Communications Officer

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

General Information
Title of Post: Communications Officer
Grade: CST II
Supervisor: Head of Partnerships and Communications
Unit/Division:  Communications
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Aden, Yemen
Duration of Contract: 11 months

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

WFP Yemen operates in a highly complex humanitarian environment where effective communications and engagement are essential to support programme delivery, build trust, demonstrate impact and maintain confidence among affected communities, staff, partners, authorities, donors and the media.

The Country Office’s communications approach is structured around four complementary areas: internal communications, community engagement, local media, and external media/fundraising. Together, these areas aim to strengthen alignment across the office, improve two-way communication with communities, support preparedness around programme changes, address misinformation, and generate stronger evidence-based content for advocacy, visibility and resource mobilization.

JOB PURPOSE:

The position will support the implementation of WFP Yemen’s communications and engagement priorities by helping translate operational information into clear, timely and audience-appropriate messages. It will strengthen coordination between Communications, Programmes, M&E, Field Offices, Security, Partnerships and leadership, ensuring that communications are integrated into programme delivery from the outset.

The role will contribute to field-level dissemination, community feedback and engagement, media and social media monitoring, visibility and storytelling, donor-facing communications, and internal alignment. It is central to making engagement a practical operational tool that strengthens accountability to affected people, improves programme acceptance, enhances WFP’s reputation, and supports sustained donor confidence in WFP Yemen’s work.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

• Develop, maintain and regularly update a communications workplan for WFP Yemen, ensuring that activities are aligned with the Country Office’s operational priorities, corporate communications standards, and the four areas of focus: internal communications, community engagement, local media, and external media/fundraising.
• Plan, coordinate and implement communications and engagement initiatives that strengthen WFP’s visibility, credibility and acceptance among affected communities, staff, partners, donors, media and other key audiences.
• Produce clear, accurate and audience-appropriate communications materials, including key messages, web stories, press lines, social media content, factsheets, visibility products, briefing materials, presentations and donor-facing content.
• Support community engagement by developing communication materials for affected populations, working with Field Offices, Cooperating Partners, Programmes and Monitoring and Learning to ensure that communities receive timely, consistent and accessible information on WFP assistance and programme changes.
• Strengthen two-way communication with communities by supporting the documentation, analysis and use of feedback, questions, concerns and rumours gathered through field teams, cooperating partners, community feedback mechanisms and other channels.
• Maintain and develop relationships with local and international media, journalists, fixers, influencers and relevant information platforms, while ensuring that media engagement is risk-informed and aligned with WFP’s messaging and reputational considerations.
• Monitor traditional media, social media and online narratives related to WFP Yemen, humanitarian assistance and food security, identifying trends, misinformation, reputational risks and opportunities for proactive engagement.
• Develop and implement a social media plan for WFP Yemen, using appropriate platforms, content formats and partners to increase visibility, explain WFP’s work, showcase impact and support advocacy and fundraising objectives.
• Generate and facilitate the production of high-quality visibility and storytelling content, including text, photos, videos and audio, with a focus on evidence-based narratives that demonstrate WFP’s operational presence, programme results, innovation and funding needs.
• Work closely with Monitoring and Learning, Programmes, Field Offices and Partnerships to ensure communications products are grounded in data, field realities and programme evidence, and that impact stories reflect both operational results and the voices of the people WFP serves.
• Support internal communications by helping staff understand WFP Yemen’s priorities, achievements, operational changes and key messages, while encouraging staff participation in visibility and storytelling efforts.
• Build the communications capacity of WFP staff, field teams and relevant partners by providing guidance, tools, templates and training on visibility, storytelling, branding, media engagement, community-facing messaging and risk-sensitive communications.
• Coordinate with Country Office leadership, Regional Bureau, Headquarters and relevant technical units to ensure coherence of messaging, timely clearance of sensitive products, and alignment with corporate communications standards.
• Prepare regular updates and reports on communications activities, media engagement, social media performance, community engagement outputs, risks and results to inform decision-making and support accountability.\
• Contribute to preparedness and risk management by ensuring communications considerations are integrated into programme planning, distribution preparedness, operational changes and reputational risk mitigation.
• Manage and guide communications staff or focal points, as applicable, by developing workplans, supporting prioritization, monitoring performance and promoting a collaborative, high-quality communications function.
• Perform other related duties as required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing communications strategies, workplans, campaigns and products for diverse audiences in complex operational or humanitarian contexts.
• Experience in community engagement, field-level communications and/or accountability to affected populations, including the development of clear, accessible messages for communities.
• Experience producing visibility and storytelling content across formats, including written materials, photos, videos, social media content, donor visibility products and human-interest stories.
• Experience monitoring traditional and social media, identifying reputational risks, misinformation or emerging narratives, and supporting appropriate communications responses.
• Experience working across functions and with senior stakeholders, including programmes, M&E, field teams, partnerships, security, leadership, media and external partners, to ensure coherent and evidence-based communications.
• Experience providing guidance, coaching or capacity-building support to staff, partners, focal points or small teams on communications, visibility, branding, storytelling or media engagement.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Advanced University degree in Journalism, International Relations, Public Relations, Communications or other relevant field with a minimum of 5 years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Or First University degree with additional years of related work experience.

Language:

Fluency (level C) in English language.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact:  global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.