Communications Associate

Position Information

Office/Unit/Project UNDP Türkiye Country Office /Management
Title Communication Associate 
Level  NPSA 7
Duty Station Ankara, Türkiye
Type Regular
Office- or Home-based Office-Based 
Expected Starting Sate 15 June 2026
Expected Duration 6 months with possibility of extension subject to funding availability 
Position Number 231264

Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

Türkiye, an upper-middle-income country with a population of approximately 86 million in 2026, has maintained steady economic growth over the past five years, demonstrating resilience despite global and domestic pressures. In this context, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Türkiye has launched the implementation of its 2026–2030 Country Programme Document (CPD), structured around four strategic pillars: Good Governance, Social Development, Competitive Economic Development, and Climate, Environmental Sustainability and Resilience. Delivering this ambitious programme requires clear, coherent and impactful communication to effectively position UNDP’s results and value proposition. 

The Country Office (CO) continues to strengthen its strategic partnership with the Government—including through increased government financing—while expanding collaboration with the European Union, international financial institutions (IFIs), and the private sector through both new and ongoing joint programmes. 

The CO manages a large and diverse portfolio, with annual delivery exceeding US$40 million, consistently ranking among the top five offices in the Regional Burreau for Europe and CIS (RBEC) region. UNDP continues to support Türkiye in hosting approximately 2.5 million Syrian refugees, with a strong focus on job creation, economic inclusion and resilience-building for both refugees and host communities, supported by significant EU funding. Beyond refugee response, UNDP contributes to enhancing Türkiye’s economic competitiveness through support to innovation, digital transformation and productivity growth, including targeted interventions that strengthen SMEs, promote inclusive value chains, and expand opportunities for women’s economic empowerment and rural development. Partnerships with the private sector are increasingly central to these efforts, enabling scalable solutions, access to markets, and sustainable impact. Following the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2021, Türkiye has adopted an ambitious climate agenda, including a net-zero emissions target by 2053 and a broader green transformation, with a focus on climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. The hosting of COP31 in 2026 further underscores Türkiye’s leadership and the need for strong communication and advocacy to highlight results. 

Türkiye’s role as a geostrategic actor and emerging donor also shapes UNDP’s positioning. Development interventions are increasingly designed not only for domestic impact but also for regional and global replication. UNDP and Türkiye maintain a strong multi-level partnership spanning country, regional and global engagement. Türkiye hosts both the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) and the Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD), and contributes financially to UNDP’s core resources, regional programmes and ICPSD. 

This dynamic partnership landscape further underscores the importance of consistent, high-quality communication to amplify results, showcase innovation, and reinforce UNDP’s strategic positioning.

Scope of Work 

Under the overall guidance of the Communications Analyst, the Communications Associate will:

1.            Strategic Planning

•             Assist in the implementation of the Communications Strategic Plan. 

2. Digital Content & Website

•             Post (share) finalized and approved content on social media and coordinate UNDP Türkiye’s online 

•             presence to boost impact on target groups.

•             Post information on the UNDP Türkiye Country Office website.

•             Update project subpages including publications in the UNDP website.

•             Follow the latest social media trends and stay up to date with digital media developments (e.g. emergence of new platforms, changes in existing social media channels).

3. Data Collection

•             Collect data /content and voices for the purpose of producing web stories, blogs, press releases, 

•             feature stories, fact sheets, newsletters etc.

•             Monitor traffic and engagement and make quarterly reports against key performance indicators 

•             for UNDP Türkiye’s channels by using embedded social media analytic tools (FB, TW, Instagram, YouTube, Google Analytics for the web site).

•             Prepare the daily press review.

4. Public Information and Advocacy

•             Organize public information and advocacy activities

•             Monitor UNDP media coverage and prepare reports accordingly.

•             Keep track of all incoming UNDP publications and inform Country Office of upcoming new ones.

5.            Administration

•             Handle all administrative mattersincluding payments, monitoring of the Communications budget.

•             Maintain a filing system on all communications-related activities.

•             Provide translation from English to Turkish and vice versa.

•             Perform other duties as required.

Institutional Arrangement

The Communications Associate will report to the Communications Analyst and support the Analyst to provide efficient and effective communication services

Competencies

Core
Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Thematic Area Name Definition

Business Management 

Working with Evidence and Data 

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

Business Management  Digital Awareness and Literacy 

• 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 

Business Management  Customer Satisfaction/Client Management 

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns. 

Communications                                      Digital Asset Management

• Ability to use digital asset management (DAM) systems to effectively store, share and organize digital assets such as images, videos and other media

Communications Multimedia Writing/Editing

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

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA

Min. Education Requirements

Secondary education 

Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, television, graphic design, or any other related field of study is desirable, but it is not a requirement.

Minimum Years of Relevant Work Experience 

• Minimum 7 years of experience working on communications with proven record in story/communication materials, video productions, website management, or related fields combined with secondary education

• Minimum 4 years of experience working on communications with proven record in story/communication materials, video productions, website management, or related fields combined with bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, television, graphic design, or any other related field of study 

Required Skills 

Excellent writing and interpretation skills, as well as strong analytical aptitude and strong communication skills, and attention to detail.

Proven skill in drafting written communication products, such as articles, reports, social media posts, press releases, web stories. Experience in implementation of projects in the areas of capacity-building

Good understanding of new and evolving technologies and digital platforms;

Demonstrated ability to interact with a broad range of governmental and non-government actors and institutions.

Experience in the use of social media, multi-media and digital platforms;

Experience in producing communication materials (print and online) for a variety of media;

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

Experience in posting information on social media platforms, especially Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, LinkedIn, and good knowledge of all these platforms will be considered an asset 

Previous experience in production of summaries, story/communication materials, video productions, website management, or related fields is considered an asset 

Experience working with the UN system agencies or other international development organizations in the communications field would be an asset;

Familiarity with the political, economic and social context of country and the challenges of the local governance and decentralization reforms is highly desirable

Required Language(s)  Fluency in Turkish and English.
Professional Certificates N/A