Organizational Setting

Applicants for vacancies in the National Professional Officer (NPO) category should be nationals of the country in which the position is located.

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.

Job Role

The incumbent leads communications for their field office and the countries for which it is responsible, providing professional guidance on communications and support to the development and implementation of IFAD's external and internal communication strategies, adapting them to the context where they operate. They contribute to the effectiveness and staff awareness of core corporate initiatives and priorities, while increasing outreach and visibility through media, acting as IFAD representatives to the UN country communications group, liaising with project communication officers and other channels. They work collaboratively with the other colleagues across COM and at country level to develop compelling stories that promote IFAD's work and ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in IFAD's overall strategic communications approach.

Key Functions and Results

1. COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES: The incumbent tracks, researches and analyses information and gathers stories and data to shape internal and external communications strategies, campaigns and events. They gather information from diverse sources and help to assess the impact and effectiveness of communications opportunities and activities undertaken. Their work supports the coordination, creation, clearance and distribution of communications content across a wide spectrum of channels, platforms and outlets. In consultation with internal and external partners, the incumbent identifies and proposes communications and visibility opportunities, activities and approaches, taking into account target audiences and corporate and regional priorities.

2. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The incumbent is accountable for IFAD's core values and code of conduct, including integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources. They are also responsible for all communications activities in the region thus are the first point of contact for communication activities in the region, and liaise with UN, project and other communications partners.

3. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING: The incumbent supports the implementation of the regional communications approach, in collaboration with the Regional Communication Officer/Chief, Partner and Field Engagement team, and conveys corporate communication goals and best practices to the Regional Director, heads of office and other in-country staff. They support field staff in identifying communications opportunities and risks, in line with IFAD's overall strategic communications approach, outreach and capacity-building efforts. They promote a communications-conscious culture within the regional or other office, including supporting capacity-building and skills training. They prepare strong communications (in some cases in multiple languages) to expand IFAD's presence in relevant markets. The incumbent monitors complex media and political environments and manages political sensitivities and reputational issues. They help develop IFAD experts and Country Directors as IFAD's representatives and build their profiles, providing media training and coaching. They participate in missions with the regional or other office team (e.g. supervision), and conduct scoping missions to evaluate communications opportunities and stories.

4. FIELD-BASED COMMUNICATION, VISIBILITY AND BRANDING OF IFAD: The incumbent contributes to raising IFAD's profile as an advocate for rural people and investor in agricultural and rural development and to boosting IFAD's reputation as an experienced, results-driven organization and partner of choice. Based on needs and joint prioritization the incumbent prepares media pitches and reaches out to media under the guidance of the Communication Officer to generate interest in IFAD-funded work, including in relation to missions of IFAD senior managers and other officials (e.g. regional directors, RBA heads, Member State representatives, Goodwill Ambassadors), or major regional/global events taking place in the hub area. They coordinate cross-regionally by participating in network of COM regional communications team for consistency and impact.

5. CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND OUTREACH: The incumbent researches and creates content for external outreach locally/nationally and for IFAD's website and IFAD social media channels and promotes existing content (stories from the field, social media posts, etc), as well as collaborates with COM colleagues to place IFAD video and/or video news releases (VNRs) with local television outlets. They have responsibility for managing subregional social media accounts and lead the development and delivery of virtual/in-person field visits to IFAD-supported projects.

6. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING: The incumbent develops relations with important media (print/broadcast/digital), especially in the office's area of engagement, encouraging, organizing and facilitating coverage of IFAD-supported activities, and providing a regular source of information on rural development issues and helping position IFAD experts with external outlets. Maintains contact with Communications Officers or focal points in government (e.g. PMUs), partner institutions and NGOs, as well as the United Nations Communications Group, to enable rapid response to both opportunities and risks, in collaboration with the Regional Communications Officer and other staff.

7. STRENGTHENING AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION: The incumbent manages both print and digital content, and seizes opportunities for advocacy, including supporting field-based communications initiatives, IFAD global campaigns, press trips or the launch of flagship publications such as the Rural Development Report and the IFAD Annual Report, as well as country-specific publications or reports showing evidence of IFAD's results (e.g. impact as

• Tracks, researches and analyses information and gathers stories and data to shape internal and external communications strategies, campaigns and events.
• Gathers information from diverse sources and helps to assess the impact and effectiveness of communications opportunities and activities undertaken.
• Supports the coordination, creation, clearance and distribution of communications content across a wide spectrum of channels, platforms and outlets.
• Identifies and proposes communications and visibility opportunities, activities and approaches, taking into account target audiences and corporate and regional priorities.
• Is accountable for IFAD's core values and code of conduct, including integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources.
• Is responsible for all communications activities in the region and liaises with UN, project and other communications partners.
• Supports the implementation of the regional communications approach and conveys corporate communication goals and best practices to the Regional Director, heads of office and other in-country staff.
• Supports field staff in identifying communications opportunities and risks.
• Promotes a communications-conscious culture within the regional or other office, including supporting capacity-building and skills training.
• Prepares strong communications to expand IFAD's presence in relevant markets.
• Monitors complex media and political environments and manages political sensitivities and reputational issues.
• Helps develop IFAD experts and Country Directors as IFAD's representatives and build their profiles, providing media training and coaching.
• Participates in missions with the regional or other office team and conducts scoping missions to evaluate communications opportunities and stories.
• Contributes to raising IFAD's profile as an advocate for rural people and investor in agricultural and rural development and to boosting IFAD's reputation.
• Prepares media pitches and reaches out to media to generate interest in IFAD-funded work.
• Coordinates cross-regionally by participating in network of COM regional communications team for consistency and impact.
• Researches and creates content for external outreach locally/nationally and for IFAD's website and IFAD social media channels.
• Promotes existing content (stories from the field, social media posts, etc).
• Collaborates with COM colleagues to place IFAD video and/or video news releases (VNRs) with local television outlets.
• Manages subregional social media accounts.
• Leads the development and delivery of virtual/in-person field visits to IFAD-supported projects.
• Develops relations with important media (print/broadcast/digital).
• Encourages, organizes and facilitates coverage of IFAD-supported activities.
• Provides a regular source of information on rural development issues and helps position IFAD experts with external outlets.
• Maintains contact with Communications Officers or focal points in government, partner institutions and NGOs, as well as the United Nations Communications Group.
• Manages both print and digital content.
• Seizes opportunities for advocacy, including supporting field-based communications initiatives, IFAD global campaigns, press trips or the launch of flagship publications.

• Communications strategy development and implementation
• Media relations and outreach
• Content creation and management (print and digital)
• Social media management
• Internal communications
• Partnership building
• Capacity building and training
• Monitoring and analysis of media and political environments
• Storytelling and data gathering
• Project visibility and branding
• Cross-cultural communication
• Advocacy

• National of the country in which the position is located (for NPO category).
• Professional guidance on communications.
• Support to development and implementation of IFAD's external and internal communication strategies.
• Ability to adapt strategies to the local context.
• Contribution to effectiveness and staff awareness of core corporate initiatives and priorities.
• Increasing outreach and visibility through media.
• Acting as IFAD representatives to the UN country communications group.
• Liaising with project communication officers and other channels.
• Collaborative work with colleagues across COM and at country level.
• Development of compelling stories that promote IFAD's work.
• Ensuring consistency, cohesion and synergy in IFAD's overall strategic communications approach.
• Accountability for IFAD's core values and code of conduct.
• Management of IFAD resources with integrity, transparency, and equity.
• Support for implementation of regional communications approach.
• Conveying corporate communication goals and best practices.
• Support for field staff in identifying communications opportunities and risks.
• Promotion of a communications-conscious culture.
• Support for capacity-building and skills training.
• Preparation of strong communications in multiple languages.
• Monitoring complex media and political environments.
• Management of political sensitivities and reputational issues.
• Development of IFAD experts and Country Directors as representatives.
• Provision of media training and coaching.
• Participation in missions and scoping missions.
• Contribution to raising IFAD's profile and reputation.
• Preparation of media pitches and outreach to media.
• Coordination cross-regionally.
• Research and creation of content for external outreach.
• Promotion of existing content.
• Collaboration with COM colleagues for video placement.
• Management of subregional social media accounts.
• Lead development and delivery of virtual/in-person field visits.
• Development of relations with important media.
• Encouraging, organizing and facilitating coverage of IFAD-supported activities.
• Providing a regular source of information on rural development issues.
• Helping position IFAD experts with external outlets.
• Maintenance of contact with Communications Officers or focal points in government, partner institutions and NGOs, and the United Nations Communications Group.
• Enabling rapid response to both opportunities and risks.
• Management of both print and digital content.
• Seizing opportunities for advocacy.
• Supporting field-based communications initiatives.
• Supporting IFAD global campaigns, press trips or the launch of flagship publications.