Organization Mission

The Pacific is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. Small, vulnerable island states are isolated by vast expanses of ocean. They experience frequent and intense disasters with disproportionately high economic, social and environmental consequences. In 1999, OCHA established an office for the Pacific (OP) to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
Emergency Preparedness & Response

The first responders in any emergency are disaster-affected people and their governments. OCHA’s key objective is to support national efforts to protect the lives, livelihoods and dignity of people in need. International assistance can only be mobilized when a request is made by the affected government.
OCHA maintains a surge support capacity that allows the international humanitarian system to establish quick links with affected countries. It does this through the response capacity of its staff in the Pacific, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system, OCHA global staff, standby partners, and through the coordination of Pacific Humanitarian Team clusters and member organizations. This flexible approach allows OCHA to find different and appropriate solutions for assistance requests across the Pacific.

OCHA OP personnel can provide support in information management, reporting, mapping, media and communications, assessments, humanitarian financing and inter-cluster coordination. OCHA can deploy UNDAC teams at short notice to assist in the coordination of incoming international relief at the earliest stages of an emergency.

Context

This assignment supports UNOCHA’s broader communications efforts to raise awareness of humanitarian needs and strengthen advocacy and visibility of humanitarian action in the Pacific.

Key Responsibilities

– Draft and edit short texts for social media content, including posts, articles, and human-interest stories (average of 4 posts per week).
– Support the focal point in publishing 2–3 posts per week on UNOCHA’s social media platforms (Facebook and LinkedIn) to highlight good practices of humanitarian actors in the region.
– Provide basic monitoring of social media performance and share short insight reports on reach and engagement weekly.
– Conduct scanning of Pacific news and humanitarian developments, compiling short bullet points with links to articles or publications for the weekly internal situation report to HQ.
– Ensure all materials use inclusive, respectful, and context-sensitive language.

Required Skills and Experience

– Must have: Proven experience in writing and editing in English
– Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and the ability to create visuals and presentations using PowerPoint and Canva
– Strong attention to detail, grammar, and inclusive language
– General understanding of ethical considerations in humanitarian storytelling; reliable access to appropriate equipment and stable internet connection.

Desirable: Basic graphic design and simple photo/video editing (e.g., Canva, CapCut, Adobe Creative Suite); basic familiarity with HTML/CSS for website updates; ability to use AI tools in line with UNOCHA guidance; prior exposure to humanitarian or development communications; familiarity with humanitarian principles and UNOCHA’s mandate is an asset.