UNOPS

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNOPS operates across 23 countries, delivering high-impact solutions that drive sustainable development. UNOPS focuses on building and improving resilient infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public facilities, sanitation systems, and housing—to enhance quality of life and foster inclusive growth. UNOPS also supports public health by procuring essential medicines and medical equipment, ensuring broader access to healthcare services. By strengthening institutional capacities, UNOPS promotes transparent, efficient, and equitable public management. As a trusted partner to governments and development stakeholders, UNOPS aligns its interventions with national priorities, helping countries advance the Sustainable Development Goals through practical, results-driven support.

The Isthmus and Caribbean Multi-Country Office (ICMCO), based in Panama, oversees UNOPS operations in Panama, Costa Rica, and the English/Dutch Caribbean States. In Panama, UNOPS has supported national partners since 2009 through technical advisory services and the implementation of complex infrastructure, procurement, and project management initiatives—strengthening public sector efficiency and enhancing quality of life. In Costa Rica, UNOPS has collaborated with four successive administrations on 17 projects, consistently aligning with national priorities and legal frameworks. Key achievements include major transport and water infrastructure such as the Binational Bridge over the Sixaola River, multiple underpasses and bridges, aqueducts in Liberia and Nicoya, and the Circunvalación Norte highway. Across both countries, UNOPS promotes sustainability, resilience, and national capacity-building while also providing operational support to other UN agencies in the region.

Sint Maarten's justice system faces longstanding challenges, including outdated detention facilities that do not meet modern standards for security, rehabilitation, and human rights compliance. This project will directly contribute to strengthening national infrastructure capacity in the correctional sector, ensuring safe, humane, and rehabilitative detention conditions that support the reintegration of offenders into society.

The Communications and Social Management Officer (LICA 8) will serve as the focal point for communications and social management for the projects in Sint Maarten. The purpose of this assignment is to ensure the smooth implementation of the communication strategy with both internal and external audiences, as well as effective social management through ongoing interaction with communities that could potentially be affected by the construction process and the start-up of the project as well as the communities that are direct beneficiary of the project and might become active players in a participative process.

• Required: Bachelor's degree preferably in one of the following disciplines: journalism, public relations, social work, sociology, psychology, communications, political science or related areas.
• Desirable: A master's degree preferably in one of the following disciplines: journalism, public relations, social work, sociology, psychology, communications, political science or related areas.

• Required:
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in social communications, communication with international organizations and social management.
• Experience working with stakeholders, social/citizen dialogue action, and/or conflict resolution is required.
• Highly Desirable:
• Experience in projects, activities, and/or initiatives with a social component, applying a human rights approach, gender perspective, diversity, and inclusion.
• Experience in social management of infrastructure projects.
• Experience in organizations of the UN System and in international organizations.
• Desirable:
• Experience in reputational crisis situations.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.