While graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status is a testament to Bangladesh’s developmental progress, it will bring various challenges, requiring adroit policy responses to manage the transition and prepare, especially for the loss of LDC-specific trade preferences. If Bangladesh can successfully navigate and mitigate any adverse implications for its export trade following its graduation from the LDC status, the transition should not precipitate major economic consequences, but will rather represent a natural progression in economic development. However, to navigate the transition effectively, Bangladesh must adopt a dual approach: securing extended LDC-type trade preferences as a transitional buffer and bolstering export competitiveness.

The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) will play a crucial role in the post-LDC scenario, despite facing limited resources—encompassing human, financial, and technical capacities—and programmatic support. The IP Transformative Economic Policy Programme (TEPP) – II project, funded by the UK government, aims to bridge these gaps, aligning closely with national priorities for a smooth LDC graduation, particularly on Bangladesh’s trade policy and trade negotiation skills, inter-ministerial coordination on compliance issues, private sector’s competitiveness, and evidence-based policy initiatives.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will also play a crucial role in supporting ongoing growth and economic development and reaping potential benefits from the LDC graduation. In an evolving context, Bangladesh will need to improve investment facilitation, retention, and aftercare services to attract more FDI. This project, through the Research and Analytics Unit (RAU), anchored in the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) of the Prime Minister’s Office will also support evidence-based policy reforms for improved investment climate in Bangladesh.

Under the overall guidance of the Project Manager, the incumbent will provide high-quality professional communication expertise for the IP TEPP-II project.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks:

External Communications and Visibility:

• Implement the project’s communications and outreach strategy in complementarity with the UNDP Bangladesh Country Office’s broader strategic priorities as well as its External Communications Action Plan.
• Undertake period review and updates of the project’s communications and outreach strategy in consultation with the project team to ensure its relevance to emerging priorities and needs on the ground.
• Implementation of the project’s communication and outreach strategy.
• Undertake quarterly assessments and analyses to identify the project’s external communications and visibility priorities in close consultation with the Project Manager and other team members.
• Lead the design and implementation of external communications and outreach interventions for the purpose of the project’s branding.
• Develop advocacy, visibility and promotional material that are necessary for the project in compliant with UNDP cooperate guidelines and donor visibility policies and procedures where appropriate.
• Lead the design and development of necessary communications and awareness material/ documentation for wider dissemination and information sharing in coordination with government implementing partners as guided by the Project Manager.
• Build partnerships and collaborate & engage with the media to improve the project’s external communications and visibility corresponding to its external communications and visibility strategy.
• Draft press- releases, case studies/ human stories, policy briefs, and video/ documentary scripts to highlight and improve the project’s visibility on its achievements/ activities while also ensuring wider dissemination of these materials amongst like-minded audiences within Bangladesh and beyond.
• Maintain and regularly update the project’s repository/archive of all communications material including photos, videos and audio.
• Draft and design content for UNDP’s social platforms for the project.
• Provide constructive feedback to the project’s progress reporting and related activities on lessons learned and best practices resulting from external communications and visibility activities.
• Conduct orientation/ training sessions on external communications and visibility to project partners where needed.
• Act as the project focal point for day-to-day coordination and collaboration with the UNDP Bangladesh Country Office Communications team and programme teams where appropriate.

Internal Communications:

• Develop/prepare content material for the UNDP Bangladesh Country Office website in close coordination with the project team and the Country Office Communications Team.
• Develop/prepare content for social media platforms relevant to the project activities in close consultation with the project team and the Country Office Communications Team.
• Draft and prepare internal communications material including blogs, newsletters, and related activities in close consultation with the project team and the Country Office Communications Team.
• Act as the project focal point for all internal communications-related tasks.
• Any other relevant tasks assigned by the Project Manager.

Programme Support:

• Assist the project team in drafting programme updates, and development of advocacy/awareness-raising materials and related material.
• Help the team to design and implement baseline surveys, perception surveys, impact assessments/ tracker surveys including in the development of survey report templates, design and layout of reports and related tasks.
• Assist the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) Analyst in coordinating comments/ feedback from the rest of the project team to prepare donor progress reports, donor review meeting presentations, meeting minutes and related documentation.
• Assist in the preparation of write-ups/ presentations and related documents including meeting minutes for Review Board/Steering Committee meetings under the overall guidance of the Project Manager.
• Any other tasks related to programme support assigned by the Project Manager.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy:

• Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners.
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on project related issues.
• Support establishment of knowledge platforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area.

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

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
• Learn Continuously:  LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Management

• Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience; Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
• Digital Awareness and Literacy: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skilfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed

Business Development

• Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need

Communications:

• Campaign Management: Ability to produce and implement communications and advocacy campaigns which lead to impactful change
• Creative direction and copywriting: Ability to creatively communicate concepts in an engaging and simple way
• Media Relations: Ability to develop media relations across all aspects of media work including relationships with media and preparing media materials such as messages
• Multimedia writing/editing: Ability to create and/or edit written content for multimedia

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements