Communications Intern

Initiative for Climate Action Transparency

The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) was established in 2015 at the COP that adopted the Paris Agreement to support the implementation of the Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework. 

ICAT provides countries with tailored support and practical tools and methodologies to build robust transparency frameworks needed for effective climate action in sync with national development priorities. The projects ICAT supports relate to: building or enhancing transparency frameworks for mitigation; building a monitoring and evaluation approach for adaptation; building or enhancing frameworks to track progress in implementing nationally determined contributions; assessing the impacts of climate policies;  estimating or enhancing projections of greenhouse gases; integrating and/or aggregating climate actions at the subnational level and by non-State actors; building a tracking system for just transition processes; establishing or enhancing a climate data system; and putting in place a framework to track climate finance.

To support these areas, ICAT offers a suite of practical, open-source tools and methodologies to provide effective support to the transparency efforts of countries around the world.

ICAT is an unincorporated multi-stakeholder partnership steered by the Donor Steering Committee (DSC), conformed by its donors, Austria; Canada; Germany; Italy; the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF); and Climate Works Foundation (CWF), and includes the UNFCCC Secretariat as the dedicated UN body with a climate change policy mandate, and UNOPS as an ex-officio member. The Initiative is managed by UNOPS on behalf of the DSC. Within UNOPS, the ICAT Secretariat manages ICAT day-to-day activities, coordinating and guiding the work of the implementing partners

The Water, Environment and Climate Portfolio

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over USD 500 million (over the last 15 years) to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support. WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country-specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements,  such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Communications Officer, the incumbent will be responsible for supporting all communications activities under ICAT, in particular supporting social media, the ICAT website, and other communications channels, and the development of outreach materials. 

1. Social Media Support:

• Contribute to the creation, scheduling and publishing of content for ICAT’s social media channels and maintain the social media calendar

• Monitor ICAT’s X, YouTube and LinkedIn channels for engagements, and interact accordingly

• Contribute creative ideas for content and social media campaigns related to ICAT’s activities

• Measure post impressions, engagement and other metrics

2. Website Support:

• Contribute to the creation of written stories for the ICAT website, covering ICAT projects and activities, in line with the ICAT editorial calendar

• Write, edit,publish andand optimize content for the website

• Measure the website performance

3. Other communications channels:

• Support the preparation and publication of the quarterly electronic newsletter, ICAT Spotlight

• Support of media engagement activities

• Support the preparation of updates for partner publications

4. Events support:

• Assist with online and in-person ICAT events, including, but not limited to:

  • Creating material, including session concept notes presentations,posters, brochures, and other promotional items

  • Planning and implementing event promotion, via the ICAT channels, including capturing key messages from events and using them for communications products

  • Supporting the hosting and management of webinars

  • Supporting the delivery of in-person events

Training components and learning elements

The incumbent will have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the communications field, particularly in the global arena. They will gain experience in working with communications and design agencies.

Additionally, the incumbent will have the opportunity to join the ICAT Secretariat meetings, including any relevant high-level meetings, and get exposure to key stakeholders involved with climate action and transparency, such as other UN agencies (e.g. UNFCCC, UNEP, UNDP, UNSSC, UNU), several country and multi-partner donors, international non-governmental organizations and representatives from country beneficiaries. 

The incumbent will also have full access to UNOPS intranet, the Project ERP system and the Communities of Practice (COPs) in Project Management, Gender Mainstreaming, Innovation and Research, Sustainable Infrastructure, etc.   

Participation in missions or training courses

The incumbent will have access to the UNOPS Learning Zone and apply for training in Programme Management,Coaching, Competency Based Interviews, and mandatory training as per UNOPS policy.

Required:

• The applicant should have completed a Minimum First level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent), or be enrolled in a postgraduate program or have graduated from such studies within three (3) years prior to the start date of the intern assignment.

Desired:

• Area of study should preferably be in communications, media, marketing and/or journalism.

Desired:

• While no prior work experience is required, some experience or volunteering in any of the following areas or related fields would be an asset.

  • Climate change

  • Capacity Building

  • Research

Additional considerations:

• Ability to synthesize large amounts of information and communicate it clearly;

• Efficient time management skills, including the ability to manage multiple ongoing projects alongside tasks requiring a quick turnaround;

• The incumbent is responsible for abiding by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS; 

• The incumbent is responsible for arranging their own travel and securing any necessary visas;

• The incumbent should provide confirmation that they are fit specifically for the duty station conditions, as certified by a medical practitioner. Interns are responsible for receiving clearance from a medical doctor.

• The incumbent must be in possession of a residence permit or nationality permitting them to stay and conduct the internship in Germany during the full time of the internship.

• 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.