Partnerships Specialist (Policy and Quality)

The Partnerships and Futures Group (PFG) is responsible for strengthening and expanding UNOPS partnerships and building knowledge, innovation and foresight capabilities through non-programmatic missions, underpinning UNOPS ability to scale up and speed up delivery for impact - for the people we serve. 

PFG works across the range of UNOPS partner segments - including UN agencies, international financial institutions and multilateral/regional development banks, donors, partner country governments, vertical funds and multilateral initiatives, south-south cooperation, and the philanthropic and private sectors - to deepen engagement, expand implementation capacity and accelerate progress toward the SDGs. 

PFG collaborates closely with HQ groups and geographic offices on partner segment strategies, partner leadership, and opportunity development, ensuring that partner engagement is coherent, intelligence-driven and aligned with UNOPS strategic priorities to strengthen UNOPS positioning and visibility.

PFG leads the development of knowledge, innovation and foresight through eight thematic missions relating to the sustainable development goals, enabling UNOPS to anticipate partner needs and emerging trends and respond proactively to strengthen mission readiness. It brings mission-led intent to partnerships and opportunity development, and drives the horizontal integration of missions into policy framing, service offering refinement and service delivery. It provides expertise and business partnering support to teams across UNOPS, and technical advice to partners.

PFG has personnel based in UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen and in locations close to key partners: Beijing, Brussels, Manila, Riyadh, Tokyo, and Washington.

The Partnerships Specialist (Policy and Quality), reporting to the Chief, Strategic Partnerships, is responsible for partnership policy and the technical quality standards that support partner leadership and engagement across UNOPS. The role coordinates UNOPS policy and guidance on partnership agreements and modalities, advises offices on partnership agreements, and ensures alignment with UNOPS policy and legislative framework. It sets and monitors technical quality standards for partner-related and partner-facing products, and provides capacity development support to personnel involved in partner leadership and engagement. The role works closely with key partner leads, geographic offices and HQ groups contributing to UNOPS scale up and speed up ambitions by strengthening the policy frameworks and quality standards on which partnership development depends.

Partner Policy, Compliance and Agreements

Manage UNOPS policy and guidance on partnership agreements and modalities, developing and updating guidance material, policies, processes and resources on the UNOPS Policy and Process Portal.

Conduct consultations, analyze and draft revisions to UNOPS partnership policies and standards under legal guidance, liaising with internal stakeholders on continuous improvement.

Advise UNOPS offices on establishing new complex partnership agreements at global, regional, and country levels in support of UNOPS scale up and speed up ambitions and Strategic Plan.

Coordinate internally with other HQ groups to ensure new agreements or revisions are aligned with UNOPS policies and legislative framework.

Serve as the focal point in UNOPS for advice and guidance to colleagues on entering into framework, collaborative or teaming agreements with partners, and on supporting the solicitation, due diligence and contract modality processes.

Monitor existing global partnership agreements to ensure agreements are up to date and obligations are communicated to regional offices and other relevant offices

Manage knowledge products related to partnership policy, including guidance material, the Delegation of Authority Annex, templates, process overviews, agreement trackers and lessons learned.

Develop solutions and enablers with other HQ units that unlock new partnership modalities for scale up and speed up by strengthening UNOPS value proposition and ability to respond to partner needs.

Serve as a member of the Portfolio Oversight Committee (POC) Secretariat, supporting the end-to-end submission process and facilitating escalation to the Executive Office, Legal Group, and Finance Group where POC intervention is required.

Partnership Quality Standards

Set and monitor technical quality standards for partner leadership and engagement, including for partner-related and partner-facing products such as concept notes and proposals.

Work closely with Strategic Partnerships Advisors, Key Partner Leads, Partner Leads and other partner-facing personnel to ensure quality standards are understood, applied and continuously improved across UNOPS.

Provide capacity development support for technical quality standards including guidance notes, advice and training to personnel involved in partner leadership and engagement.

Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

Organize, facilitate or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on partner policy and technical quality standards.

Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learned and disseminating best practices in the area of partner policy and quality standards.

Collect and productively utilize feedback, ideas and internal knowledge about processes and best practices.

Teamwork  

Contribute to a culture of trust, collaboration and accountability by working effectively with colleagues and delivering on commitments.

Foster positive working relationships and support a diverse and inclusive environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. 

Demonstrate respect for others and uphold UNOPS standards of conduct, including zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and sexual exploitation and abuse. 

Act in accordance with UNOPS policies, values, and protection mechanisms, and promptly raise concerns through appropriate channels when issues arise.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, international development, business administration, public policy, development studies or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• Formal training or certification in policy development, partnerships, contract management or quality assurance.

Required

• Progressive experience in partnership development, policy development or quality assurance within international or similarly complex organizations.

• Proven experience developing and managing policies, guidance and knowledge products related to partnership agreements or comparable institutional frameworks.

• Experience advising senior stakeholders and partner-facing personnel on complex agreements, due diligence and contract modality processes.

• Experience setting and monitoring technical quality standards and providing capacity development support including guidance, advice and training.

• Experience of working in multicultural environments.

Desired

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts.

• Experience of working in UN system organizations.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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.