Job Description

Position Title: Communications  Specialist
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P2/3
Location: Bunia, DRC
Duration: 3  months
Language: French and  English

Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request 

Following the emergence of suspected Ebola Virus Disease cases in Ituri Province in the DRC, the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare declared an official epidemic on 15 May 2026. The WHO Director-General designated the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026. The epicenter remains in Ituri Province, with additional clusters expanding into North and South Kivu. 

There is no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BVD) strain, so containment relies on infection prevention, continuity of essential health services, and community trust. 

The outbreak is in a rapid expansion phase, with more than more than 4,000 confirmed cases in DRC. Containment is severely hampered by chronic insecurity and ongoing armed conflict which severely limits access to vulnerable communities, as well as massive displacement—including over 1.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ituri—and urban and cross-border migration which continues to complicate contract tracing, testing and isolation of people infected. 

Women bear a disproportionate impact. Females are often the primary caregivers for sick family members as well as frontline health workers, such as midwives and nurses who work in high-fluid delivery situations, placing them at increased risk of exposure. 

Ebola infection during pregnancy is associated with an almost 100 per cent fetal loss rate, and in some outbreaks, more than 90 per cent of pregnant women who contract the virus have died. However, the impact extends beyond the direct effects of Ebola itself to the fear of infection. Many pregnant women are avoiding health facilities and missing essential prenatal checkups that could identify complications early. Some are also giving birth at home without skilled assistance, contributing to increases in maternal and neonatal mortality.

Eastern DRC continues to experience alarmingly high levels of conflict-related sexual violence. The Ebola outbreak, coupled with the rapid influx of humanitarian workers, has further heightened the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. Women and girls remain particularly vulnerable. At the same time, clinical consultations have declined significantly as survivors avoid health facilities for fear of contracting Ebola, face severe travel restrictions that limit safe and discreet access to care, and encounter reduced availability of services as medical personnel are reassigned to Ebola response efforts.

UNFPA has activated an internal Level 3 response for the DRC—its highest level of emergency—and is actively integrated into the continental Incident Management Support Team, led by the WHO and the Africa CDC, contributing directly to the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Continuity of Essential Services (CES), and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) pillars, as well as leading on  Protection of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA). 

UNFPA is prioritizing the sustained delivery of critical sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) services to help prevent avoidable illness and deaths, protect the rights and dignity of affected populations, and address the disproportionate impact of the outbreak on women and girls. To effectively execute this mandate, the Country Office requires an immediate expansion of its communications capacity to support RCCE at local level, as well as communications and media engagement to support advocacy and resource mobilization efforts at international level.
Country Security Situation and Main Threats: 

1.    Armed Conflict: Bunia city itself remains relatively calm compared to surrounding territories, but the security environment is fragile and volatile, with persistent indirect threats. The primary risks stem from armed group activity in Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa, pressure from internal displacement, and incidents involving armed state actors within the city. The situation requires heightened vigilance, particularly for movements outside the urban core and during night hours.

2.    Crime: Bunia continues to experience persistent urban crime, largely characterized by nighttime armed robberies, targeted killings (motorists, traders, gold buyers), and attacks linked to criminal networks involving civilians and some security personnel. 

3.    Civil Unrest: Bunia town remains tense but largely under administrative control, while serious insecurity persists in the surrounding territories (Djugu, Irumu, Mahagi). Civil unrest in the town itself is episodic—mainly protests, arrests of activists, and spillover displacement. The main drivers of instability are the militia violence outside the town, political repression concerns, and regional military dynamics involving the FARDC, MONUSCO.

4.    Terrorism: Bunia has not been the direct target of major terrorist attacks, but it is in Ituri Province, which has been heavily affected by violence from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is a Ugandan origin militia that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and has conducted terrorist attacks.

5.    Hazards: Road Traffic Accidents remain common on major axes throughout the city. Accidents (both fatal and serious) involving motorcyclists (boda boda) remain high in Bunia and UN Personnel are strongly discouraged from using them. Night movements in isolated areas and out of bounds are not recommended due to several fatalities recorded. Other occasional hazards include fire outbreaks in commercial settings, flash floods in the littoral of Albert Lake and riverine Regions, destructive storms and mudslides during the rainy season, and other disease outbreaks such as cholera, typhoid and M-pox in some urban centres.

 

Under the overall guidance of the UNFPA Senior Management Team (SMT)—comprising the Representative, Deputy Representative, and International Operations Manager—and under the direct supervision of the Humanitarian Specialist and direct authority of the Head of Decentralized Office in Goma, the incumbent will undertake communications activities to support advocacy and resource mobilization efforts, as well as health information and education among affected communities. 

The incumbent will work in close coordination with colleagues in the DRC county office, including the teams in communications, SRH and GBV programmes, information management, and AAP, the Regional Communications Advisor and Humanitarian Advisor, as well as HQ colleagues in the Media and Communications Branch (MCB) and Division of External Relations (DER).

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Media engagement and writing news stories

●    Coordinate with local and international journalists, including organizing and accompanying field visits, setting up interviews, and providing information

●    Work with programme and information management teams on obtaining data and information to be shared with journalists.

●    Working closely with the media team at MCB, develop press releases, statements and talking points for spokespeople.

●    Working closely with the editorial team at MCB draft written stories for the UNFPA global website. 

Production of audiovisual content

●    Working with programmes colleagues, identify strong stories with affected population, service users and frontline workers and conduct interviews and capture b-roll content. Produce short videos for online and social media.

●    Capture photographs, undertake shortlisting and compiling metadata and share with the Media and Communications Branch for further dissemination.

Development of print materials

●    Draft infographics, fact sheets and other rapid response information materials for use by UNFPA Headquarters and Regional and Country Offices for advocacy and resource mobilization purposes 

Reports and publications

●    Lead the coordination of the SRH and GBV programme and IM teams to compile and edit information for the monthly Ebola Situation Reports.

●    Support the development of external reports related to the Ebola response, including undertaking content editing and design layouts.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)

●    Collaborate with programme colleagues and implementing partners to establish and maintain direct, two-way communication mechanisms with community leaders, religious figures, women-led organizations (WLOs), and local influencers, specifically to monitor misinformation, community concerns, and stigma. Utilize information to develop culturally appropriate community messaging on public health instructions, including on risk mitigation of Ebola and symptom recognition, and that builds trust among communities in the health system and improves health seeking behaviours.

●    Produce IEC materials, such as flyers, posters, banners etc for communities, focusing on visual representation for easy understanding. 

●    Establish and lead internal communications coordination mechanisms to ensure all response teams utilize unified, RCCE-validated messaging, mitigating community confusion and reinforcing the credibility of the health intervention.

Capacity development

●    Coach and build communications capacity of UNFPA staff and implementing partners engaged in RCCE activities. 

Any other duties

●    Assist in UNFPA advocacy activities, including providing support to public events, coordinating visits of senior UN officials, including field visits and participating in other UN/HCT/UNFPA advocacy initiatives.

●    Perform any other duties as required by the Representative and/or Head of Office. 

Qualifications and Skills Required:

Qualifications:

●    Advanced degree in communications, public relations, advertising, development studies, or a related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience in a related area.

Experience:

●    Minimum 5 years communications experience working in humanitarian emergency settings. 

●    Extensive experience dealing with media, including coordinating and accompanying field visits with journalists. 

●    Experience conducting interviews and focus group discussions.

●    Experience in Ebola, COVID-19 or cholera response, in complex humanitarian crises or public health emergencies, is highly desirable.

●    Relevant work experience in UNFPA or other UN agencies, or international NGOs.

Technical Skills:

●    Strong writing skills and able to tailor style for different types of publications and communications. 

●    Audiovisual skills, including photography, videography and video editing (Premier Pro or other software).

●    Graphic design skills and able to produce print materials using Canva, InDesign and/or Illustrator.

●    Familiarity with MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

●    Ability to synthesize large amounts of information into concise, effective resources for decision-making, advocacy and resource mobilization purposes.

Soft Skills: 

●    Flexibility, diplomacy and leadership

●    Cultural sensitivity and sensitivity working with vulnerable populations (including survivors of sexual violence)

●    Ability to work well both independently and in teams.

Language Skills:

●    Fluency in both French and English is essential. Knowledge of Swahili useful but not essential.

CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of  Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and  Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the  PSEA online course This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.n