National Communication Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO’s Sub-regional Office for the Pacific Islands (FAOSAP) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing sub-regional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It assists the FAO Representations (FAORs) in the sub-region with addressing sub-regional food security, agriculture, and rural development issues at country level. The Sub-regional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP).

Organizational Setting

FAO’s Sub-regional Office for the Pacific Islands (FAOSAP) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing sub-regional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It assists the FAO Representations (FAORs) in the sub-region with addressing sub-regional food security, agriculture, and rural development issues at country level. The Sub-regional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP).

This position is associated with the project “Sustainable Transformation of Domestic Agrifood Systems in Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands” (STODAS; FAO: GCP/SAP/011/EC; EU: FED/2022/436-777), an EU-funded initiative operating across three Pacific countries with a total budget of EUR 10 million. A No-Cost Extension (NCE) has been approved extending the project to 31 January 2028.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall guidance of the FAO Sub-regional Coordinator (SRC), the National Communications Specialist (NCS) will directly report to the Programme Specialist / Project Management Specialist (PMS) based in Apia, Samoa, who acts as Team Leader for the project. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the International Communications Specialist at FAOSAP and with other national and international consultants of the STODAS project. The National Communications Specialist will perform the duties described below.

Technical Focus

Communications, visibility and knowledge management in support of EU-funded agrifood systems development projects; media relations; digital and social media content production; design and branding; publication processes; and outreach across the Pacific sub-region.

Tasks And Responsibilities

In close collaboration with Office of Communications (OCC) branches and appropriate Communication focal points, the incumbent will:

STODAS project communication and visibility

• Regularly assess and update the STODAS communication and visibility (C&V) plan to meet evolving donor requirements and project milestones.
• Oversee the end-to-end production of video stories, featuring project beneficiaries from identification to high-quality filming. Act as the primary bridge between technical teams and the communications framework to extract raw data and human-interest angles.
• Develop and customise design templates for project materials (banners, brochures, posters) ensuring strict adherence to donor and FAO branding policies.
• Guide the development of policy briefs and other knowledge products through the FAO Publication Works System (PWS).

Local media relations and outreach

• Utilise established connections with local press to an opinion editorial and human-interest stories highlighting direct project impacts on farmers.
• Generate content packages from technical programmes and project reports tailored for national, provincial, and community-level audiences.
• Use diverse local channels, such as community radio, to communicate effectively with rural producers in local languages.
• Continuously monitor regional media for agrifood system trends and proactively identify opportunities to amplify the project’s visibility.

FAOSAP office support and digital engagement

• Create and schedule regular, engaging content for social media platforms to raise awareness of FAO’s broader work in the Pacific.
• Work with FAOSAP, RAP, and HQ specialists to align project activities with internationally recognised days and global media campaigns.
• Facilitate on-site media briefings and provide tailored communication support for key events and national milestones.

FAO Standards And Guidelines

• Liaison with OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes.
• All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:

FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31

https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en

FAO social media policy and guidelines

https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia

Social Media Branding Guidelines

https://openknowledge.fao.org/handl