Partnerships Advisor - Liaison (Retainer/Consultant)

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organisations.  With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it.  By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

Local Context: 

UNOPS  in  India  is  based  in  New  Delhi  and currently  manages  major  projects:  providing  support  in the  implementation  of  Jal  Jeevan  Mission  in  selected  districts  in  four  states  and  working  as  sector partner  with  Government  of  India,  health  project  in  Mizoram,  UNOPS  is  supporting  the  DMFT (District  Mineral  Foundation on  Trust)  Angul  by  establishing  a  Programme  Management  Unit  (PMU)  for the  implementation  of  circular  economy  project  in  collaboration  with  UNEP,  solid  waste management project in West Bengal and project on sustainable fashion for SDGs.

Under the overall supervision of the Country Manager, the Partnership Advisor-Liaison shall be responsible for performing, amongst others, the following duties.

1. Partnerships networking and advocacy for business development including the following responsibilities:

• Advice and coordinate donor and partner mapping exercise covering both the development and humanitarian landscape.

• Advise the Country Manager on the possibilities for UNOPS strategic positioning, vis-à-vis the potential partners.

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships through active networking, advocacy and effective communication of UNOPS competencies in project service delivery and management.

• Support the business development function by identifying and developing new business and partnership/customer opportunities.

• Work closely with the partnership unit to ensure and facilitate the capture of lessons learnt from programme and project implementation into new opportunities and engagement development, as well as the adequate identification of risks and mitigation measures.

• Contribute to current and future growth plans for the UNOPS India Office, ensuring alignment with the UNOPS Strategic Plan.

• Advise Communication team during the development of communication strategies to maximize communication impact and outreach and build awareness of UNOPS goals and competencies to reinforce UNOPS competitive edge as a provider of sustainable projects results.

• At the request of the Multi Country Office Director participate in the Multi Country Office in inter-agency discussions and planning to ensure UNOPS position, interests and priorities are fully considered. 

• Advise, coordinate and collaborate with relevant partnerships and programme personnel at the country and regional level, to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners.

• Advise and coordinate the preparation of substantive briefs on specific partners, UNOPS strategic positioning, and partnership opportunities.

• Establish working relationships with key potential partners and attend relevant meetings in an effort to position UNOPS as a partner of choice.

• Advice, lead, manage and coordinate agreement negotiations, drafting of project proposals, budget, and other partnership and program development communication.

• Advice, coordinate and collaborate with relevant partnerships and program personnel at the country and regional 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.

• Collaborate with internal and external partners, colleagues and stakeholders to keep abreast of evolving trends, advocate UNOPS services and build partnerships/alliances to maintain/enhance UNOPS visibility in project services in development cooperation.

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned as related to partnership and programme development.

• Operationalize and share best practices and lessons learned for corporate development planning and knowledge building.

• Implement standards, tools, and templates provided by (Partnerships and Liaison Group) PLG to effectively manage the partnership and programme development.

• Advice and 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 and conduct the relevant training for the operations/ project’s personnel, and participate in field missions, as required.

3.  Government liaison:

• Implementation coordination: The incumbent will advise Project Managers on project-level stakeholder engagement and will ensure that all projects liaise regularly with their government counterparts. The incumbent will participate in high-level events involving government entities such as coordination meetings, steering committee meetings, signing ceremonies, and inaugurations.

• Policy dialogue: The Partnership Development Senior Advisor will take an active role in policy dialogues organized by the Government of India which might be relevant to UNOPS, especially in the fields of procurement, data management, infrastructure, and climate change. The incumbent will liaise informally with relevant ministries to ensure UNOPS’ participation in such events.

• Promoting UNOPS and Co-ordination & liaison with Ministries of Government of India (GOI) and also the state Governments and ensuring that UNOPS' capacities and mandate are well understood and appreciated.

4.   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 as appropriate.

• Undertake advocacy, public information, and communication activities in collaboration with Partnerships and Liaison Group (PLG), when required.

• On behalf of the Country Manager, participate in and report on the relevant inter-agency, donor and government coordination meetings, international conferences, summits, etc. 

• Actively engage with internal stakeholders. 

• Demonstrate professional and personal ethics, transparency, and openness.

Education

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) with 7 years of relevant experience;

OR

• First level university degree (bachelor's degree or equivalent) with 9 years of relevant experience.

Experience

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in local or international partnership and programme development is required. 

• A minimum of 2 years of experience working at the local or national level with the Government of India is required.

• Demonstrated track record of acquiring projects from different partners and donors is highly desirable.

• Experience establishing partnerships with UN agencies, International Development Organizations, Governments, Ministries, Foundations, International NGOs or Private Sector Organizations is considered as an asset.

• Prior experience working in project and programme management, international organizations, international development, post-disaster and/or emergency contexts is an advantage. 

Language requirements 

• Fluency (Read, Write, Speak) in English and Hindi 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. 

• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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.