communications by drafting and coordinating speeches, op-eds, scripts, and briefing materials for high-level engagements, including for Management and the Office of the Managing Director.
• Organize and support high-level outreach events, public seminars, and conferences, including coordination of messaging, briefing materials, and logistical inputs.
• Oversee the management and continuous updating of the department-wide outreach and publications calendar, including follow-up with contributors and maintenance of related intranet-based tools.
• Coordinate with MCD field offices and relevant teams to help ensure alignment and coherence of communications and outreach plans across the department.
• Draft and circulate recurring departmental outreach products, such as the Quarterly Research Digest, coordinating inputs across teams.
• Provide functional guidance and coordination to contributors involved in outreach and communications activities, without formal supervisory responsibility.
• Build and leverage networks across MCD and the wider IMF to execute outreach activities in an efficient, agile, and resource-effective manner.

Minimum Qualifications

Educational development, typically acquired by the completion of an advanced university degree, or equivalent, in communications, international relations, languages, or a related field, supplemented by a minimum of four years of relevant professional experience, is required. Alternatively, a university degree, or equivalent, and ten years of relevant professional experience are required.

In addition to the qualifications set forth in the job standards above, the successful candidate must have:

• Demonstrated ability to edit and rewrite material produced by technical specialists so that it is accessible to non-technical audiences, with strong familiarity with economic, policy, or analytical content.
• Proven drafting skills across multiple formats, including analytical publications, speeches, op-eds, blogs, and digital content.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent products, deadlines, and stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work tactfully and constructively with senior staff, authors, and partners in a multicultural environment.
• Sound judgment, flexibility, and resourcefulness, with the ability to navigate institutional processes and coordinate effectively across departments.
• Experience working collaboratively in team-based settings and providing functional guidance or coordination across contributors.

A regular staff member who is selected to fill the vacancy will maintain their open-ended status. If the selected candidate is a contractual employee, they will be offered a Term staff appointment. Staff members already on a term appointment will continue their current term but may receive an extension provided that their current term appointment has not already been extended.

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The IMF is guided by the principle that the employment, classification, promotion, and assignment of staff shall be made without discrimination against any person. We welcome requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities during the selection process. Information on how to request accommodations will be provided during the application process.