Partnerships Development Advisor (Public-Private Partnerships/Financing for Development) , Multiple positions

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across  North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.

In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself. 

• Devise and propose strategies to expand or improve the reach of UNOPS services in PPP,  infrastructure project preparation and other technical assistances related to these areas. 
• Work closely with Country Directors to develop relationships with key institutions and decision-makers in government entities, development banks, and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Bring in an extensive network of relationships in PPP advisory services and/or in the energy, transport or other infrastructure sectors. 
• Work with the other Senior Advisors and the Regional Senior Advisor on the development of the overall strategy for the team. 
• Prepare and execute sub-region or country plans to expand the area of advisory services of PPP and Infrastructure Finance of UNOPS. 
• Source projects with government clients, investors and multiple stakeholders of PPP/infrastructure and energy projects. 
• Manage diverse project teams in multiple transactions, specially leading and integrating the different areas of work within a PPP/infrastructure/energy project (legal, financial, technical, etc.); 
• Establish a solid working relationship with the project board, client and key stakeholders.
• Manage communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products. 
• Advise the client on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance). 
• Development of investment promotion proposals.
• Manage the execution of competitive, transparent tender processes, and the resultant finalization of contractual agreements between investors and partners.

• Review, update or develop texts or processes for operations manuals for the implementation of the corresponding procedures to implement policies, programs and products.
• Prepare reports and details of programs for discussion and approval by UNOPS Partners, as well as prepare reports, processes, and writing to support the team when appropriate, taking into account the content prepared by other specialists accompanying the projects and ensuring that the editing of documents is correct.
• Contribute to the preparation of diagnostics and project plans, based on regulatory and operational knowledge of the regulations or lack thereof.
• Provide knowledge to the team on the operating frameworks of PPP law and PPF procedures in the countries where the projects are to be implemented.
• Review of regulatory information provided by partner government agencies.
• Verification of compliance with regulatory and legal institutionality. 
• Analysis of non-compliance with the obligations of the national laws and regulation of the information provided by the rest of the team, detailing the causes and implications, as well as providing the context of applicability under the local rules and regulations.
• Review of the progress of the activities corresponding to the State.
• Review of compliance with the requirements of the government partners for the establishment of institutions, PPP Units, and project preparation facilities.
• Other reviews considered necessary during monthly monitoring reports.

• Definition of the relationship plan with our partners as well as with the other relevant institutions and follow-up on possible opportunities with said entities, understanding their context and limitations well.
• Advise the team to identify opportunities with a clear understanding of the restrictions and possibilities within the regulatory and operational frameworks.

• Lead the development of the financial, commercial and overall deal strategy, working with the other experts and leaders of the PPP &  Infrastructure Finance Advisory Services  team.
• Lead the commercial assessment and viability of the proposed structures of M&A, private equity or asset management transactions to ensure adherence to investment policy or project documentation as appropriate.
• Ensure proper financial analysis is done and proper valuation of any assets under analysis is performed under the highest standards of ethics and expertise.
• Ensure proper and thorough representation of risks is always communicated to any relevant party.
• Lead in-depth complex financial, operational, stakeholder and general risk analysis.
• Deal with financial institutions and/or institutional investors to ensure transparency and proper evaluation of the proposed projects.
• Ensure quality and proper alignment of all specialists’ work to develop a sound and auditable financial model for each project.
• Lead the definition and data collection for specific conditions for infrastructure projects or acquisition targets.
• Coordinate the development of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, value-for-money analysis, public-private comparator, project screening matrixes, decision models, risk assessment and matrixes, etc. to ensure proper project due diligence is performed.
• Conduct macroeconomic and review financial models or assessments.
• Recommend debt and equity structures, including assessment of different types of investment financing (loans, bonds, equity arrangements, etc.); and lead the team in the negotiation of financing documents, whether debt or equity and its variations.
• Lead the proper valuation of target projects or investments over the term of the proposed transactions (distribution of dividends, reduction of capital, etc.).
• Development of exit strategies from the proposed investments.
• Lead the proper analysis of any financial statements and representations for the projects.
• Lead or perform directly other financial analysis as necessary for the project.

Monitoring and evaluation of functions

The performance of the functions performed by the Partnerships Development Advisor will be monitored and evaluated by the Country Manager and with technical coordination with the responsible team, based on the following products: 

• The reports of activities and products that the Partnerships Development Advisor must prepare and present.
• The follow-up instances that the Country Manager or delegated authority holds with the Partnerships Development Advisor and/or the work teams.
• The results of the coordination instances with the associates. 

Education: 

• An advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent), preferably in business administration, finance, public administration, law, or related areas, is required.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) with an additional two (2) years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in Partnership development, Public-Private Partnerships, infrastructure finance, pension fund finance, infrastructure finance sector, Infrastructure Public Policies or related fields is required.
• Experience with financial institutions and the financial sector regulator will be an asset.
• Experience participating in infrastructure projects under traditional public contracting or Public-Private Partnerships or concession models in their area of expertise is an asset. 

• Fluency in English is required.

1. Contract type: International Individual Contractual Agreement (IICA)
2. Contract level: ICS 11 / IICA 3
3. Contract duration: Retainer contract from the start to 31 Dec 2023. Renewable, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
   

• 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. 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.