Job description
Resource Mobilization, Partnerships &
Communications Specialist
The Position:
The Resource Mobilization, Partnerships & Communications Specialist is a dual-track role responsible for (1) securing the financial resources necessary to deliver UNFPA’s mandate and (2) positioning the organization as the "thought leader" on Maternal Health, GBV, and Youth in South Sudan. The incumbent will bridge the gap between complex technical programming and persuasive storytelling, ensuring that UNFPA is the partner of choice for bilateral donors, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and the private sector.
How you can make a difference:
The UNFPA Strategic Plan 2026–2029 serves as the organization’s final push to achieve the 2030 Agenda, centering its mission on four primary outcomes. It continues to prioritize the "three transformative results"-ending the unmet need for family planning, eliminating preventable maternal deaths, and stopping gender-based violence and harmful practices. A pivotal addition to this cycle is a fourth outcome focused on demographic resilience, which seeks to help nations navigate complex population shifts, such as aging and urbanization, while ensuring that individual rights and reproductive choices remain at the heart of national policies.
To accelerate progress towards humanitarian, development, and peace efforts. By leveraging advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence, UNFPA aims to pinpoint and support those "furthest behind," directly contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). This strategic framework emphasizes sustainable financing and localized agility, ensuring that even in climate-vulnerable or conflict-affected regions, the global community remains on track to fulfill the promise of the 2030 goals.
Job Purpose:
Responsibilities:
The Specialist will be responsible for:
A. Strategic Resource Mobilization & Donor Relations
- Multi-Year Strategy: Develop and execute a robust Resource Mobilization Strategy aligned with the UNFPA South Sudan CP and evolving needs
- "Gold Standard" Proposals: Lead the end-to-end design and drafting of high-quality, technically sound, and budget-aligned proposals for donors such as the SSHF, CERF, World Bank, and bilateral partners (USAID, FCDO, EU).
- Donor Intelligence & Mapping: Maintain a live donor tracking database and DARTS (Donor Agreement and Tracking System), proactively identifying entry points for non-traditional funding (e.g., Private Sector, IFIs).
- Grants Management: Oversee the proposal pipeline and ensure all interim and final donor reports are submitted on time with high analytical quality, reflecting Value for Money (VfM).
B. Strategic Communications & Advocacy
- Content Strategy: Design and implement a visibility strategy that amplifies the voices of vulnerable women and girls. Produce high-impact multimedia content (human interest stories, photo essays, and short videos) from hard-to-reach areas like Malakal and Pibor.
- Media & Public Relations: Act as the primary focal point for international and local media. Draft press releases, speeches, and talking points for the Representative.
- Digital Presence: Manage the UNFPA South Sudan website and social media content calendar, ensuring regular publishing of high-quality, original content.
- Inter-Agency Participation: Represent UNFPA in the UN Communication Group (UNCG) and other UN-wide communication working groups to ensure joint advocacy for the ICPD mandate.
C. Reporting, Evidence & Knowledge Management
- Impact Reporting: Transform raw programmatic data into "Donor Briefs" and "Impact Infographics."
- Visibility Compliance: Ensure all field offices and Implementing Partners (IPs) strictly adhere to donor visibility requirements (branding, signage, and attribution).
- Knowledge Products: Coordinate the documentation of "Best Practices" and "Lessons Learned," particularly regarding the HDP Nexus and PSEA, to be used in global and regional advocacy.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
Advanced (Masters) Degree in International Relations, Communications, Journalism, Public Health, or a related field.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of increasingly responsible experience in resource mobilization and/or high-level communications within an international organization.
- Writing Excellence: Exceptional English writing skills are mandatory. The ability to synthesize complex clinical or protection data into emotive, persuasive prose for donors is critical.
- Sector Knowledge: Familiarity with the UNFPA mandate, and the specific donor landscape.
- Technical Tools: Proficiency in design software (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite) and social media analytics.
- A thorough understanding of the UN system in general, and especially UNFPA mandate, its policies and operations and current development topics and political issues in South Sudan will be an added advantage;
- Demonstrated ability to work in a team
Languages:
Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably Arabic is desirable.
Required Competencies:
Values:
- Exemplifying integrity,
- Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
- Embracing cultural diversity,
- Embracing change
Core Competencies:
- Achieving Results
- Being Accountable
- Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen
- Thinking analytically and strategically
- Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships
- Communicating for Impact
Functional Competencies:
Resource Mobilization and Partnership:
- Persuasion: Convincing donors to invest in "sensitive" areas like SRH and GBV.
- Strategic Vision: Identifying alternative funding sources beyond traditional grants.
- Managing data
- Budgetary Literacy: Managing complex budgets and logical frameworks with precision.
Communications and Advocacy:
- Storytelling: Finding the "human face" behind the statistics of the conflict.
- Crisis Communication: Managing reputational risk in a volatile political and security environment.
- Visual Literacy: Directing high-quality photography and video production in the field
Compensation and Benefits:
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.
Disclaimer:
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.