Digital Communication Specialist, LACRO, Panama City, #103260

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF has a Regional Office (LACRO) based in Panama and 24 Country Offices (COs) operating in 36 countries and territories. Currently, the Regional Office is undergoing a transformation—readjusting its focus and promoting a vision to become a partnership powerhouse, a leading advocate for child rights, an inspiration and knowledge hub, and a new business model hub.

For every child, the right to care and love.

The Digital Communication Specialist role resides in the Advocacy and Communication Team. The Section consists of Advocacy, Media, and Digital, all working together to influence policy, campaign for children’s rights, create compelling public-facing content, and provide expert digital services and capacity building within the region.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Regional Chief of Advocacy and Communication, the Digital Communication Specialist is responsible for the development and implementation of digital, social media, and content strategies for UNICEF’s LAC channels, ensuring alignment with the Regional Communication and Advocacy Strategy. 

The incumbent will also contribute to social media management for the Regional Director’s channels, community engagement, and capacity-building efforts to strengthen UNICEF’s digital communication capabilities regionally. 

In coordination with, and informed by, participation in various project teams and working groups, this role will be responsible for leading the planning, development, and implementation of meaningful web, social media, and content strategies for daily community engagement as well as activations; creating and coordinating key social media activations, engagement strategies, and tactics; coordinating web editorial, digital marketing, influencer engagement, and digital partnerships; monitoring and analysis; and moderation of platforms. 

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

Digital & Social Media Strategy 

• Lead the planning, development, and execution of web and social media strategies and content for key thematic priorities, in close collaboration with project teams and subject matter experts. 
• Develop web and social media strategies based on communication and advocacy objectives, integrating paid advertising principles and ensuring alignment across teams (web, marketing, and content) and with country and regional offices. 
• Oversee digital marketing to develop integrated paid advertising strategies. 
• Coordinate with agencies and designers to produce creative content such as graphics, animations, and videos for campaigns. 
• Lead donor visibility and recognition on regional digital channels. 
• Develop and implement digital influencer/Goodwill Ambassador engagement strategies and activations in line with advocacy and communication objectives. 
• Oversee the production of high-quality multimedia content for social media channels. 
• Lead digital partnerships. Specific tasks may include developing proposals for digital partnerships, participating in partnership meetings and brainstorming sessions, and other related tasks. 
• Identify and coordinate amplification opportunities with other UN agencies and partners. 

Campaigning and Content Creation  

• Lead the planning, development, and implementation of dynamic, interactive, and impactful campaigns and content strategies. 
• Draft and edit social media copy, adapting key messages for different platforms and audiences. 
• Create engaging content aligned with integrated campaign objectives and UNICEF’s Regional Communication and Advocacy Strategy. 
• Draft content based on press releases, executive statements, and materials related to children’s rights and SDGs. 
• Coordinate content calendars and ensure coherence across channels and campaigns. 
• Regional Director Social Media Communications  
• Manage the social media presence of UNICEF’s Regional Director, ensuring alignment with organizational communication and advocacy priorities. 
• Coordinate closely with the Office of the Regional Director on editorial planning, stakeholder engagement, and message alignment. 
• Support the development and implementation of an annual social media strategy for the Regional Director’s channels. 

Community Engagement, Moderation and Monitoring  

• Lead monitoring and moderation efforts, working with focal points to measure and report on social media performance and audience engagement. 
• Monitor and evaluate content performance, providing data-driven recommendations to improve reach and impact. 
•  Conduct social listening and identify opportunities to respond to relevant media or social trends connected to UNICEF’s mandate. 
• Moderate social media channels, flagging risks and opportunities for deeper engagement (including occasional out-of-hours and emergency shifts). 
• Produce analytics reports and provide recommendations to enhance UNICEF’s digital presence across the region. 
• Ensure effective community management practices, including moderation guidelines and reputational risk monitoring across regional digital platforms. 

Capacity Building, Technical Support, and Strategic Planning  

• Prepare specialized reports, presentations, and strategic documents. 
• Provide technical guidance and capacity building to Country Offices and regional teams on social media strategy, analytics, and content production. 
• Develop and update best-practice social media editorial guidelines, resources, and toolkits. 
• Design and deliver webinars, workshops, and training sessions to strengthen digital communication capacities. 
• Support digital communication teams in their PSFR operations. 

IV. Impact of Results  

• Strengthened and coherent digital, social media and content strategies aligned with regional advocacy priorities.  
• Enhanced visibility, engagement, and impact of UNICEF’s digital content in Latin America and the Caribbean.  
• Increased capacity of country and regional offices to implement innovative and impactful digital, social media and campaign approaches. 
• Improved audience engagement and advocacy outcomes through evidence-based digital strategies.  
• Stablished clear and strategic KPIs; analysis is undertaken to continuously improve the effectiveness of social media communication strategy, marketing efforts and activities; results and reports are prepared and shared.  

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, or another relevant field is required. A first-level degree in a relevant field with an additional 2 years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.  

• Work Experience:

• • A minimum of 5 years’ experience developing and executing digital, web, social media strategies, including creating social media content for global/regiona/large accounts .   
  • Demonstrated success in planning and implementing complex digital and social media campaigns to achieve advocacy goals.  
  • Proven ability to lead the design and execution of social media strategies. 
  • Extensive demonstrated experience with social media platforms including Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, WhatsApp Channels, YouTube. Experience of optimizing YouTube channels and video content for social media channels. Experience using tools such as Hootsuite.  
  • Extensive experience in project management and in managing multiple process and workflows.   
  • Proven experience in reporting on quantitative and qualitative social and website analytics, including Google Analytics 4 is an asset  
  • Proven experience in paid digital marketing  
  • Experience of working with creative/communication agencies is highly desirable.    
  • Experience of working with digital influencers is highly desirable.    
  • Experience of capacity building and training a plus.   
  • Experience in working for the UN, UNICEF or with International NGOs or global organizations is a plus but not essential.  
  • Experience working on humanitarian response/emergency response is an asset. 

Skills Requirements: 

• Proven ability to write flawless, tight social copy on constant deadlines in English and Spanish and to write and edit long-form digital content and external communication materials.  Strong copy-editing skills. 

• Understanding paid digital marketing for fundraising strategies is a plus.  

• Strong ability to manage multiple priorities within specified timeframes.  

• Proven news sense and understanding of what motivates younger audiences – and editorial judgement.  

• Awareness of social media communication behaviours in low- and middle-income regions/countries.  

• Adept at relationship management with diverse stakeholders  

• Ability to translate technical and nuanced information into clear, emotional, and engaging content for broad public audiences.   

 Language Requirements: 

 Fluency in English and Spanish is required. 

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

The 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 works well across teams and sections

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 and male 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.