Reporting and Communications Senior Officer, Colombo

General

Description of assignment title: Reporting and Communications Senior Officer
Assignment country: Sri Lanka
Duty stations: Colombo
Work location: On UN premises
Expected start date: 12/01/2026
Duration: 24 months (with possibility of extension)
Sustainable Development Goal: 11. Sustainable cities and communities
Host entity: UNOPS LKA
Modality: Onsite
Type: International
Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026
Work schedule: Full-time
Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

UNOPS Sri Lanka is part of the Sri Lanka Multi Country Office in the Asia Region. The Office provides technical, operational and administrative support to multiple countries in the Asia Region, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and Nepal to enable these country offices to deliver their project more efficiently and effectively. As part of this support, the UNOPS Office in Sri Lanka also provides programmatic support in the areas of project management, communications, reporting and partnership development.

In Sri Lanka, UNOPS operates within the overall framework of the UN Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) and is working with UN Agencies to better support the Government of Sri Lanka within the focus areas of the UNSDF. UNOPS Sri Lanka currently manages infrastructure projects in health, solid waste management and supports public institutions governance.

Context

This UN Volunteer assignment is part of the UNOPS South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) operations in Sri Lanka. Project Context: In partnership with donor (KOICA) and the Government of Sri Lanka, UNOPS is leading an infrastructure project aimed at providing integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) in the Badulla and Vavuniya districts. The project includes the construction of a new sanitary landfill, Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), and Composting facilities, alongside the improvement of existing facilities and capacity building for local authorities and communities.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the project manager , IUNV will be responsible for donor reporting, stakeholder coordination, project communications and visibility. Key tasks include:

• Donor Reporting and Project Information Management
  • Coordinate the preparation of periodic, annual and ad hoc project reports required by KOICA and other relevant stakeholders.
  • Establish, manage and monitor a reporting calendar and key submission deadlines, proactively following up with responsible project team members to ensure timely submission of inputs.
  • Collect, consolidate, review and edit technical, operational and project inputs received from project team members for incorporation into donor reports.
  • Review reports, presentations, briefs and correspondence to ensure the accuracy, consistency and coherence of information presented to KOICA and stakeholders.
  • Support the preparation of management updates, briefing notes, presentations and other project information requested by KOICA, Project Management Consultancy (PMC), government counterparts and other stakeholders..
• KOICA and Stakeholder Coordination
  • Serve as a key coordination focal point, supporting the Project Manager in maintaining effective communication and strategic engagement with KOICA and PMC.
  • Coordinate the preparation and coordination of official correspondence, information requests, presentations and briefing materials for KOICA and government counterparts
  • Facilitate timely internal follow-up on requests for information and agreed actions from KOICA and stakeholders.
  • Ensure that information shared externally is coordinated with the Project Manager and relevant technical colleagues and is consistent with approved project information anddocumentation.
  • Support stakeholder meetings, donor missions, workshops and project events, including preparation of materials, documentation and follow-up actions.
• Project Communications and Knowledge Management
  • Lead and coordinate the implementation of the project's communications and visibility activities, ensuring compliance with UNOPS corporate requirements and KOICA visibility requirements.
  • Develop, draft, edit and proofread project communication materials, including internal and external newsletters, project updates, fact sheets, social media content.
  • Proactively Identify project milestones, achievements, beneficiary stories and implementation results suitable for internal and external communication.
  • Manage project-level external communications and visibility activities with the SAMCO Communications Officer, ensuring consistency with UNOPS corporate communication standards and messaging.
  • Coordinate communication inputs for project events, workshops, donor missions and campaigns.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80
Required experience: 3 years
Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience: 9 years

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Required
• Korean, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level: Secondary education

Competencies and values:

• Accountability (Treats resources responsibly, upholds ethical standards)
• Adaptability and Flexibility (Agility in fast-paced/changing environments)
• Planning and Organising (Efficient execution and project control)
• Professionalism & Integrity (Focuses on end-beneficiaries and high quality)
• Judgement and Decision-making (Solution-focused, pragmatic problem solver)
• Effective Communication & Partnering (Builds strong relationships, active listener)

Skills and experience:

• Relevant professional experience in project reporting, donor reporting, project communications, stakeholder coordination, project management support, or international development is required.
• Experience in coordinating and preparing donor reports, progress reports, briefing notes, presentations and other project information products, including the consolidation of technical and programme inputs, is highly desirable
• Previous experience working on KOICA-funded projects, including KOICA reporting, coordination, communication and/or visibility requirements, is highly desirable.
• Experience in monitoring reporting requirements and deadlines and coordinating inputs from multidisciplinary project teams is desirable.
• Experience working in a multicultural environment and coordinating with multiple internal and external stakeholders is an asset.

Area(s) of expertise: Communication, advocacy, public information, Monitoring, evaluation, Water, sanitation, waste
Driving license: -

Other information

Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Living conditions and remarks

Sri Lanka is an island nation located off the south coast of India. It’s home to an estimated population of over 21 million people. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi- religious country. It is a tropical country with moderate temperate and high humidity all throughout the year. The climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year but humidity is usually high. From March to April the temperature averages around 32 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit). The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the monsoon seasons from May to August and October to January when heavy rainfalls occur. Colombo is situated in the Western Province of Sri Lanka and is the commercial capital of the country. The city is located on the west coast of the island, adjacent to the administrative capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. Bandaranaike International Airport is located 35km from Colombo and is served by the main international airlines. Sri Lanka currently has stable and safe living environment. Cost of living is relatively high with increased food and accommodation costs. The UN Volunteer will be based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Colombo is the administrative centre and offers a range of accommodation, transportation, medical, banking and other services. Travel to project sites in Badulla and Vavuniya will be required. Sri Lanka is classified as a Family Duty Station. The security level in Colombo is UNDSS Level 1 (Minimal).

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

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