Head, Northern Europe Partnerships Office

Based in Copenhagen, the Northern Europe Partnerships Office is the hub for UNOPS strategic engagement with key partners located in Northern Europe, including the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The office works to deepen collaboration with key partners, including various governmental entities, by driving partnership and opportunity development, portfolio management and strategic communications. The Partnerships Office provides partner intelligence, facilitates connections with key stakeholders, including think tanks and knowledge communities, and assists teams across UNOPS in managing key partner-funded programmes. Through these efforts, the office helps position UNOPS as a trusted partner for delivering humanitarian, development and peacebuilding initiatives, while also contributing to joint UN engagement to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Reporting to the Director, Partnerships and Futures Group (PFG), the Head of the Partnerships Office provides senior leadership, modelling UNOPS values and fostering a high-performing, inclusive team culture. As a senior representative of UNOPS, the role carries significant responsibility for conduct, integrity and the professional reputation of the organization.

The Head of the Partnerships Office is responsible for managing and deepening relationships with key partners, driving partnership development, partner engagement, and opportunity development to scale up and speed up delivery for impact - for the people UNOPS serves. The role is central to reinforcing UNOPS reputation as a leading resource for expanding partners' implementation capacity. 

The Head of the Partnerships Office is accountable for driving growth in the volume and value of the portfolio of engagements of the office's key partners, bringing thematic mission-led intent to partnerships and opportunity development, and improving the identification and conversion of opportunities. The role drives increases in partner satisfaction with the quality and delivery of UNOPS services.

1. Strategic Alignment and Direction 

• Contribute to PFG strategy and planning, providing insights and recommendations drawn from key partner relationships to inform PFG direction and continuous improvement.
• Provide timely analysis and reporting on key partner portfolios, including risks, opportunities and lessons learned, to support informed decision-making by PFG leadership.
• Support the Director, PFG in advising regional and country office personnel on partner engagement, contributing to organizational capability building for partnership development.

2. Key Partner Strategy and Positioning 

• Develop and implement strategies for key partners, aligned with Partner Segment Strategies through functional reporting to the PFG strategic partnerships team.
• Embed mission-led intent into partnership development to reinforce mission readiness. 
• Champion strategic partnerships through active networking, a thorough understanding of partner decision-making processes and stakeholder landscapes, and effective communication of UNOPS value proposition, service offerings and capabilities.
• Propose and co-develop relevant information and external materials to promote and advocate for UNOPS with key partners in cooperation with the UNOPS Communications Group (CG) and PFG.

3. Key Partner Engagement and Representation 

• Engage senior officials within key partner organizations on the UNOPS strategic plan and business model, ensuring the UNOPS value proposition and drive for efficiency is integrated into key partner engagement.
• Elevate UNOPS presence by representing the organization in external meetings and forums relevant to key partners, identifying opportunities for partnership development and supporting UNOPS leadership in high-level engagements.
• Serve as UNOPS lead and primary contact point for key partners, collaborating with teams across UNOPS to refine partnership frameworks and set engagement protocols that promote cross-regional coherence and quality in how partnerships are cultivated and maintained.
• Lead and facilitate senior-level consultations with key partners to establish ongoing dialogue that deepens understanding of priorities, synergies, strategic partnership opportunities and risks including financial, political, operational and reputational.
• Play a leading role in opportunity development by convening meetings with key partners at global headquarters, participating in local meetings and driving structured decision-making alongside regional and country leads and technical experts.
• Actively monitor key partner portfolios, with a view to ensuring strategic alignment, value and balance.
• Proactively identify key partner risks or delivery concerns and act as an escalation point, facilitating timely resolution in coordination with regional and country offices.
• Lead the development and ongoing maintenance of global Framework Agreements and MOUs with key partners.
• Ensure that lessons learned across the portfolio feed into the continuous improvement of key partner leadership, service offering development, and delivery quality.

4. People Leadership

• Create, foster and role model a culture of trust, empowerment and accountability in the Partnerships Office.
• Build engagement and foster a diverse and inclusive work environment, respectful of all, ensuring that the highest standards of conduct are observed.
• Create, foster and role model a culture of respect and zero tolerance for discrimination, abuse of authority, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ensure accountability for actions and perform duties in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans, as expected by UNOPS policies, standards and commitments.
• Promote teamwork, collaboration and diversity, by providing timely guidance and supervision to the team, to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.
• Plan, recruit, manage and develop a flexible and diverse workforce, with the skills and competencies needed to ensure optimum performance.
• Oversee, monitor and direct appropriate measures to maintain the safety and security of UNOPS personnel and their eligible dependents, assets, property and information in line with UNOPS security management rules and the UN Security Management System Policy manual.
• Ensure the effective and ethical use of resources in line with UNOPS standards of accountability, integrity and transparency.

5. Knowledge Management and Innovation

• Lead sharing of knowledge related to key partners across the organization, including identification and dissemination of best practice and lessons learned with a view to continuous improvement of partner engagement in the field.
• Contribute to the development and introduction of innovation to ensure UNOPS is forward-looking and continuously incorporating best practice approaches.
• Promote the adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in support of organizational objectives, ensuring appropriate oversight and compliance with applicable policy on responsible AI use, data protection and information security.
• Support the planning, implementation and organization of capacity building of personnel, partners and stakeholders.
• Share knowledge with peers in regional and country teams and other HQ groups to ensure a corporate coordinated delivery of services and synergies.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 12 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 10 years of relevant experience is required

Required

● Relevant experience in strategic and managerial leadership in international development, business development, operations and/or programme management in a large international organization.

● Significant experience of strengthening capabilities and leading processes in relationship management and partner engagement for key partners or clients.

● Significant experience of leading opportunity development or business development processes for key partners or clients.

● Experience of working in multicultural environments.

Desired

● Experience of partnering with the public sector on developing, implementing and evaluating projects and programmes of significant national relevance.

● 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.