Senior Partnerships Advisor

New York Service Cluster (NYSC) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management. NYSC includes the following business units:

Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Director is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Cluster on behalf of its clients.

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York.  The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the NYSC Regional Director, (RD) and in consultation with the NYSC senior management team as needed, the Senior Partnerships Advisor will lead in the implementation of the NYSC Strategy which focuses on: 

• Partnerships for Impact
• Innovation and Thought Leadership
• Nurturing and Investment in Internal Capabilities

Similarly, the Senior Partnerships Advisor will take the lead in actioning and tracking/reporting progress of the NYSC Engagement Plan with the UN Secretariat and the business development investment project that supports NYSC efforts to expand and diversify NYSC client base.

The Senior Partnerships Advisor will work across the New York Service Cluster under guidance of the Regional Director and coordinate with NYSC Cluster and Portfolio Managers as well as UNOPS PLG and NYBER, leading the efforts to develop and strengthen relationships with the UN system of organizations, IFIs and other current and potential partners for NYSC.

• Coordinate the implementation of the 2020 - 2024 business development strategy for UNOPS NYSC, development of a business plan 2022 - 2024 and lead the annual updates of NYSC business strategy;
• Coordinate implementation of the UN Secretariat Engagement Plan and NYSC business development investment project
• Coordinate donor and partner mapping exercise covering both the development and humanitarian landscape;
• Advise the NYSC RD and Senior Management Team on the possibilities for UNOPS strategic positioning, vis-à-vis the potential partners;
• Coordinate preparation of substantive briefs on specific partners, UNOPS strategic positioning, and partnership opportunities;
• Establish working relationships with key potential partners and attend relevant meetings to position UNOPS as a partner of choice;
• Develop high specification presentations and other communications and visibility materials to position UNOPS value proposition with prospective partners and influential networks
• Lead, manage and coordinate agreement negotiations, drafting of project proposals, budget and other partnership and programme development documents;
• Coordinate and maintain regular communication with the Corporate Partnership Group (PLG) in UNOPS HQ in Copenhagen and New York Board and External Relations Office (NYBER) NYBER in UNOPS NY;
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant partnerships and programme personnel at the country, regional and UNOPS HQ level to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners

2. Knowledge management, innovation and technical support, including the following responsibilities:

• Advise on the policy-level issues related to partnerships and programme development for UNOPS NYSC;
• Assess and keep abreast of the emerging trends in the development and humanitarian spheres in NYSC as relates to UNOPS services.
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learnt as related to partnership and programme development.
• Implement standards, tools and templates provided by PLG to manage partnership and programme development within NYSC effectively;
• Contribute to UNOPS capacity development as related to partnerships, including promoting learning, coaching and mentoring the team members, field staff on UNOPS policy and practices for effective management of partnerships;
• Participate in, conduct the relevant training for the operations/projects personnel, and participate in field missions.
• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Lead effective coordination of the NYSC offices’ Partnerships specialists.
• NYSC helps ensure that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons are disseminated between projects across the entire region.
• Coordination and collaboration with UNOPS Regional Partnerships Advisors.

3. Efficient partner relationships and organizational work ethics and culture, including the following responsibilities:

• Actively engage with partners to solicit feedback and gauge their satisfaction with UNOPS services;
• Coordinate implementation of partner surveys within NYSC as appropriate.
• Undertake advocacy, public information and communication activities in collaboration with PLG, when required.
• Actively engage with internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrate professional and personal ethics, transparency and openness.

• Master’s Degree or equivalent preferably in Business Administration, Political Science, International Relations, International Development, Social Sciences or a related discipline is required.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s) in combination with required qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

b. Work Experience 

Required:

• At least seven (7) years of relevant experience in an international development context combining the following:
• Strategy development and execution
• In-depth knowledge of development issues and current donor and sectoral trends, with emphasis on a deep understanding of the UN system of organizations, the partner/donor landscape, is required;
• Experience in dealing and negotiating with external stakeholders is required;

• In-depth knowledge of development issues and current donor and sectoral trends, with emphasis on International Financing Institutions would be an asset;
• Knowledge of NYSC partner/donor landscape as well as issues and  challenges relevant to NYSC portfolios, would be desirable;
• Previous experience within the UN system is an asset     

c. Language:

• Fluency in English is required
• Fluency/working knowledge of another UN language is an asset

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) 
Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (I-ICA 3)
Contract duration: Open-ended (renewable subject to funds availability 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 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.

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.