Job Description
Drive strategic growth by building key relationships, mobilizing resources, and expanding the office’s portfolio to achieve sustainable development results.
This position will focus considerably on supporting the growth and excellence of UNOPS’s partnership with the World Bank and other strategic Washington-based partners. It will involve a mix of external engagement to develop partnership approaches and unlock new opportunities for funding and visibility for UNOPS; internal support to country and regional offices to address operational issues and portfolio management, supporting high level visits and positioning for UNOPS, and strengthening internal knowledge management on working with the World Bank.
The contract modality (Local ICA or International ICA) will be determined based on the nationality of the preferred candidate.
The Partnerships Specialist develops and implements partnership and programme development plans for the office. The role focuses on building and maintaining effective working relationships with governments, UN agencies, donors and other stakeholders to mobilize resources, expand the office’s portfolio, and strengthen the UNOPS positioning as a reliable development and implementation partner. The Partnerships Specialist also ensures that partnership initiatives are aligned with UNOPS’ global and regional priorities, contribute to sustainable results, and support the achievement of the office’s strategic objectives.
Partnership and Programme Development Planning
- Develop and implement a comprehensive partnership and programme development plan aligned with the UNOPS Strategic Plan and Regional Strategies. This includes analyzing the country context and regional and national development landscape, identifying key partners, and positioning UNOPS strategically within potential operational niches. The plan should also foster a pipeline of opportunities, reflect in-house capacity, promote a diverse project portfolio, and leverage internal tools and knowledge resources.
- Examine risks and opportunities related to the strategic positioning of office(s) and recommend appropriate measures to ensure sustainable growth.
- Coordinate and collaborate with relevant Partnerships personnel at global, national and liaison levels, as well as Project Managers and project teams, to ensure coherent and aligned interactions with partners.
Develop Partnership Opportunities
- Monitor and analyze humanitarian and development trends to identify areas of collaboration aligned with UNOPS’ mandate and capacity.
- Research and track events, publications and announcements to screen opportunities and identify emerging trends that can drive new partnerships.
- Advise UNOPS HQ and the Regional Office on the development of framework partnership agreements to expand opportunities at the regional level.
- Contribute to the identification, design, formulation and negotiation of new projects and programmes, including drafting concept notes and project briefs for partner discussions.
- Manage and maintain partnership opportunities and engagement records in ERP, ensuring alignment with corporate guidelines.
- Coordinate technical and financial inputs, and lead negotiations to finalize new project proposals.
- Draft agreements and contractual documents are required for the approval and implementation of new projects.
- Clearly communicate UNOPS pricing policies and value proposition to partners.
- Support the diversification of the office portfolio in line with UNOPS’ strategic, regional and country objectives.
- Collaborate with Communications and Reporting colleagues to gather content for outreach materials.
Representation and Inter-Agency Partnership
- Establish and strengthen partnerships with UN agencies, international organizations, governments, foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private-sector actors to diversify project opportunities.
- Lead or support advocacy, public information, and communication initiatives in collaboration with the Communications team, as required.
- Participate (as authorized by line manager) in inter-agency, donor, and government coordination forums, providing updates on project development issues in consultation with UNOPS project managers and technical experts.
- Contribute to UN common planning and programming processes, including strategic country analyses, United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), and response plans.
- Build and maintain a strong network of key partners, staying informed on social, economic and political trends and leveraging innovation to strengthen project and partnership development.
Knowledge Management and Innovation
- Implement standards, tools and templates provided by HQ to strengthen partnership and project development within the team, enhancing UNOPS’ effectiveness as a trusted provider of project services for sustainable results.
- Contribute to research, development and application of best practices and innovative approaches that maximize performance and ensure long-term impact in project and partnership development.
- Build partnership capacity and negotiation skills among Project Managers, enabling stronger engagement with stakeholders.
- Facilitate knowledge sharing by contributing to the dissemination of lessons learned and best practices in project and partnership development, supporting organizational learning and planning.
- Provide regular feedback on systems, tools and resources to strengthen their effectiveness and ensure continuous improvement.
