Position Description

The United Nations Foundation (UNF) seeks a strategic, creative, politically savvy, and globally experienced communications leader to spearhead the next generation of the Foundation’s communications, marketing, and engagement, leading all aspects of strategic communications and campaigns, creative and digital, brand marketing, and strategic partnerships to position the Foundation for its next generation of impact.

A new position, the CCMO is the top communications professional in the organization and responsible for leading the external positioning of the UN Foundation, its voice, and its brand; designing and implementing strategic communications and marketing campaigns to advance global cooperation and the mission of the organization; and developing strategies and tools to grow philanthropic revenue for the Foundation and the United Nations globally.

The CCMO will lead and grow a revamped Global Communications & Engagement team of nimble, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven professionals with a mix of media, marketing, campaigning, production, and audience-engagement skills. They will bring dynamic and transformational leadership to take UNF’s storied communications and marketing to the next level at a time profound challenge and change in the world. The CCMO will serve on the Leadership Team and report to the President & CEO.

The position is based in Washington, D.C., with expectation of travel. Global candidates are encouraged to apply.

Candidate Profile & Role

Strong candidates will bring a diverse set of skills, characteristics, and experiences, both professional and lived. They will bring a strategic and entrepreneurial approach and have a track record for developing pathbreaking communications and campaigns to promote inclusive global cooperation and actionable innovations and collaborations to solve the world’s most complex issues at scale.

They will have experience with or around the United Nations, a strong interest in global cooperation, keen political judgment, and an intellectual drive to motivate collective action for results, even against headwinds and setbacks. They will have had experience working in communications in political contexts and demonstrated savvy in achieving strategic goals with target audiences.

The successful candidate will have a zeal for data and be excited to build a center of excellence on polling, data, and analytics to understand audiences, shape messages, underpin engagement strategies, as well as to increase fundraising and campaign results across the organization.

The new CCMO will have a significant hand in shaping the vision and priorities for the role. Their specific responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Develop and lead a compelling overarching strategy to build UNF’s brand, reputation, influence, and impact in all relevant markets.
• Put strategic communications at the core of UNF’s communications and build media, editorial, and influencer strategies that position UNF as a leader, innovator, and coalition-builder for the SDGs, United Nations, and global problem-solving, including through strategies for executive communications and raising the profile of UNF leadership and the board.
• Forge close strategic and operational ties with UN counterparts, as well as with leaders across the international creative community, civil society, private sector, and governments to generate game-changing initiatives and next generation impact.
• Develop cutting-edge communications strategies to make the case and build the base for bigger, better, fairer collective action to deliver for people and planet, working with policy leaders and innovators across and outside the organization.
• Build dynamic new capacity and products for agile, creative, and incisive campaigns to advance issues and move audiences across our communities and markets, working with campaigners across and outside the organization.
• Build a best-in-class capacity for convening with a high-functioning events team that is creative, resourceful, and inventive, and work with policy teams across the organization to experiment and test new modes of collaboration to contribute to reinventing and democratizing multilateralism.
• Serve as a top adviser to policy and programmatic teams across the organization to help them shape their own communications strategies and world-class communications assets for influence and impact.
• Work closely with the President & CEO, the Board, and other leaders across the organization, to increase philanthropic revenue for the organization and the United Nations.
• Manage and develop a world-class team and foster an agency-like atmosphere that unites strategic marketing, philanthropy, and online engagement services to support UNF’s mission and key policy initiatives and programs.
• Bring new focus and ambition to the organization’s engagement with media, journalists, and the creative community, including through press fellowships and other tools that the organization has deployed.
• Lead strategy for crisis communications, anticipating risks and opportunities and ensuring a capability to get ahead of them, including investing in key relationships in advance before they are necessary.
• Oversee internal communications, working closely with leaders across the organization.
• Oversee planning, budgeting, and resourcing of the organization’s communications activities, and align resources between strategy and implementation.

Selection Criteria

• 15+ years of experience, at least 10 at leadership level in strategic communications with a proven track record of leading and managing teams to develop and execute successful campaigns, marketing, and fundraising initiatives.
• Experience working with non-profit and/or multilateral organizations, with a strong understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities of these types of organizations required. Direct experience working with the United Nations and track record of successful brand-building in an international public sector context strongly preferred.
• Proven credibility and reputation for world-class communications, marketing, and creative campaigns.
• A demonstrable record of achievement in developing and executing successful communication strategies in international settings, including in challenging or complex environments.
• Demonstrated commitment to and familiarity with global policy issues and trends, the United Nations, the Sustainable Development Goals, and related issues.
• Thorough knowledge of and experience in developing and executing messaging strategies for resource mobilization and fundraising campaigns.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Exceptional skills in team management, consultation, and facilitation, with a proven track record to drive and support teams in a fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment.
• Experience managing budgets, teams, and external agencies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A strong sense of integrity which underpins the commitments made and partnerships forged on behalf of the organization.
• A healthy sense of humor and a balance of confidence and humility.
• Master’s degree in public affairs, communications, marketing, or a related sector, or Bachelor’s degree with additional relevant years of experience.

ABOUT THE UN FOUNDATION

The United Nations Foundation was created in an act of visionary philanthropy to be a strategic partner for the United Nations in advancing the UN’s highest goals and values. For 25 years, we have worked to mobilize ideas, people, and resources to solve global challenges at scale and grow diverse and durable constituencies for effective collective action. Today, at this time of heightened global crisis and risk, our mission is to catalyze strategic innovations, collaborations, and coalitions that fill critical gaps in collective action and help the UN tackle the most urgent issues confronting humanity. We focus on issues at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, and our vision is a strengthened United Nations with the credibility, influence, and reach to be the world’s foremost platform for global cooperation in service of a more peaceful, sustainable, and equitable world.

Benefits & Compensation

For full-time, benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:

• a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• 403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution
• group term and supplemental life insurance
• short-term disability
• long-term disability
• health club discounts
• commuter subsidy
• back-up care
• employee assistance program

Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.