Research and Communications Associate

Background

Office/Unit/Project Description 

The Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund (Fund) is a partnership between the United Nations (UN) in Malaysia and MySDG Foundation, supported by the Ministry of Finance. It aims to encourage projects that make a positive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Malaysia.

The Fund supports projects that target people and communities who are at risk of being left behind. It encourages partnerships and collaboration across all sectors of society to ensure sustainable development benefits everyone. By focusing on local efforts, the Fund aims to improve the lives of people in different areas and groups, contributing to overalls progress in Malaysia. Its objective is to enable UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other non-state actors to make significant contributions towards achieving the SDGs in Malaysia.

To effectively manage the Fund's operations and assist with supported projects, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator (UN RCO) is seeking to hire the position of a Research and Communications Associate.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Secretariat, the position will work closely with the UN RCO Head of Office and Communications and Advocacy Officer and provide overall support to the Fund on research, communications and resource mobilisation efforts as detailed out in the scope of work. The position will have overall reporting to the UN RCO and indirectly to the Steering Committee (SC) of the Fund.

This position will also support the due diligence and research process performed on potential projects under every Call for Proposals cycle and ensure proper governance and reporting in the monitoring of project implementation.

The position also will require engagement with the public and stakeholders via social media and perform due diligence, monitoring and generation of interest using social media accounts and monitoring news concerning the Fund and projects funded by the Fund.

Undertake research and administrative tasks: 

• Assist in all necessary administrative functions to ensure proper operationalisation of the Fund, governance, reporting, documentation (including the preparation of agendas, invitations, minutes, filing system and all other administrative work that may arise);
• Conduct specific analysis relating to various project themes and ensure timely and high-quality delivery under the supervision of the Head of the Secretariat;
• Undertake specific analyses involving data studies, verification and visualisation as applicable; and
• Liaise with project owners and external collaborators to ensure that the exchange of information is properly disseminated and documented.  

Ensure effective project management:

• Prepare and facilitate required documentations for the Secretariat and SC for funds disbursements to the Administrative Agent /MPTFO; 
• Assist in monitoring expenditure to ensure that it is in line with approved budgets and UN programme/financial policies; 
• Assist in monitoring the progress of developing projects, transactions and investigate anomalies as applicable; and
• Assist in developing and implementing the resource mobilisation plan. 
•  

Lead for Communications 

• Develop communications plans and content materials to communicate project outcomes and their impacts. e.g., include writing UN-style reports, concise briefings, peer-reviewed reports, data visualisations, short blogs and/or Twitter threads as required;
• Prepare written and oral presentations for internal and external audiences;
• Assist in the planning, organization and running of policy seminars and workshops held by the Fund, and to develop concept notes of such events;
• Analyze and identify the lifecycle impact of the implemented projects for the Fund, MPTFO Gateway and other UN website/portal or social media;
• Engage with the public, perform due diligence, monitoring and generation of interest using social media; and
• Monitoring and tracking of news regarding the Fund and related projects. 

Build knowledge and collaborate with stakeholders:

• Capture and document lessons learned during project implementation;
• Participate in regular internal meetings;
• Participate in training events, communities of practice, codification and sharing knowledge; and
• Keep abreast of developments in relevant Fund priority areas and discussions on current policies and trends  

Institutional Arrangement

• The Research and Communications Associate will have reporting responsibility to the Head of Secretariat. 

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization's programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment

• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.

• Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.

• Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.

• Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.

• Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks.
• Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns. 

• Strong analytical and communication skills both written and verbal, excellent report writing and organizational skills.
• Required experience and competencies in analytical writing.

• Familiarity with Adobe creative cloud or other software tools in designing and creating data visualization, infographics, presentations, and reports is desirable.
• Previous experience working with the private sector, civil society, the UN or international development partners is desirable.
• Previous experience working with government counterparts is desirable.
• Working experience with diverse and multicultural teams is desirable
• Demonstrated expertise in managing communications sites using Microsoft SharePoint Online, Web Authoring tools or other online platforms is desirable.
• Experience in strategic communications and developing communication strategies is desirable