Partnerships Senior Officer - Liaison

UNOPS will be leading the implementation of a three-year World bank funded multi million USD Project “Enhancing Community Resilience and Local Governance (ECRP)' in South Sudan starting in August 2020, the Objective is to improve access to basic services and strengthen community institutions in South Sudan.  

The ECRP is a follow on Project to the Local Governance and Service Delivery Project (LGSDP) that was implemented in South Sudan from 2014 and involved the transfer of block grants from the national government directly to county government with the Objective of helping develop an annual intergovernmental fiscal transfer system for local development. 

The ECRP Project will be implemented by UNOPS and the International Organisation for Migration, with UNOPS being the primary grant recipient and responsible authority for the establishment and implementation of the Project Management Unit (PMU) whose primary tasks will include: project management, stakeholder and communication management, fiduciary and procurement management, results management and risk management.  UNOPS will be the grant recipient  and will  be directly accountable to the World Bank in all aspects related project delivery (Project Management - Social and Environmental Safeguards, Fiduciary Oversight and Procurement Planning, Infrastructure Quality and Standards; Project Implementation – of community infrastructure as per agreed scope; as well as directly liaising with the Government of South Sudan).

The ECRP comprises the following four components:-

Component 1: Community Infrastructure and Services-this will involve the implementation of sub-projects selected through an open menu approach where communities will be allowed to choose freely, in a participatory manner, based on their needs.

Component 2: Local Institution Strengthening which is split into two parts: community institution strengthening and county government strengthening.

Component 3: Project Management and Learning

Component 4: Contingency emergency response

The ECRP will be implemented throughout the country’s 10 states and associated target counties. The community infrastructure sub-projects are divided by area and implemented by IOM and UNOPS separately. While the two UN-agencies will implement their respective projects, a harmonized approach will be managed and governed by UNOPS through the Infrastructure Compliance Guidelines and the Project Implementation Manual. The sectors include water supply and sanitation; rural roads; primary health facilities; primary schools; small scale irrigation schemes and community markets. UNOPS will be responsible for quality assurance of all sub-projects during the planning, design and construction stages, through a monitoring plan. 

Key Functions

• Serve as an intermediary between government stakeholders and the project PMU to  communicate and to address concerns and requests for information about the Project. The Partnerships Senior Officer - Liaison should be thoroughly familiar with communication protocols and the structure of government counterpart offices.  

• Maintain thorough knowledge of UNOPs presence, projects, and policies in South Sudan.  

• Stay current and familiar with all aspects of the Project in order to provide updates and relevant, up-to-date information to counterparts.  

• Assist the PMU and HOP in organizing meetings and engagements with the various government stakeholders. 

• Work with other staff members to develop a greater understanding of Government interests and concerns that may arise, including a need to develop and disseminate information products and to do presentations on the project as required.

• Facilitate constructive relationships between the Project team and Government stakeholders;

• Map out all stakeholders at National, State, and County  level to help the Project stay informed (and current) about key stakeholders at these levels. 

• Proactively address conflicts and address issues and misunderstandings that may occur between UNOPS and Government counterparts at all levels. 

• Establish key contacts with other external stakeholders that are relevant for the Project, and foster relationships with other communications personnel in donor and implementing organizations to understand and be part of a network of assistance actors in the country. 

• Advise the PMU and IOM on the prevailing political economy and help adjust the project design, implementation approach, and communication with all levels of government as appropriate. 

• Collect, analyze, and utilize data and feedback to identify opportunities to improve the relationship between UNOPS and the line Ministries and government institutions within South Sudan;

• In Liaison with the Communications  and M&E project staff, support the PM in providing project updates to government stakeholders.

• Masters’ Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Law, Political science, Philosophy or similar field is required, or
• Bachelor’s degree in Degree in Communications, Public Relations, Law, Political science, Philosophy or similar field  with an additional 4 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of a Masters degree

• Minimum of 2 years of work experience in a related role or working with relevant South Sudan government agencies – preferably with the Ministry of Finance and Planning and Local Government Board - is required.

• At least 2 years of demonstrated work experience on community development, local service delivery and local governance projects in South Sudan is an added advantage.

• Demonstrated experience in communicating and coordinating with different stakeholders – both government and external aid agencies – is an added advantage.

• Given the ECRP builds on the previous World Bank financed Local Governance and Service Delivery Project (LGSDP), demonstrated work experience on LGSDP is an added advantage. 

• Work experience with World Bank-financed projects in South Sudan is highly preferable. 

• Good knowledge and understanding of government settings/functions at the national, state and county level is an asset.

• Experience in a liaison role for large assistance provider or private sector organization preferred.

• Familiarity with government, written and oral communication skills, established relations with government counterparts, etc. is an asset.

• Ability to establish and nurture beneficial partnerships with key government stakeholders is an asset.

• Skills in stakeholder management, customer focus and public relations are desirable.

• Fluency in written and oral English required

• Ability to speak fluent Arabic is required

Contract type: Local Individual Contract Agreement
Contract level: LICA-9 Specialist
Contract duration:‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

• 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 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.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.