Communication and Outreach Consultant

Role Overview

This consultancy sits within the United Nations Environment Programme's Regional Office for Africa and supports the secretariat of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). The role is focused on designing and executing communication and outreach work that raises the visibility of AMCEN's priorities, decisions, programmes and results among governments, development partners, media, civil society, youth and academia. Day to day, the consultant will translate complex regional environmental policy discussions into clear, compelling messages and practical communication products, while also monitoring progress and reporting back to the Regional Director's office.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare an inception report and a detailed work plan that outlines the scope, timeline and approach for all communication activities under the consultancy.
• Develop a comprehensive AMCEN communications and visibility strategy that aligns with the conference's mandate and the broader UNEP Africa communications framework.
• Create communication packages for AMCEN meetings and special events, including key messages, press materials, speaker notes and audience-specific briefing content.
• Produce multimedia products such as infographics, short videos, visual summaries and social media assets that make AMCEN's work accessible to non-specialist audiences.
• Support the AMCEN secretariat in strengthening coordination across programmes, activities and partnerships related to regional environmental policy processes.
• Submit monthly progress reports detailing activities completed, outputs delivered, challenges encountered and adjustments proposed.
• Prepare a final report that summarises overall achievements, lessons learned and actionable recommendations for future AMCEN communication efforts.

Requirements & Qualifications

• An advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in communications, journalism, public relations, media studies, international relations, environmental policy or a closely related field is required. A first-level university degree combined with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in place of the advanced degree.
• At least five years of professional experience in communications, public information, media relations or strategic communications is required.
• Demonstrated ability to develop communication strategies and produce multimedia content for international or intergovernmental audiences is expected.
• Successful completion of degree or non-degree programmes in data analytics or data science is desirable, as is experience applying data-driven approaches to communication planning.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of French is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with environmental policy, sustainable development issues or the work of United Nations bodies in Africa is strongly preferred.