Congress communications officer – high profile communications for a major international event

The Congress Communications Officer will coordinate communications for IUCN’s highest profile international event – the IUCN World Conservation Congress. Every four years, the IUCN Congress brings world leaders and decision makers from governments, civil society, indigenous peoples’ organisations and business together with leading scientists and thousands of experts to debate and act on the latest ways to conserve nature and harness its solutions to global challenges.

The incumbent will work with external contractors, partners, IUCN Members, communicators and leadership across the Union to coordinate effective communications and promotions before, during and after the event. The position requires a broad range of communications talent, including the ability to maximise the impact of communications resources, cater messages and delivery to a wide range of audiences and demands, and to prioritise strategic and day-to-day activities under tight deadlines.

The officer will report to the Communications Manager in the Global Communications Unit with a functional reporting to the Congress Manager and work closely with members of the Global Communications Team, the Congress Unit and counterparts from the Host Country to coordinate all communications efforts around the Congress.

This is a big job and an excellent opportunity for a talented communications professional looking to prove her or his capacity to play a central role in a large, complex, deadline-driven communications project from its early stages through final reporting. The position requires someone who can see the big picture and set priorities accordingly and who is willing and capable of doing what it takes to get the job done, from creating and editing content to liaising with various stakeholders and coordinating and managing resources. The position will require someone who is very much a self-starter and who can work independently to broad guidelines without being managed too closely.


About IUCN and the IUCN World Conservation Congress

IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,300 Member organisations and the input of more than 10,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

As IUCN’s flagship event, the Congress attracts thousands of participants from across the world. The event has two components – the Forum and the Members’ Assembly. The Forum is the largest knowledge marketplace for conservation and sustainable development science, practice and innovation. Over 1000 sessions address the economic, social, scientific and technical aspects of issues ranging from wildlife to oceans, protected areas to sustainable business, and climate change to human rights.

During the Members’ Assembly, IUCN’s 1,300+ Member organisations collectively decide on actions to address the most pressing and often controversial conservation and sustainable development challenges. IUCN’s membership includes some of the most influential government and civil society organisations from more than 160 countries, giving the decisions taken at the IUCN Congress a powerful mandate.

The next Congress will take place in Marseille, France from 11 to 19 June 2020.

Detailed responsibilities of the Congress Communications Officer are as follows:

• Develop and coordinate production of all IUCN corporate Congress communications and marketing materials in the lead up to the Congress in three official languages (English, French and Spanish). This includes creating the Congress website content, multimedia, email campaigns, printed and other materials and managing consultants and translators so that every piece meets a specific purpose and is on message, on time and of top quality for maximum impact.

• Act as liaison between the Global Communications Team, the Congress Unit and the Host Country communications representative(s) as well as between the Global Communications Team and IUCN programmes, regional offices and other focal points regarding the Congress.

• Coordinate the at-Congress communications plan and put it into action so that participants have the information they need at the event, external target audiences see the outcomes of the Congress as they happen and IUCN captures the photos, videos and highlights of the event for communications after the Congress.

• Coordinate, prepare for and implement post-Congress communications to retain participant engagement, capture and promote outcomes of the Congress, and to prepare assets for use in promoting the 2024 Congress.

• Prepare post-Congress internal reporting on Congress communications efforts and results

• Keep relevant internal audiences updated on the progress, requests and status of Congress communications, including budget updates as required, monitoring and analytics and final “lessons learnt” and other reporting.

• Play a central role in the expanded Congress communications team from around IUCN in the run-up to and during the event.

• Participate in the Congress in Marseille, France from 9 to 21 June 2020 and assist the Global Communications Unit team across a wide variety of communications activities as required throughout duration of the contract.