Partnerships Development Advisor, 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 Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

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.

UNOPS in Cambodia

UNOPS established its Cambodia office in early 2013. Since then UNOPS Cambodia has carried out a series of projects and programs, including the management of multi-donor funds to support the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal). UNOPS Cambodia has also been providing advisory and implementation services in the infrastructure sector to other development partners including Japan, Korea EU, and procurement support and advisory services to different line ministries of the Royal Government of Cambodia. UNOPS Cambodia is also providing support services to the Malaria Program of the Regional Artemisinin Initiative (RAI) funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM). 

UNOPS Cambodia is in the process of expanding its areas of engagement in partnerships with different development partners focusing on a portfolio comprising projects and programmes in the infrastructure, rule of law, and environmental sectors, as well as continuing with the provision of transactional services (financial, human resources, and procurement). 

Background Information –Job Specific

The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has commenced developing key socio-economic policy agenda from the Rectangular to Pentagonal strategies for the government to implement. The Pentagonal Strategy Phase I entails five key priorities, such as people, road, water, electricity and technology. The infrastructure is cross-cutting in all priorities. Sectors that remain high priorities include health, education, agriculture, energy, urbanization, transport connectivity and digitalisation.

The Partnerships Development Advisor will provide strategic support to EAPMCO Cambodia to explore project engagement opportunities with the government line ministries focusing on fund management or technical assistance and any other UNOPS service lines in infrastructure, procurement, and project management in Cambodia.

Reporting to the Country Manager, and with a secondary reporting line to the Head of Partnerships, the Partnerships Development Advisor is responsible for:

• Identifying specific needs and resources gaps to determine the additional funding needed to support areas of health, urbanization, energy, education and transport in the country.

• Coordinate the project identification and formulation based on the key priorities of the government’s ministries and the national strategies in the areas mentioned above which aligns with UNOPS core service lines in procurement, infrastructure and project/fund management. 

• Provide strategic recommendations to UNOPS on identifying sources of funds to the project identified. 

• Coordinate the strategic engagement with the identified partners. 

• In consultation with the Business Development Unit and the Country Manager, the Advisor will develop the action plan for the strategic engagement with the government and funding sources (public, loans, grants).

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably in development studies, National Resources Management, Agriculture, Fisheries, Public Health, Engineering, Economics, and other social sciences subjects relevant to the nature of the assignment, is required.

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in combination with an additional 2 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent).

• A minimum of seven (7) years in research, capacity development, multi-stakeholder engagement in Cambodia or other related fields in combination with an advanced university degree is required.

• Experience in engagement and collaboration with the national and sub-national governments, development partners, UN agencies, CSOs and other stakeholders is an asset. 

• Knowledge on  health, education, agriculture, energy, urbanization, transport connectivity and digitalisation is desirable. 

• Capacity to communicate effectively in cross-cultural settings and diversity are preferred.

• Full domain in English is required.

• Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
• Contract level: ICS-11/LICA Specialist-11
• Contract duration: Retainer contract from start date to 31 Dec 2024 and renewable up to 31 Aug 2025 subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and/or to satisfactory performance.

• The selection of the candidate will be done through a desk review process. 
• The application will be reviewed on on-going basis during the application period
• The selected candidate shall perform in this role as a Retainer
• A retainer contract is issued for a period of time during which the services of the individual contractor are required intermittently.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx 

• 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.