Partnerships and Business Development Advisor

“UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations.”
-Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

UNOPS  mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

UNOPS provides services in sustainable infrastructure, sustainable procurement and sustainable project management, with projects ranging from building schools, roads, bridges and hospitals to procuring goods and services and training local personnel.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

We employ more than 6,000 personnel annually and on behalf of our partners create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of regional and country offices, we oversee activities in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

The Regional Business and Partnerships Advisor is tasked with 5 major responsibilities:

1. Developing the regional business development and partnership strategy, oversee and coordinate its implementation;
2. Advising the Regional Director on new partnership opportunities through research, networking and communication aimed at positioning UNOPS in the Region and mobilizing quality resources for sustainable development.
3. In collaboration with GPSO, empowering country office in the Africa Region through training and the establishment of standardized processes to systemically gather, analyze and maintain business intelligence that will guide partnerships at regional and country levels
4. Working closely with business development focal points and GPSO, providing regional hubs, operation and project centers with the latest information on trends, opportunities and guidance on opportunities for engagement with key partners. 
5. Mentoring business development focal points within the region to improve business development performance.

As part of the regional management team, the incumbent has the following functional responsibilities:

• Lead the development, coordinate and oversee the implementation of the regional partnership and business development strategy;
• Proactively lead and organize support to country business development focal points to qualify and pursue new opportunities, ensuring strategic alignment between opportunities, UNOPS strategic plan and the products and services available;
• Use collaborative team approaches to lead the multi-diciplinary support to the design of new opportunities with our partners;
• Enable business development at country level through the provision of best practices, tools, and guidance;
• Training and mentoring the business development focal points within the region to strengthen their capacity to identify strategically aligned opportunities, identify key decision-makers and influencers, and build a trusted relationships with key decision-makers related to the opportunity;
• Support internal change management efforts to build the overall partnerships and business development capability in UNOPS. There is a Partnership/Business Development team that will be driving global efforts and this incumbent will be a key player and representative for AFO in the global team, with the possibility to drive and influence global solutions to better partnership development and business development process excellence for UNOPS.
• Facilitate coordinated, systematic approaches to partner and client relations management, for mutual, sustainable benefit;
• Lead the establishment and further development of strategic client / partner relationships, including collaboration, coordination, knowledge sharing and the development of new engagements;
• Ensure client satisfaction within the Africa Region, along with the Country Directors;
• Ensure project performance (a key contributing factor to client satisfaction and a direct result of the quality of engagement design) within the Africa region, along with the Country Directors and Project / Programme Managers;
• Ensure adequate controls (e.g. in pricing) through the engagement acceptance process;
• The Business and Partnerships Advisor will supervise and be supported by the Regional Practice Focal Points for Sustainable Infrastructure, Sustainable Procurement, and Sustainable Project Management who in addition to leading business development within their respective areas are responsible for overseeing the quality of services delivered to our partners.
In addition, the Business and Partnerships Advisor will be supported by the relevant focal points for Advisory Services.

• Solid experience in international cooperation and partnership building at national or international levels, preferably in a large organization.
• Proven experience in multi-disciplinary business development activities, including but not limited to, running complex bid teams, working along side a range of technical experts, proposal development, project and programme design including advanced budgeting and forecasting skills, and building trusted relationships and networks;
• Solid experience in developing and/or managing client / partner relationships, for example public sector clients, donor governments, multilateral agencies, public private partnerships, etc., within the context of engineering, business services and / or professional services;
• Strong knowledge of the international cooperation for development landscape and substantial experience in the emerging markets and/or development sector;
• Ability to identify, initiate and sustain relationships within key client / partner organisations, including building professional relationships with senior decision-makers and influencers;
• Proven ability to work effectively with groups of peers and to lead on tough decisions;
• Strategic vision, strong analytical and operational capacities, sound judgment;
• Very good organizational skills and ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit and positive working relationships with colleagues;
• Excellent negotiation skills;
• Global mind-set with sensitivity to diverse cultures and workforce;
• A high level of energy and enthusiasm for leading a self-financing services organization within the UN system;
• Ability to promote and demonstrate in day-to-day operations integrity and business ethics, as well as trust and open communication.

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably in International Affairs, Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration, Political Science, International Relations, or other related field. A combination of first-level university degree with additional work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Experience:

At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in building and/or advising on partnerships and business development including at least 4 years sound experience with international organizations, which includes  (key) account management and leading roles in developing, overseeing and managing resource mobilization strategies.

Strong track record in developing and executing strategies, plans and initiatives.

Demonstrated success in entrepreneurial / intraprenurial activities.

Strong track record in in multi-diciplinary, business development activities such as complex bid teams, proposal design, building trusted relationships.

Exceptional ability in communicating consistently, clearly and effectively with a broad range of stakeholders

Prior experience with international organisations and the development sector is an asset.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential, knowledge of French a strong asset.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• 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.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• 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.