BACKGROUND

The Union Development Group (UDG) provides support for the governance structures of the Union and to the IUCN Members and Commissions, working in close consultation with the Director General, the Deputy Director General / Managing Director and regional and global thematic Directors, and in daily contact with the worldwide network of Membership Focal Points.

The UDG comprises the Congress Unit, Membership Unit and Governance Unit and links with the Union’s vast network of Members. In collaboration with the IUCN Regional Offices, the UDG is responsible for the administration of IUCN’s more than 1200 Members and for ensuring that involvement of the Secretariat with Members, National and Regional Committees, and the Union´s network of expert volunteers (Commissions) is optimum and that IUCN plays a leadership role in translating its considerable knowledge generation to learning that leads to action.

The Communications Manager – Union Development Group manages the communications-related processes and policies vis-à-vis the IUCN constituency in general and IUCN Members in particular, in both written and on-line media. This requires close collaboration with other Union Development Group colleagues, the Membership Focal Point (MFP) network, the worldwide communications coordinators and global communications, IUCN staff throughout the distributed Secretariat and National and Regional Committees.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Manage the development of all Union Development Group communications-related strategies, plans, processes, guidelines and procedures.
2. Contribute to the preparation of general Union Development Group strategies, plans, processes, guidelines and procedures.
3. Engage, coordinate and support the Membership Focal Point network on all matters related to Member communications.
4. Manage the development of the Members’ Portal and moderate online content. Coordinate the development of content on the portal, including by Membership Focal Points and their respective communications officers, by Members and National /Regional Committees, and subsequently – as the portal develops – by a much wider spectrum of users throughout the Union.
5. Ensure the strategic harmonization of data posted on the Constituency Relationship Management (CRM) system, the Members’ Portal and the Membership section of the IUCN website.
6. Participate actively in work to strategically ‘map’ Members’ expertise and interests (and that of other constituents) via the Members’ portal and CRM (and other tools as necessary). Manage all related communications with stakeholders.
7. Coordinate with the Communication Coordinators Network to strengthen communications with Members on matters of global policy and programme and encourage them to engage with Members. Facilitate related communications with Members through various communications channels (email – decentralized via MFP network; Members’ portal, newsletter, website, etc.)
8. Facilitate the strengthening of links between Members, Commissions and the Secretariat via the various communication tools available. Employ learning from the development of the Members’ portal to play a coordinating role in the development of cross-cutting communications and networking on the new Union portal. Manage the development of related policies and procedures, and their communication to IUCN Members.
9. Manage communications to Members from or concerning Council and other governance-related items, including the outcomes of Council meetings (decisions and summaries of Council meetings), via appropriate communications channels, in liaison with the Senior Governance Manager. Provide support for the production of specific communications, e.g. Council Overview.
10. Coordinate the reporting of the Governance and Constituency Committee of Council (GCC) at biannual meetings of the IUCN Council. Coordinate support within the Union Development Group for the GCC.
11. Manage Congress communications for Members and other constituents, including the general public.
12. Manage the IUCN Members’ global web pages up-to-date, including the updating of information to engage potential Members and relevant links to key IUCN documentation. In coordination with Membership Focal Points and communications officers throughout the distributed Secretariat, identify and capture best practices, stories and quotes from Members in the regions, working to creatively raise the profile and increase the knowledge of IUCN Members’ achievements. In particular, facilitate the development of web stories in regions/areas requiring additional support (e.g. US, Canada).
13. Produce the membership newsletter as and when required. Produce the Congress newsletter as required.
14. In liaison with global communications, Membership Focal Points and relevant communications officers, ensure adequate reporting from key events with a high attendance of IUCN Members.
15. Develop and produce necessary (global) membership and constituency promotional materials such as brochures, fact sheets, concept papers, posters, displays. This includes liaising with external service providers (graphic designers, printers, etc).
16. Manage constituency events (IUCN and others), specifically those providing networking opportunities for IUCN Members and the IUCN constituency, and events to engage both Members and potential Members.

The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in a small organization such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee's responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the Human Resources Management Group.

TOR Communications Manager – Union Development Group 090913