Partnerships Advisor

The Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR), based in Geneva, is responsible for the effective management, coordination and oversight of UNOPS operations across the region. The ECR region spans the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Türkiye, where UNOPS works with partners to achieve sustainable impact in health, education, environmental management, housing, rule of law, good governance, economic development, and social inclusion. With a wealth of experience in procurement, infrastructure, project and grant management, UNOPS in the region directly implements projects, provides technical advisory services and capacity building to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in support of national governments.

Since opening in 2019, the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) in Vienna has served as a hub for operations across 12 countries in South-East Europe, Türkiye, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. AUMCO delivers technical expertise, operational support, and sustainable infrastructure solutions for governments, donors, and international financial institutions. Flagship initiatives include Blueing the Black Sea—a GEF and World Bank partnership to reduce pollution and promote sustainable development—and Türkiye’s post-earthquake recovery programme, enhancing protective services for women and children. In Albania, projects revitalise cultural heritage and advance digital justice, while in Kosovo, new university infrastructure supports higher education. In Georgia, AUMCO facilitates the Eastern Partnership European School and strengthens rule of law and digital health access. Across Central Asia, activities range from health system strengthening in Uzbekistan to hazardous waste management in Tajikistan. AUMCO also supports UNOPS’ global Water, Environment, and Climate portfolio, reinforcing its role as a regional and thematic centre of excellence.

The ICA contract type (I-ICA or L-ICA) will be determined based on the selected candidate’s duty station (home-based).

The Partnerships Advisor serves as the senior partnerships lead in the office, managing and guiding partnerships officers and related roles. As a member of the senior management team, the incumbent develops and implements the partnerships strategy and leads donor and client coordination activities. The Partnerships Advisor provides situation analyses, donor mapping, and programme development support in collaboration with national governments, UN system entities, donors, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The role also liaises with these and other stakeholders to identify and advance partnership opportunities for UNOPS, in line with the organization’s mandate and its role within the UN system.

Integrated Partnerships Development Strategy

• Lead the development of a comprehensive partnerships development strategy in line with UNOPS’ Strategic Plan, regional strategy, and Office Plan. 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.
• Advise the senior management team on the implementation of the partnerships strategy.
• Advise and support the senior management team throughout the project development planning process, including the definition of high-priority partners, countries, sectors and service areas.
• Research and analyze specific donor strategies, programming priorities and political situations in order to identify potential funding opportunities appropriate to UNOPS’ strategy and mandate.
• Drive a disciplined Partnerships approach to project and programme development which balances costs, risk, revenues and beneficiary impact within the mandate and spirit of the UN and UNOPS’ pricing policy.
• Drive a disciplined Partnerships approach to project and programme development which balances costs, risk, revenues and beneficiary impact within the mandate and spirit of the UN and UNOPS’ pricing policy.

Partnerships Development and Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead the partnerships team to develop, extend and maintain strong partnerships with selected key partners, including governments, UN agencies, donors, foundations, NGOs, foundations, academia and the private sector.
• Work closely with the Head of Programme (HoP), Head of Support Services (HoSS), and Project/Programme Management Office (PMO) to ensure new projects are developed by project managers and partnerships officers in line with programme and support services.
• Develop and model the high standards of partnership positioning and development necessary to inspire and guide the partnership officers in their work.
• Work closely with Communications to ensure the external positioning of UNOPS is aligned with the Office strategy and Partnerships Plan.
• Participate and lead in key partnership-building meetings and negotiations with donors and clients, ensuring that cost-effective and mutually beneficial terms are achieved for UNOPS’ services while ensuring systematic and timely follow-up on agreed actions.
• Coordinate, advise, mentor and coach relevant partnerships and programme personnel at country, programme and project levels to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners.
• Connect and collaborate with peers, regional and HQ levels of the Partnerships function to stay in touch with good practices and share and build UNOPS’ capabilities in partnerships development.
• Facilitate and/or manage and lead meetings between senior management and key government representatives as and when required.
• Plan and facilitate high-level meetings between UNOPS senior management and sub-regional/country-level partners, including during key events such as conferences and other fora.
• Support partners in examining available options for effective project implementation and achievement of results while promoting national ownership.
• Showcase the office’s capabilities and set office standards for developing and distributing corporate communications materials, capacity statements and success stories which enhance clients’ understanding of the impact of various services provided and/or delivered by UNOPS.

Partner Relations and Inter-Agency Collaboration

• As delegated, participate in meetings with senior government counterparts on behalf of UNOPS and represent the office leadership (Director-level) in meetings and negotiations with partners as required.
• Participate in inter-agency planning and cluster meetings for the UN System development and humanitarian plans.
• Contribute at the sub-regional/country level to the harmonization of policies, practices and approaches within the UN System, including the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

Monitoring and Reporting

• Ensure programmes/projects developed are in line with the Results-Based Management (RBM) principles.
• Ensure partnerships, projects, and programmes are developed with appropriate monitoring and evaluation frameworks that allow for effective oversight and evaluation of impact.
• Collaborate with project managers to formulate the project results frameworks and establish measurable long- and short-term targets for performance monitoring.
• Ensure up-to-date/informative/accurate reports are prepared and submitted on time in relation to the office’s partnerships development activities.
• Lead the design and roll-out of internal feedback mechanisms which provide insights for continuously improving the form and content of partner outreach and project development activities.
• Develop and lead the setup of tracking systems for tracking partnerships development and progress.

Project Identification, Formulation and Support

• Guide partnerships officers in researching and assessing the stakeholder landscape to identify priority themes and opportunities.
• Guide partnerships officers on various activities/ deliverables that help take potential partnerships forward, including drafting concept notes, preparing project proposals, producing relevant knowledge products, and participating in negotiations on new projects and programmes with key partners.
• Provide inputs and suggestions across all aspects related to the project formulation phase and analyze implementation approaches for soundness, sustainability, gender mainstreaming, feasibility, resource availability and cost implications.

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.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 9 years of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 7 years of relevant experience is required.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in international development, involving execution of partnership and programme development plans, project development and proposal writing, establishment of partnerships with UN agencies, international development organizations, governments, foundations or private-sector organizations, or related areas.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
• Experience in project and programme management is desired.

• 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.