Advocacy and Communications Manager, P-4, FT, #00136831, Khartoum, Sudan - MENA (Open to Non-Sudanese nationals)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to an Advocate

How can you make a difference?

Advocacy and communication are at the centre of UNICEF’s mandate. Through your work, you advocate with decision‑makers to protect children’s rights, help meet their basic needs, and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. You communicate with key public and private audiences to build sustained support for the cause of children.

As the Advocacy and Communications Manager, you are accountable for leading UNICEF Sudan’s communication, media engagement and advocacy efforts in a complex humanitarian setting. You ensure clear, credible and timely public positioning that reflects the scale of humanitarian needs, the impact of conflict on children, and UNICEF’s response. In doing so, you navigate security constraints and a rapidly evolving national and regional media landscape. The role strengthens Arabic‑language media engagement, crisis communication, advocacy with key stakeholders, and high‑quality, field‑based storytelling to sustain attention to and support for children affected by the crisis.

At the P4 level, you lead the planning and execution of advocacy and communication strategies to improve outcomes for children and young people. You focus on designing and evaluating integrated approaches, using media and partnerships to raise awareness of child rights and advance UNICEF’s mission. The role also involves mobilizing resources through public and private channels and engaging children and young people as active participants and agents of change.

Key functions, accountabilities andrelated duties/tasks:

1. Media relations and public positioning 2. Advocacy and crisis communications 3. Content generation and field‑based storytelling 4. Stakeholder engagement, donor visibility and risk management 5. Team coordination and operational continuity

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Classified JD - Advocacy and Communications Manager.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Communications, Social Communication, Media Relations, Public Relations/Communication, International Development, Public Administration, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, Public Policy, or related fields. and any other related fields.
• Work Experience: Experience working in humanitarian contexts, preferably in emergencies or conflict affected settings is required. Demonstrated experience serving as a spokesperson, including live and recorded media interviews is required. Experience in building strong relationships with traditional and social media entities and using media relations and channels to engage public audiences is required. Strong communicator with emphasis on being able to present complex ideas in succinct, engaging ways through campaign narratives and creative tactics is required.
• Skills: The role requires strong capabilities in media relations, public positioning, crisis communications, content generation, stakeholder engagement, and effective team coordination to ensure clear and strategic messaging.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Strong understanding of the Sudan country context and regional dynamics as well as demonstrated familiarity with national and regional media landscapes is an asset.
• Experience in managing a team is a requirement, along with a proven commitment to diverse and inclusive recruiting process. Experience managing a multicultural team is an asset.
• Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues is an asset.
• Experience in leading the development, implementation and monitoring of digital strategies is desirable.
• Experienced and current in digital and social media content and audience trends as well as in managing online platforms and channels is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in design and management of projects, including budget management and monitoring and evaluation of results is desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, Leads and Manages People

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.