Communications Officer (Partnerships and Regional Engagement Coordination) - Call for Interest (Temporary Professional Officer)

This call is advertised as a short-term assignment, initially for a period of nine months, and is expected to start shortly after completion of the selection process. 

The contractual arrangement will depend on the selected candidate's current status with IFAD. A staff member holding a Fixed-Term or Indefinite Appointment would undertake the assignment through a Temporary Assignment, in accordance with the applicable provisions. All other candidates, including external candidates and individuals currently working with IFAD under other contractual arrangements, if selected would be engaged under a Short-Term Appointment. 

Applicants currently working for IFAD, regardless of their contractual status, should discuss their application with their supervisor and obtain their supervisor's support for their release should they be selected.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The External Relations Department (ERD) leads IFAD's external engagement through public and political advocacy, global policy engagement, partnership building, resource mobilization and strategic communications. ERD also leads IFAD's Replenishment, which is the process through which IFAD mobilizes core funding from Member States and agrees on priorities and targets for the Fund's work during each three-year replenishment period. ERD is led by an Associate Vice President and is comprised of two divisions: Global Engagement Partnership and Resource Mobilization Division (GPR) and the Communications Division (COM) and one initiative: The Food Systems Coordination (FSC).

The Communications Division (COM) leads IFAD's global communications and public advocacy, growing the Fund's visibility and reputation, and promoting the IFAD brand. It expands IFAD's media presence and digital footprint, connecting audiences with stories of IFAD's work and impact. COM also leads on internal communications, keeping IFAD's staff informed and involved.

COM is led by a Divisional Director supported by the Chief, Communications Strategy and Operations, and is comprised of four (4) teams: External Engagement, Partner and Field Engagement, Production, and Strategic Planning and Internal Communication.

The position sits within the Communications Division (COM) and reports to the Senior Communications Specialist - Partner and Field Engagement, responsible for the Partnerships and Regional Communications portfolio.

The incumbent contributes to delivery across this portfolio through substantive communications, external engagement, analysis and project management responsibilities. Within agreed areas of responsibility, the incumbent takes ownership of defined workstreams and selected initiatives, analyses priorities and communications requirements, develops recommendations and coordinates implementation across relevant teams, divisions and regions.

The incumbent works within established institutional priorities and the overall direction of the Senior Communications Specialist, exercising independent judgement within agreed areas of responsibility.

Portfolio planning, analysis and delivery 

• Coordinate planning, monitoring and reporting for assigned areas of the Partnerships and Regional Communications portfolio, and analyse progress against agreed priorities and deliverables. 

• Design and implement practical portfolio-management tools that strengthen planning, accountability and delivery.

• Produce concise analysis and recommendations on priorities, sequencing, delivery risks and communications opportunities within assigned workstreams.

• Identify emerging operational, communications and potential reputational risks within assigned workstreams and contribute to defining mitigation measures.

• Deliver selected cross-cutting initiatives within the portfolio from planning through implementation, follow-up and evaluation.

• Ensure that assigned workstreams are delivered to the required quality and within agreed timelines.

2. Partnerships and external engagement communications

• Coordinate communications delivery for an assigned portfolio of institutional partnerships, priority engagements and external initiatives. 

• Develop communications approaches and implementation plans for selected partnership activities, defining objectives, audiences, messages, deliverables and timelines.

• Analyse partner and institutional developments relevant to assigned workstreams and identify communications implications, opportunities and sensitivities.

• Develop recommendations on communications positioning and messaging for assigned partnership engagements, missions and institutional moments, in line with agreed priorities.

• Coordinate the preparation and quality assurance of communications and briefing materials for selected external engagements.

• Maintain effective working relationships with colleagues across COM, GPR and other relevant divisions and liaise with external institutional counterparts as required.

• Assess implementation and results of assigned partnership communications activities and recommend adjustments where appropriate.

3. Regional communications planning and delivery

• Coordinate the regional communications planning and reporting cycle, working with regional communications colleagues to consolidate priorities, progress and identify areas requiring follow-up.

• Analyse regional communications delivery and results, identifying risks and opportunities and recommending appropriate actions.

• Lead selected cross-regional communications initiatives and coordinate contributions from relevant headquarters and regional teams.

• Provide communications recommendations and practical guidance on agreed regional priorities and initiatives.

• Identify opportunities to connect regional communications activities with relevant partnership and institutional priorities.

4. Strategic communications and quality assurance

• Analyse communications requirements linked to assigned partnership and institutional engagements and recommend messages, audiences and communications approaches consistent with agreed institutional positioning.

• Develop communications approaches and implementation plans for assigned partnership initiatives, translating institutional priorities and partner context into clear objectives, messages and deliverables.

• Draft strategic communications materials, including positioning notes, key messages and talking points for major events, missions and senior level engagements.

• Provide substantive inputs for selected media, digital and other communications products linked to priority partnership and cross-regional activities, working with the relevant specialist teams responsible for production and dissemination.

• Review and quality-assure assigned partnership and cross-regional communications products for strategic coherence, factual accuracy, consistency of figures, audience relevance and alignment with institutional positioning.

• Synthesise complex institutional, political and partner information into clear communications analysis, recommendations and briefing materials for senior-level engagements. 

• Identify communications opportunities, sensitivities and reputational considerations linked to assigned partnership and external engagement workstreams and contribute to identifying appropriate responses.

5. Priority initiatives and cross-team delivery

• Lead selected partnership communications initiatives and cross-regional communications projects from planning through implementation and evaluation.

• Define objectives, audiences, workplans, responsibilities, timelines, deliverables and measures of success for assigned initiatives.

• Coordinate contributions from relevant COM, GPR and regional colleagues and resolve delivery issues proactively.

• Analyse implementation progress and recommend adjustments where required.

• Capture lessons from major initiatives and recommend practical improvements to future partnership and regional communications planning and delivery.

1. Handover and assignment workplan: Complete the initial handover and onboarding phase and establish an agreed workplan setting out the priority partnerships, regional workstreams and initiatives for the assignment period.

2. Regional communications planning and reporting cycle: Coordinate and strengthen the regional communications planning and reporting cycle, with periodic analysis of progress, gaps, risks and priorities.

3. Assigned partnership communications: Deliver agreed communications plans and outputs for an assigned portfolio of priority institutional partnerships and external engagements.

4. Selected priority initiatives: Deliver selected partnership or cross-regional communications initiatives against agreed objectives, timelines and expected results.

5. Portfolio analysis and recommendations: Provide regular analysis and recommendations on delivery, communications opportunities, emerging risks and required follow-up across assigned areas of the portfolio.

The incumbent maintains effective working relationships across IFAD departments, divisions and regional offices. They engage regularly with internal stakeholders at all levels to gather information, provide advice, and ensure that communication efforts are integrated and consistent. Externally, the incumbent may liaise with development partners, service providers, and UN counterparts, representing IFAD in outreach, events, and collaborative initiatives.

This role works in close coordination with GPR, Regional and COM divisions. The incumbent also collaborates with the stakeholders across the organization to support visibility and alignment for partnership events and missions.

Education: Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in communications, public affairs, international relations, public policy or a related field.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in communications, external relations, partnerships, project management or related areas.

• Management of complex, multi-stakeholder projects or workstreams from planning through delivery, including competing priorities, dependencies and tight deadlines.

• Coordination of work across teams, functions or geographical locations, with responsibility for ensuring timely follow-through on agreed actions and deliverables.

• Support institutional partnerships, external engagement and high-level initiatives involving governments, international organizations, multilateral institutions or other external stakeholders.

• Preparation of high-quality communications, briefing and external relations materials for senior audiences.

• Delivery of major institutional events, missions, campaigns or other priority initiatives involving multiple contributors.

• Work in an international or multilateral organization is highly desirable.

• Understanding of development finance and the international development architecture is an asset.

Languages

• Required: English (4 - Excellent)

• Desirable: French, Spanish, Arabic (3 - Good)

Skills

• Strategic communications: Ability to develop and implement communications approaches for defined partnership and regional engagement priorities, with clear objectives, audiences, messages and delivery plans.
• Analytical and synthesis skills: Strong ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative information, identify key implications and translate complex issues into clear recommendations and concise materials.
• Project and portfolio coordination: Ability to manage complex workstreams, prioritise competing demands, coordinate across teams and deliver agreed results within deadlines.
• Stakeholder management: Ability to work effectively across functions and with external stakeholders, build alignment and drive follow-up without direct line authority.
• Political acumen and judgement: Ability to understand institutional and political sensitivities, identify risks and opportunities, and exercise sound judgement in complex environments.
• Written and verbal communication: Excellent drafting, editing and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and persuasive materials for senior and external audiences.
• Initiative and adaptability: Ability to anticipate needs, take ownership of assigned workstreams, adjust quickly to changing priorities and operate effectively with limited supervision.

This call is advertised as a short-term assignment, initially for a period of nine months, and is expected to start shortly after completion of the selection process. 

The contractual arrangement will depend on the selected candidate's current status with IFAD. A staff member holding a Fixed-Term or Indefinite Appointment would undertake the assignment through a Temporary Assignment, in accordance with the applicable provisions. All other candidates, including external candidates and individuals currently working with IFAD under other contractual arrangements, if selected would be engaged under a Short-Term Appointment. 

Applicants currently working for IFAD, regardless of their contractual status, should discuss their application with their supervisor and obtain their supervisor's support for their release should they be selected.

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD's Human Resources Policy, the President can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD.

IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on ethnic, social, or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size, or sexual orientation. This is in line with our  and our . Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please refer to the UN disability-inclusive language guidelines.

Please be aware of fraudulent job offers. IFAD does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. Official communication from IFAD will always come from e-mails ending in @ifad.org.

In accordance with IFAD's provisions, all new staff members will normally be placed at the first step in the grade level for which they have been selected. For information on IFAD's remuneration package, please visit  on our website. Applicants are invited to use the to estimate the salary and benefit entitlements.

Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.

In the interest of making most cost-effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.