Intern - Business Development Support

Water and Energy Cluster (WEC)

UNOPS Water and Energy Cluster (WEC) supports the design and management of multi-stakeholder initiatives by providing services in financial and grant management, procurement, human resources, and project management.

The cluster manages projects in the areas of water resource management, climate change adaptation, mitigation and transparency, sustainable water management, energy access and distribution and environmental conservation in support of the SDGs, Paris Agreement and other relevant multilateral agreements. WEC also supports engagements with Vienna-based UN agencies and other international initiatives for the development of partnership and operational support.

The main partners include UN agencies, bilateral agreements (with the Nordics, Germany, and Italy), the Green Climate Fund and several NGOs (such as CIFF and CWF).

As part of the newly established Austria Multi-country office and its growth strategy and in keeping with WEC’s own ambition of growth and expansion,WEC is pursuing partner and business opportunities in the main focus area of its portfolio and based on its experience and its capabilities:

• climate change mitigation and adaptation, NDC support and Green Growth;

• sustainable water management, coastal and ocean management, river basin and lake basin protection;

• ecosystem-based management, biodiversity and the environment in general 

• Conduct research and analysis for the identification of pertinent trends and business opportunities in furtherance of the WEC partner and business development strategy and its related implementation plan;
• Support the development of concrete opportunities through market research and analysis, proposal development and support to project management and implementation;
• Help analyse and extract best practices of and lessons from WEC’s project management performance with a view to design attractive service offerings to partners;
• Assist with the development and implementation of suitable communication tools.

1. Duties and Responsibilities

a. Business Development 

• Assist in the update of the WEC Partner and Business Strategy to enhance and grow the cluster’s portfolio;
• Scan business development opportunities for business development intelligence (facilitate assessments of client needs, UNOPS value proposition, etc.)
• Conduct background information about potential partners and opportunities, develop partner- and opportunity profiles and update information in corresponding BD platforms;
• Support analysis of corporate trends and guidelines regarding their relevance for WEC’s BD processes;
• Help with the identification of partnership;
• Establish subsequent plan of action and follow-up for potential business acquisition and partnership development opportunities in accordance with the strategy;
• Generate content (information/images) for promotional activities

• Assist the PMO in coordinating best practices and KM aspects from project implementation under the portfolio and match these with potential service offerings for partners;
• Support the development of periodic internal and external portfolio reports on achievements and updates;
• Develop content form promotional tools and activities;
• Prepare draft presentations and supporting documents for partner meetings;
• Support the organization of promotional events and high-level meetings;
• Coordinate contacts with potential partners

2. Training components and learning elements

The incumbent will have access to project and portfolio documentation to learn about project management and development cooperation in the areas the portfolio covers. She/he has the opportunity to join official meetings and learn about UNOPS, the UN and multilateral cooperation. She/he will get exposure to key stakeholders in climate change, environmental management, UN agencies (UNEP, UNDP, UNIDO, etc.), several country and multi-partner donors, international non-governmental organizations and representatives from country beneficiary. 

The incumbent will also have full access to UNOPS intranet, the Project ERP system and the Communities of Practice (COPs) in Project Management, Gender Mainstreaming, Innovation and Research, Sustainable Infrastructure, etc.   

3. Participation in missions or training courses

The incumbent will have access to the UNOPS Learning Zone and apply for training in Programme Management, Gender Mainstreaming, Coaching, and mandatory training as per UNOPS policy. 

1. Academic qualifications 

The applicant should have completed a Bachelor degree, or be enrolled in a postgraduate program or have graduated from such studies within three (3) years prior to the start date of the intern assignment. Areas of study should preferably relate to climate change, developmental studies, social science and/or environmental management/engineering.

2. Language Skills

Proven fluency of English – oral and written required.

Any other UN language would be an asset

3. Computer Literacy

Proficiency in Microsoft Office/Google Suite  is essential, in particular advanced functions of Excel and data visualization tools is desirable. 

4. Internship-related experiences

Applicants are not required to have professional work experience but experience working or volunteering in any of the following areas is highly desirable:

• Climate change

• Environmental management/engineering

• Green growth

• This internship is not designed to lead to a staff position with UNOPS. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of the internship.
• Interns may be eligible for a monthly stipend  from UNOPS provided that they do not receive funds from other institutions.
• Interns are responsible for arranging their own for accommodation, travel and necessary visa arrangements.
• Upon selection the intern should provide confirmation that they are fit specifically for the duty station conditions, as certified by a medical practitioner. Interns are responsible for receiving clearance from a medical doctor.
• All candidates are to fill out their GPRS profile in detail, and attach a motivation letter. Those who do not comply with this requirement may be disqualified.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.