Deadline: 09 November 2026
IWRAW Asia Pacific is a feminist, women’s human rights organization working to advance equality, justice, and the full realization of human rights for all.
For over three decades, we have worked in partnership with movements, organisations, and communities to challenge systems that perpetuate discrimination and inequality. Our work bridges local realities and global human rights mechanisms, strengthening the ability of women and gender-diverse people to claim, exercise, and expand their rights.
We are guided by feminist principles and a deep commitment to inclusion, equity, integrity, and respect for diverse lived experiences. We strive to build a working environment where people feel valued, supported, and able to contribute meaningfully.
Our Approach to Strategic Communications
Strategic communications at IWRAW Asia Pacific seeks to strengthen the organization’s influence, visibility and positioning as a Global South feminist human rights organization. It translates programme knowledge, advocacy, and movement insights into compelling narratives, strategic communications, and engagement that advance feminist human rights, contribute to shifts in public and policy discourse, strengthen movement solidarity, and support organizational sustainability.
Position Summary
The Strategic Communications Programme Officer leads the development and implementation of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s strategic communications, strengthening the organization’s influence, visibility and positioning as a Global South feminist human rights organization. The role connects IWRAW Asia Pacific’s programme knowledge, research, advocacy, and movement engagement with the audiences, narratives, and communication opportunities that can advance feminist human rights and strengthen movement solidarity.
Working across programmes, international advocacy, and organizational leadership, the position translates complex feminist and human rights analysis into clear, compelling, and politically informed narratives for diverse audiences. The Strategic Communications Programme Officer also contributes to resource mobilization communications by helping articulate IWRAW Asia Pacific’s impact, expertise, and organizational value to funders and partners. The position works collaboratively with colleagues and movement partners to ensure that communications are ethical, accessible, audience-responsive and grounded in the experiences, knowledge, and priorities of the movements with which IWRAW Asia Pacific works.
- Location: Kuala Lumpur / Remote (Flexible, with periodic international travel)
- Organization: IWRAW Asia Pacific (IWRAW AP)
- Reports To: Manager, Institutional Resilience & Strengthening (IRS)
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Communications Strategy and Planning
- Develop and implement IWRAW Asia Pacific’s strategic communications strategy.
- Translate organizational priorities into communications objectives, audiences, messages and channels.
- Develop annual communications plans and communications plans for major organizational priorities.
- Identify strategic opportunities for IWRAW Asia Pacific to enter or shape relevant public and policy debates.
- Develop campaign and advocacy communications plans in coordination with relevant colleagues from the Programme Team.
- Maintain a coordinated communications calendar.
- Ensure coherence across digital platforms, publications, media engagement, events and institutional materials.
- Work with the MEAL Programme Officer to monitor communications performance, audience engagement and learning, and adapt approaches accordingly.
Narrative and Organizational Positioning
- Support the development of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s organizational narrative and positioning by developing message frameworks tailored to different audiences.
- Develop and maintain institutional messaging and key messages.
- Articulate IWRAW Asia Pacific’s distinctive value proposition, expertise and contribution.
- Identify language and framing that can make complex feminist human-rights issues accessible without losing political or analytical depth, working closely with the Programme and IRS Teams.
- Support Programme Team colleagues, leadership, and spokespeople with strategic messaging.
- Provide rapid-response communications on significant political and human-rights developments in consultation with the Leadership Team.
- Ensure consistency in how IWRAW Asia Pacific presents itself to partners, movements, funders, media and wider audiences.
Programme Knowledge, Storytelling, and Knowledge Translation
- Work closely with the Programme and Institutional Resilience and Strengthening (IRS) Teams to identify stories of change, emerging issues, partner perspectives, research findings, and advocacy opportunities.
- Identify communications opportunities emerging from CEDAW and other human-rights processes.
- Translate research, programme learning and technical human-rights analysis into accessible and compelling narratives.
- Develop a pipeline of programme stories, case studies, and impact narratives.
- Ensure that storytelling reflects partner and movement perspectives and is undertaken ethically, particularly when communicating sensitive experiences.
- Identify and develop opportunities to demonstrate the contribution and impact of IWRAW Asia Pacific’s work.
Advocacy and Campaigns Support, and Rapid Response
- Provide strategic communications support to advocacy priorities and campaigns, working closely with the International Advocacy Programme Officer.
- Develop communications approaches for CEDAW sessions, UN advocacy and other international human-rights moments in consultation with the Programme Team.
- Support public statements, joint statements, coalition communications and campaign launches, working closely with the International Advocacy Programme Officer.
- Develop communications materials for reports, research launches, policy moments, events and webinars.
- Prepare advocacy toolkits, campaign assets and digital campaign materials in coordination with the International Advocacy Programme Officer.
- Support spokesperson preparation and media-facing messaging.
- Coordinate rapid-response communications when significant developments require an organizational response.
- Work closely with the Programme Team to ensure communications reinforces, not duplicates, the advocacy strategy.
Organizational Communications
- Manage and update IWRAW Asia Pacific’s website, blogs, social media, and other digital platforms.
- Develop institutional, partnerships, and organizational communications materials.
- Coordinate creative assets, merchandise, and other external creative vendors.
- Maintain an organized archive of communications materials and digital assets.
- Assess and strengthen organizational digital security policies and practices.
- Develop communications templates, tools, and guidelines for the IWRAW Asia Pacific Team.
Resource Mobilization and Donor Communications
- Translate programme work and organizational priorities into compelling funding narratives.
- Develop donor-facing narratives, briefings, and engagement materials.
- Contribute communications content to proposals and donor reports.
- Develop impact stories and case studies for resource mobilization.
- Support fundraising campaigns and website fundraising content.
Key Outcomes / Indicators of Success
- Clear and coherent communications strategy aligned with IWRAW Asia Pacific’s organizational and advocacy priorities.
- Stronger and more distinctive positioning of IWRAW Asia Pacific as a Global South feminist human rights organisation.
- Communications that effectively support advocacy, campaigns and influence with priority audiences.
- Programme knowledge, research and movement insights consistently translated into compelling narratives and accessible content.
- Timely, strategic responses to emerging narratives, political developments and communications opportunities.
- Increased reach, engagement and effectiveness across digital and other communications channels.
- Ethical, feminist and movement-centred storytelling that reflects the agency and dignity of partners and rights holders.
- Stronger organizational and donor-facing communications that articulate IWRAW Asia Pacific’s impact, expertise and value.
- Regular use of communications data, reflection and learning to improve strategy and practice.
Core Compentencies
- Strategic and political thinking
- Feminist and movement-centered practice
- Collaboration and relationship building
- Creative and adaptive communication
- Judgement and discretion
Technical Competencies
- Strategic communications and campaign planning
- Writing, editing and narrative development
- Digital and multi-channel communications
- Advocacy and narrative communications
- Knowledge translation, storytelling and content development
- Communications monitoring and learning
Desirable: Experience in media engagement, donor/resource-mobilization communications, website/content management, multimedia or visual storytelling, rapid-response communications and communications analytics.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in communications, journalism, international development, gender studies, human rights, social sciences, or a related field.
- 3–5+ years of professional experience in strategic communications, advocacy communications, movement communications, or a related field, preferably within feminist, human rights, civil society or Global South contexts.
- Demonstrated experience developing and implementing communications strategies, campaigns and multi-channel communications plans.
- Strong experience translating complex research, policy and human rights issues into clear, compelling and audience-appropriate narratives and content.
- Experience working collaboratively with programme, advocacy and leadership teams, as well as diverse partners and movements across different cultural and political contexts.
- Demonstrated understanding of feminist movements, human rights frameworks and the political contexts in which women’s rights advocacy takes place.
- Experience in digital communications and content development across web, social media, publications and other relevant platforms.
- Proficiency in, or ability to quickly learn, digital tools such as Canva and Mailchimp.
- Experience with international or regional human rights advocacy, including CEDAW or UN mechanisms, is desirable.
- Experience in narrative change, media engagement, campaign strategy, donor communications, or communications within movement-led organizations is an advantage.
Work Arrangement & Contract
- Full-time, fixed-term role (renewable based on performance and funding)
- Flexible / remote working arrangement with periodic international travel
- Collaborative work across time zones in a dynamic, learning-oriented environment
- Salary range: USD 1,500 – 2,000
Application Process
- Application Link: https://forms.gle/Jym6oTy4pedSQCSu8
- If you are unable to access the application form, reach out to us at recruitment@iwraw-ap.org
- Application deadline: 9 November 2026
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Due to the high volume of applications, IWRAW Asia Pacific is unable to provide individual feedback. If you have any questions, please contact us at recruitment@iwraw-ap.org
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Commitment
IWRAW Asia Pacific is committed to building an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace. We will prioritize applications from women, gender-diverse individuals, persons with disabilities, and individuals from the Global South (particularly from Southeast Asia and the Pacific) and historically underrepresented communities. We recognize that skills and experience are gained in many ways, including through formal roles, community work, lived experience, and non-traditional career paths. If you do not meet every listed requirement but feel you can meaningfully contribute to this role, we encourage you to apply. We are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and supportive working environment where everyone can participate fully and thrive.