Internal Vacancy: Advocacy & Communication Specialist, NOC, FT, #138581, Bridgetown, Barbados, Multi-Country Office for the Caribbean

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 opportunity

UNICEF’s Caribbean Multi-Country Office (MCO) serves twelve English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. As part of UNICEF's Future Focus Initiative, the Caribbean MCO brings together policy influence, technical expertise and strategic partnerships to advance results for children across the region through one integrated programme, one management structure and a shared pool of resources. The Multi-Country Programme 2027-2031 focuses on three shared outcomes: equitable access to primary health care, learning and skills; protection of children from all forms of violence; and child poverty reduction and resilience strengthening.

Children across the Caribbean face interconnected challenges including learning losses, mental health concerns, violence, child poverty and increasing exposure to climate-related disasters. Despite many countries being classified as upper-middle or high income, significant inequalities persist, particularly for vulnerable children, adolescents, indigenous communities and those living in remote areas. Small island developing states also face fiscal constraints and heightened vulnerability to economic and climate shocks, requiring stronger regional cooperation and system-based solutions.

The Caribbean MCO’s management strategy is governed by four principles that together translate the new business model into concrete ways of working:

• Impact-driven: technical expertise is organized in shared multi-country working groups rather than replicated in each country, with enabling functions aligned around UNICEF’s strongest comparative advantages.
• Effective and agile: parallel country ecosystems are replaced by harmonized systems and flexible cross-country staffing, keeping management lean and decisions close to implementation.
• Grounded: regional scale is balanced with national depth through country-specific workplans, Heads of Office in each duty station, and matrix management that anchors authority and accountability at country level.
• People-centered: structural and managerial choices are guided by staff wellbeing, transparency and inclusion, with clear role definitions, meaningful consultation, and continuous investment in learning and development.

The operational expression of this model is the working group model. Rather than replicating similar roles across four separate country offices, technical and operational expertise is organized into 16 thematic and functional working groups, each distributed across different duty stations and each serving the full 12-country MCO — not just its host location. Roles are designed around three organizing principles: shared regional service, meaning every specialist contributes to the wider MCO; complementary expertise, meaning team capabilities reinforce each other rather than repeating the same profile in multiple places; and agile presence, meaning the workforce can be rapidly deployed across countries through travel, surge support or remote modalities in line with evolving needs and priorities. This working group model is the foundation of a fundamentally new way of working for UNICEF in the Caribbean: depth replaces duplication, and shared capacity replaces fragmented country-by-country coverage.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Advocacy and Communications Specialist (Team Lead), and in close coordination with relevant programme and enabling teams the incumbent provides technical support, coordinates and implements, assigned advocacy and communication strategies and workstream that influence policy and decision-making, strengthen political commitment, mobilize partnerships and resources, and contribute to sustainable results for children and young people across the Caribbean MCO. The position plays a key role in advancing UNICEF's advocacy agenda by translating evidence into influential policy asks, coordinating advocacy actions across stakeholders, and supporting system-level changes for children.The Advocacy and Communication Specialist contributes translates the MCO strategy into high-quality plans, products, campaigns and engagement activities; designed to achieve measurable advocacy outcomes, strengthen accountability for children, and accelerate progress on UNICEF priorities, with particular emphasis on influencing public policy, social norms, financing decisions and public discourse affecting children. He/She advises colleagues and partners within the assigned area; and supports coherent implementation across countries. Strategic direction, office-wide priority setting,  

The position manages assigned projects and workstreams, monitors results and budgets, identifies implementation risks and opportunities, and coordinates inputs from colleagues and partners. The role exercises judgement in prioritizing competing demands and negotiating practical solutions and timelines, escalating decisions with office-wide strategic, reputational or resource implications to the Team Lead.

• Advocacy strategy development  
• Advocacy strategy implementation
• Communication strategy development and implementation
• Digital communications
• Media relations
• Advocacy and communication M&E
• Project and budget management
• Advocacy and communication capacity building
• Stakeholder engagement

This position belongs to the Child Poverty Reduction and Resilience Strengthening working group. If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  NOC Advocacy & Communications Specialist Barbados.pdf

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

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

(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 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 are conditional on the selected candidates’ willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel.Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in advocacy, policy influence, campaigning and strategic communications,  including demonstrated experience influencing policy processes, engaging decision-makers, developing evidence-based advocacy strategies, building coalitions and partnerships, and contributing to measurable advocacy results for children and young people.  
• Experience contributing to the development and coordinating the implementation of advocacy strategies, with clear theories of change, specific and measurable time-bound objectives, and performance indicators is required.  
• Demonstrated experience in design and management projects, including budget management and monitoring and evaluation of results is required. 
• Experience in building and maintaining a network of stakeholders, and in working with coalitions is required. 
• A track record of achieving or contributing to tangible policy change institutional reform, increased public investment, strengthened political commitment, legislative change or other advocacy outcomes benefiting children and vulnerable populations is highly desirable. 
• Experienced and current in digital and social media content and audience trends as well as in managing online platforms and channels is desirable. 
• Experience in media relations.  
• Strong communicator with emphasis on being able to present complex policy ideas in succinct, engaging ways through campaign narratives and creative tactics, ensuring advocacy messages effectively influence target audiences and drive action.  
• Knowledge of children’s rights, public policy, international development and humanitarian issues. Experience in training and facilitation is an asset. 
• Experience working in a developing and emergency environment is an asset. 

• Ability to influence and build partnerships, in close coordination with diverse stakeholders across countries, while working within agreed strategic direction and delegated authority. 
• Strong coordination and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple reporting relationships and geographic contexts and to escalate office-wide strategic issues appropriately. 
• Strong project management skills at specialist level, including the ability to plan, coordinate, monitor and deliver multiple projects or workstreams; manage assigned budgets, timelines, risks and dependencies; and provide clear progress reporting to the Team Lead. 
• Ability to prioritize competing demands and negotiate realistic deliverables, roles, timelines and solutions with colleagues and partners, escalating decisions beyond delegated authority when required. 

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, candidates that meet all the requirements and are legally allowed to work in the respective DS 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.

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.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of visa or work authorizations for candidates under consideration for positions at the National Officer and General Service category.

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.

Advertised: 06 Oct 2026 SA Western Standard Time
Applications close: 20 Oct 2026 SA Western Standard Time

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