Partnerships Intern (Partnerships And Programme Management) International

General Background

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 Nepal context

Since 2015, UNOPS has engaged closely with the Government of Nepal and  Development Partners across a range of sectors including Security and Justice, Urbanization, Post-earthquake Reconstruction including damaged assessments, retrofitting of damaged houses, reconstruction of disability-friendly schools, delivering of essential equipment to support COVID-19 response amongst others. 

The functional objective of UNOPS Nepal is to deliver its projects efficiently and effectively in alignment with Government priorities following UNOPS rules and regulations. This is to drive forward the outcomes sought by the clients and funding partners and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while ensuring gender, diversity, and inclusion are mainstreamed in all its work for the people of Nepal.

Under the supervision of the Portfolio Manager UNOPS Nepal, the intern’s role is to support the activities aimed at new business development. Among the tasks assigned to the intern:

• Research and Analysis: Conduct market research and analysis of development partners in Nepal and within sectors such as climate change and health. 

• Project and Partner Research: Research and analyze information on projects and partners for new business opportunities

• Proposal writing: Support the partnership development by engaging in proposal writing

• Project Management Support: Support the Project team in implementing project and procurement plans, coordinating quarterly and monthly assurance tasks, and improving Project Management compliance.

• Financial and Procurement Oversight: Provide routine oversight and analysis of projects' financial and procurement data within available dashboards and monitoring tools.

• Reporting and Communication: Assist the Portfolio Manager in preparing analysis reports, supporting daily communication with project stakeholders, and drafting high-quality communication and documentation on the UNOPS Process and Quality Management System, including presentations and Standard Operating Procedures.

• Administrative Support: Perform secretarial duties, including taking meeting minutes, preparing briefing materials for meetings with partners, and providing administrative support to the Country Manager as needed.

The Intern will have the opportunity to:

• Develop a strong understanding of UNOPS processes and procedures.

• Contribute to the successful partnerships and implementation of projects in Nepal.

Education

• A minimum-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in International Affairs, Social Sciences, Human Resources, Business Administration or Project management is required.

• Must be enrolled in a university programme such as a Bachelor’s or Master's or the equivalent) or have graduated from such studies within three (3) years before the application date of the internship.

• Prior project management certification is highly desirable.

Work Experience

• Some professional experience in the fields of International Development, Project Management, Administration, Engineering, or any other relevant field is desirable.

• Experience in research, analysis, and report writing is desirable.

• Strong computer literacy in Google Suite applications or equivalent MS Office standard programs, in particular proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel is required.

• Experience in Google Data Studio is desirable.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and attention to detail.

• Must be tactful, discreet, diplomatic, and possess the ability to communicate with individuals at all levels of an organization.

• Flexibility and adaptability to work under pressure and able to manage multiple priorities.

• Ability to work in an international/ multicultural environment.

Language:

• Fluency in both written and oral English is required.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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.

• 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.