Partnerships Specialist

Job Description

Dutystation: Bangkok, Thailand

Functional responsibilities

The Partnerships Specialist will support the Head of Partnerships, and the broader partnerships unit, in advancing EAPMCO’s business development objectives year-on-year. Key functional areas include:

1. Partnership and programme development planning

2. Portfolio growth and pipeline development

3. Stakeholder management and partner engagement

4. Knowledge management and innovation
   
   

1. Partnership and programme development planning

• Support the Head of Partnerships in the drafting, implementation, and continuous refinement of the EAPMCO partnership and business development strategy, ensuring clear linkages to UNOPS corporate priorities and the Asia Regional Office strategic objectives.

• Coordinate joint planning with country managers so that national business development strategies and EAPMCO’s regional backstopping approach are adequate and tailored to specific country needs

• Conduct systematic donor mapping and country needs analyses across EAPMCO’s 24 countries, translating political, humanitarian, and development trends into actionable business development insights.

• Horizon scanning and monitoring of global, regional, and national funding landscapes to anticipate shifts in donor priorities and advise on implications for EAPMCO’s pipeline.

• Contribute to internal strategic reviews, ensuring that country business plans are consistent, targeted, and feasible, and that resources are aligned to maximize opportunities.

• Provide recommendations to senior management on risk/opportunity balance when entering new markets or sectors.

1. Portfolio growth and pipeline development

• Manage the day-to-day tracking, prioritization, and follow-up of new opportunities, ensuring that engagements move swiftly from identification to closure.

• Draft and coordinate preparation of concept notes, pitches, EOIs, tender submissions, and full proposals, working closely with technical specialists, project managers, and country teams.

• Ensure backstopping support to Country Managers by preparing country-specific donor intelligence packs, coordinating proposal drafting on their behalf when capacity is stretched, and troubleshooting challenges in negotiations or internal clearances.

• Provide quality assurance screening for submissions, ensuring adherence to UNOPS formats, pricing policies, and value proposition.

• Maintain an up-to-date opportunity pipeline dashboard, flagging high-priority opportunities for senior management attention and escalating where strategic decision-making is required.

• Liaise with HQ reviewers, HQ Partnerships Group, and the Asia Regional Office to align proposals with corporate priorities and obtain timely clearances.

1. Stakeholder management and partner engagement

• Maintain a structured network of donor and client contacts across governments, multilaterals, IFIs, bilateral donors, and foundations relevant to the region.

• Regularly update and share partner intelligence (donor priorities, pipelines, political context) to strengthen EAPMCO’s engagement approach.

• Represent the Partnerships and Outreach Unit in working-level meetings, donor briefings, and internal UN coordination platforms when delegated, ensuring professional representation of UNOPS.

• Support the Head of Partnerships and the Director by preparing briefing notes, talking points, and background analyses ahead of high-level external engagements.

• Facilitate follow-up with donors and clients after meetings or negotiations to ensure momentum is maintained and next steps are acted upon.

• Work with Country Managers to harmonize engagement across the region, avoiding duplication and ensuring that UNOPS presents a coherent, unified front to external partners.

1. Knowledge management and innovation

• Apply UNOPS corporate standards, templates, and systems for business development to ensure a consistent and professional approach across all proposals and partner interactions.

• Document lessons learned from business development efforts (e.g., successful bids, lost opportunities, negotiation challenges) and feed these into internal guidance for continuous improvement.

• Maintain and regularly update the pipeline database, ensuring all opportunities are captured, categorized, and tracked against strategic priorities.

• Lead internal knowledge-sharing sessions with Country Managers and partnership focal points to strengthen skills in proposal writing, negotiation, and donor engagement.

• Contribute to global and regional knowledge products, providing field-level perspectives from EAPMCO that can enrich corporate business development practices.

• Promote innovation in partnership approaches for example, exploring new financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, or blended finance opportunities and advise on their applicability to EAPMCO’s portfolio.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in International Relations, Political Science, Development Studies, Business Administration, or another relevant field.
  
  
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) with two (2) additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in place of the Master’s requirement.

• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in partnerships, business development, fundraising, and/or donor relations within international development is required.

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing partnership or business development strategies is an asset.

• Experience in drafting concept notes, proposals, and/or tenders for institutional donors is an asset.

• Experience in building and maintaining partnerships with UN agencies, international organizations, governments, foundations, or private sector partners is a strong asset.

• Experience in project design and acquisition is required.

• Programme or project management experience is an asset.

• Prior experience in international organizations or in post-conflict, humanitarian, or emergency settings is an advantage.

• Familiarity with major donors and financing institutions, and mechanisms is highly desirable.

• Full working knowledge of English is essential.

• Knowledge of a regional language of Asia and the Pacific is considered an asset.

About the Organization

TOGETHER, WE BUILD THE FUTURE

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.

Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

We are proud of our people and embrace diversity and are committed to equal employment opportunities. Our workforce brings together approximately 160 nationalities, represented by over 5,000 UNOPS personnel as well as some 7,800 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners. Spread across 80 countries from a range of backgrounds, and languages and have different gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities.

We encourage women and candidates from underrepresented groups in UNOPS to apply. These include candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.