Head of Communications & Advocacy – UNHCR Geneva
Head of Communications & Advocacy
Strategy, Leadership & Oversight
- Develop and implement a national communications strategy aligned with CH4U goals and UNHCR’s global brand.
- Serve as principal advisor to the Executive Director on communications opportunities, risks, and positioning; contribute to the overall strategy of the foundation as part of the Leadership Team
- Deliver reporting on Communications and Advocacy activities, in line with clearly defined annual objectives and key results (OKRs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Ensure coherence and consistency of CH4U’s narrative across channels, campaigns and audience segments, strengthening clarity of positioning and brand trust, raising awareness of and fostering positive sentiments toward the cause of refugees and the mandate of UNHCR.
- Uphold UNHCR brand standards in all communications and external relations of the foundation, and protect UNHCR’s and CH4U’s reputation.
- Engage and work collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders internally (CH4U’s Leadership, Individual Giving and Partnerships & Philanthropy teams, etc.), at UNHCR headquarters (Global Communications and Private Sector Partnerships services, programme teams and regional or country offices, etc.) and externally (media, peers from other non profits, etc.).
- Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing team; steward an inclusive, feedback-rich culture with clear objectives, workflows and development plans.
- Own Communications budget planning and control; allocate resources to priority outcomes and manage supplier contracts.
Owned Media: Editorial & Digital
- Coordinate with other units to lead a supporter-centric editorial/content strategy for CH4U’s owned channels (website, social media…), including planning, production, localization and community management.
- Define and maintain clear message architecture across audiences, ensuring content quality, accuracy, brand consistency and accessibility across main languages in Switzerland (German, French, Italian) and English, with timely coordination on sensitive topics.
- Oversee web and social analytics for communications; test and optimize formats, messages and publishing cadences.
Earned Media: Media Relations & Spokespersonship
- Strengthen CH4U’s positioning as a trusted public voice on global refugee issues through proactive engagement with media, opinion leaders and public-facing stakeholders across Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
- Build strong relationships with print, digital and broadcast media across Switzerland and Liechtenstein; maintain a proactive media calendar.
- Identify, brief and position the most relevant spokesperson(s) by topic (UNHCR field experts, UNHCR senior representatives, CH4U’s ED, etc.) ; act as spokesperson where appropriate.
- Lead issues/crisis communications preparedness and response protocols in coordination with UNHCR counterparts; ensure message discipline, accuracy andspeed.
Brand & Campaign Management
- Oversee brand-building campaigns tailored to Swiss audiences; working closely with the Digital Campaigns & IG Liaison Lead to plan and deliver creative strategy, production, localization, media planning and performance optimization.
- Manage or support the management of external agencies and suppliers; to negotiate scopes, control quality and ensure onbrand creative aligned with UNHCR’s identity guidelines.
- Track brand health metrics (awareness, familiarity, trust, consideration) and visibility (reach, quality of coverage) and use insights to iterate.
Audience Specific Strategies (Enabling Fundraising & Partnerships)
- Codesign audience specific communications that enable and support Individual Giving, Corporate Partnerships, Foundations, and HNW/UHNW philanthropy, etc.
- Craft compelling stories, impact materials, talking points, and case studies that support fundraising and partnership engagement.
- Ensure consistent message architecture and value propositions for each audience segment; embed ethical storytelling and data protection.
Influencers & Goodwill Ambassadors
- Develop and manage a network of influencers, cultural figures and goodwill ambassadors across Switzerland’s linguistic regions, aligned with UNHCR’s values and protecting UNHCR’s reputation.
- Co-create awareness‑raising activations that extend reach and foster public empathy toward refugees.
What You bring
- 8–10+ years of senior experience in communications, public relations, public engagement, brand management or campaigning within NGOs, humanitarian, nonprofit or purpose-driven contexts.
- Demonstrated success in awareness-raising, narrative development and public-facing campaigns.
- Strong track record in media and external relations and experience as a spokesperson. Knowledge of the Swiss communications and media ecosystem is an asset.
- Experience with brand campaigns, communications for fundraising and partnerships, media planning, influencer engagement and crisis communications.
- Proven experience leading teams and agencies, managing budgets, and delivering multichannel strategies.
- Advanced post graduate degree or graduate degree with equivalent in experience to reach master level
- Commitment to refugee rights and humanitarian principles; prior experience with UNHCR is an asset.
- Strategic, analytical and solutions-oriented mindset, with strong judgment, problem-solving skills, and the ability to turn ideas into action.
- Excellent communicator, with strong written, oral and interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage effectively across multicultural and multilingual environments.
- Empathetic and cross-culturally sensitive, with a collaborative and diplomatic approach to working with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong leadership and people-management skills, with the ability to motivate, develop and lead a high-performing team.
- Highly organized and structured, with strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritize, manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Autonomous and proactive, while also being an effective team player.
- Strong stakeholder engagement, negotiation and advocacy skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and open new opportunities.
- Sound budget management skills, including planning, analysis, decision-making and reporting.
- Fluent in German, French and English (written & spoken).
- Swiss-German is an asset.
- Excellent computer skills and knowledge of MS Office applications
Claire Doole is a former BBC correspondent who reported from Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, and London, and later served as a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and WWF International.
eaker: Roberto Castello has a Ph.D. in Particle Physics from the Univ. of Torino. As a Principal Data Scientist at the Swiss Data Science Centre, he accompanies industries, public institutions, NGOs and international organizations through their data science journey.
Sean Carroll has a Masters degree in Business and is an AI & innovation engineering leader who’s worked in this field for over a decade. He was previously at Médecins Sans Frontières, GitLab and EPFL.
