Deadline to apply is 9 March 2026
Host entity
UNWOMEN Japan Liaison Office

Modality
Onsite

Type
National

Volunteer category
Specialist

Work arrangement
Full-time

Number of Assignments
1

Assignment country
Japan

Duty stations
Tokyo

Work location
UN Premises

Duration
11 months (with possibility of extension)

Context

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Japan has a steadfast relationship with the UN, and has strengthened its focus on Gender Equality, serving as an Executive Board member since the establishment of UN Women.

Recognizing the importance of the political and financial partnership with Japan, a UN Women Japan Liaison Office (JLO) was established in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, in 2015.

UN Women's presence in Japan provides a strategic entry point and an opportunity to liaise and partner with the key decision-makers in the government of Japan, parliamentarians, the private sector, the media, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.

UN Women also works closely with the UN Women Japan National Committee, which supports national advocacy, public awareness building, and resource mobilization.

UN Women works in close coordination with other UN entities based in Tokyo to promote the gender equality agenda.

The UN Women Japan Liaison Office leads on partnerships development, policy engagement, public advocacy and awareness, and resource mobilization with government actors, private sector entities, civil society and foundations, to advance gender equality and women's empowerment under the overall guidance of UN Women's Strategic Plan

Under the supervision of the Partnership Specialist of the JLO, and in close coordination with the Communications and Advocacy Consultant, the incumbent will engage in communication and resource mobilization efforts with the government and private sector and raise donor visibility, with the aim of increasing overall funding to UN Women.

The Officer will support the Partnership Specialist in developing and implementing a donor visibility strategy and disseminate UN Women's activities in line with UN Women's partnership priorities, especially through results communication of Japan's support to UN Women.

The Officer will also engage in efforts to mobilize resources from the private sector in Japan, in particular through the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

WEPs are a set of principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community.

They are the result of a collaboration between the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact.

Task description
Under the supervision of the Partnership Specialist at the UN Women Japan Liaison Office, the Communication and Resource Mobilization Officer will conduct the following tasks :

(1) Formulate and implement a communication strategy to enhance visibility to UN Women's global programmatic needs and Japan's support to UN Women

• Formulate a Communication Strategy with the aim of sensitizing the Japanese public on UN Women's programmatic needs, raising visibility for Japan's support to UN Women, and enhancing UN Women's profile in Japan, taking topic sensitivities and potential risks into consideration, in line with the corporate communication policy.
• Lead on implementing the Communication Strategy in coordination with relevant offices and personnel, making course corrections as necessary.
• Produce communications content for visibility on Japan's support as well as programmatic needs and results, such as donor/partnership reports, brochures, videos, articles, website stories, SNS posts, UN Women global annual reports, and disseminate them to key influencers and the general public.
• Engage in regular updates via social media of noteworthy results and progress of UN Women projects implemented under Japanese funding.
• Propose innovative solutions to enhance the effectiveness of results communications strategies and activities through analysing traditional and digital media and identifying trends and/or issues.
• Coordinate with relevant divisions and colleagues in UN Women in HQs, regions, and countries, to enhance programme-related communication and visibility of Japanese support.
• Contribute to the management of communications specific risks, in close coordination with the Communications and Advocacy Consultant, by monitoring and engaging in preparedness actions.
• Connect media with UN Women subject matter experts.
• Increase strategic media engagement in relation to raising the visibility of UN women programme activities, Japan-supported projects and Japanese staff working at UN Women.

(2) Coordinate with UN Women offices and key stakeholders on Japan-supported projects with the aim of enhancing resource mobilization and programme-related communication.

• Coordinate with UN Women country and regional offices to source content for communication and disseminate communication pieces through JLO's platforms.
• Support the Partnership Specialist in coordinating with UN Women offices applying to or receiving Japanese funding, namely the Japan Supplementary Budget Funding and Grant Aid (renkei musho) funding, by enhancing results communication.
• Review and analyse communication material and project reports produced by UN Women country and regional offices to gauge the key results and impact, programme needs, and identify opportunities, risks, trends and action points to feed into presentations, resources and communication materials to be developed by JLO.
• Coordinate with UN Women Japan National Committee, a non-profit entity supporting the work of UN Women through fundraising, to ensure consistency in the communication of UN Women project needs and results, and collaborate with the National Committee as well as key stakeholders where appropriate on communications and advocacy efforts within Japan.

(3) Investigate ways to mobilize resources from the private sector in Japan, in particular the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

• Gauge prospects for private sector resource mobilization in Japan and propose on viable private sector resource mobilization modalities, in close coordination with the Communications and Advocacy Consultant.
• Ascertain feasibility and desirability of a WEPs-focused support in Japan, in consultation with corporate signatories of WEPs and Global Compact Network Japan, and devise an appropriate model of cost recovery/fundraising from the private sector.
• Explore partnerships with Keidanren (Japanese Business Federation), the Financial Services Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to take forward the proposed support on WEPs.

(4) Other duties

• The incumbent performs within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Relevant experience
3 years

Languages

English, Level:
Fluent, Required


Japanese, Level:
Fluent, Required

Required education level

Bachelor's degree in A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in communications, marketing, design, media studies, journalism, gender, international relations, international development or another related field.

Skills and experience

• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills.
• Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development.
• Previous experience with UN Women or with other UN organizations is an advantage.
• Previous experience with the Japanese private sector is an advantage.
• Excellent command of major social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Proficiency in Canva, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign an asset.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.

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