Senior Manager, Partnerships (Global Climate Action Partnership - GCAP)

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support. WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements,  such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The Global Climate Action Partnership (GCAP) supports developing countries in advancing low-emission, climate-resilient development strategies through regional platforms—AfCAP, ALP, and LEDS LAC—and specialized thematic working groups. 

Following a comprehensive Calibration Assessment, GCAP is executing a transitional workplan across four core workstreams: Institutional Governance Reorganisation; Hosting, Management, and Coordination Finalisation; Donor Engagement and Fundraising; and Systems and Practice Refinement. The Senior Manager, Partnerships (Global Climate Action Partnership - GCAP) will serve as the dedicated senior leader required to set strategic direction, drive resource mobilization, optimize governance structures, and coordinate across global and regional secretariats during this strategic transition.

While this position is primarily advertised for Vienna, Austria, an alternative duty station may be offered or considered based on organizational needs and the successful candidate's profile. 

The incumbent provides overall strategic leadership and oversight in donor engagement, resource mobilization, network governance reorganisation, and inter-secretariat coordination. S/he leads the execution of GCAP's transitional workplan following its Calibration Assessment, establishing a host-performance review mechanism, deploying a narrowly defined finance-facilitation capability, and embedding a common M&E indicator framework. Operating under the direct supervision of the UNOPS WEC Head of Portfolio and in coordination with GCAP Steering Committee Co-Chairs, the Senior Manager positions GCAP as a leading, demand-driven platform within the global climate action landscape. 

Under the direct supervision of the UNOPS WEC Head of Portfolio and in coordination with the GCAP Steering Committee Co-Chairs, the incumbent will execute leadership across four primary functional areas:

1. Governance Reorganisation & Strategic Direction

• Lead the operationalization of the GCAP Calibration Assessment recommendations across global and regional levels.

• Finalize and implement updated Terms of Reference (TORs) for GCAP’s governance and operational structures, including the GCAP Steering Committee, Global Secretariat, and thematic working groups.

• Support GCAP Steering Committee decision-making regarding governance models and manage conflict-of-interest mechanisms.

• Reconcile relationships and alignment between thematic working groups, Communities of Practice (CoPs), regional platforms, and the Global Secretariat under a synchronized workplan towards a strengthened one-initiative identity.

• Articulate and promote GCAP’s value proposition, including its regional architecture, thematic working group structure vis-a-vis governments, technical partners and the broader stakeholder group of GCAP.

• Design and lead a positioning strategy to strengthen GCAP’s visibility and recognition within the global climate action landscape, including targeted engagement at major climate fora, coalitions, and knowledge-exchange platforms.

• Oversee the development of consistent branding, messaging, and communication products (institutional profile, positioning briefs, knowledge products) that reinforce GCAP’s identity across the Global Secretariat and regional platforms (AfCAP, ALP, LEDS LAC).

• Coordinate with thematic working groups and regional secretariats to ensure a unified external narrative and avoid fragmented or inconsistent messaging about GCAP’s role and offer.

2. Hosting, Management & Network Coordination

• Manage GCAP’s institutional-support arrangements, establishing a host-performance review mechanism for future cycles.

• Oversee the design and launch of a narrowly defined finance-facilitation function (modelled on LEDS LAC’s ArticuLAC) to bridge CoP outputs with actionable climate financing channels.

• Facilitate strategic alignment and deep engagement with multilateral and regional development banks (MDBs/RDBs), technical assistance windows, and regional partners.

3. Strategic Fundraising & Resource Mobilisation

• Implement the GCAP fundraising strategy and achieve approved target sheet thresholds.

• Lead donor engagement initiatives to diversify the funding base beyond core sources, targeting climate-development sources, philanthropies, AfDB facilities, and the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative.

• Refine donor-facing value propositions and update messaging frameworks to highlight development linkages and climate action impacts.

• Oversee the allocation and tracking of the interim per-region funding baseline and unearmarked contributions within the pooled GCAP fund managed by UNOPS.

4. Systems Refinement & M&E Oversight

• Direct the benchmarking of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices against peer organizations and oversee the adoption of a unified, quantified indicator framework across AfCAP, ALP, and LEDS LAC.

• Evaluate and implement technical tools (such as impact-calculator models) to improve reporting accuracy and eliminate double-counting.

• Standardize light operating workflows and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the strategy-priority-outreach-response cycle.

Required

• Master's degree (or equivalent) preferably in International Development, Public Administration, Economics, Programme Management, Environmental Science, Climate Policy or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience OR

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 2 additional years of relevant experience is required.

Required

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in international development, sustainable development management, climate change policy, or global network governance.

• Demonstrated leadership experience within an international organization, multi-donor trust fund, or global coalition. 

• Experience in climate finance facilitation, donor outreach, and drafting institutional governance frameworks. 

Desired

• Experience in developing and managing high-level partnerships with national or local governments, multilateral institutions, or civil society actors to advance country-led climate-resilient development strategies. 

• Prior experience with UN system operations or UNOPS fiduciary and management frameworks.

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