Partnership Senior Officer

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. UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. 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 organizations.

Background – job specific

In Ukraine, UNOPS support to the partners in their reform agenda since 2017 spans the rule of law, social protection, housing, demining, emergency response and security. The projects are funded by the EU, the Governments of Japan and Canada.

All projects have gender equality as a transversal theme, and have been contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals frameworks and objectives.

Following the increased militarisation around Ukraine’s borders as well as the recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics by the Russian Federation, the security situation in Ukraine deteriorated rapidly, with the launch of a full-scale military offensive by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022. Armed violence escalated in at least eight oblasts (regions), including Kyivska oblast and the capital city of Kyiv, as well as in the eastern oblasts of Donetsk and Luhanska which were already affected by conflict. The towns of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Irpin were strongly affected, so resident civilians fled their homes en masse.

Martial law and a state of war were introduced in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and the general mobilisation of all Ukrainian males between 18 and 60 years old was ordered, while the Ukrainian airspace was closed to civilian users.

The UNOPS immediately launched its Emergency Procurement Procedure (EPP) to enable a faster response to requirements related to the crisis. The EPP provided flexibility in procurement procedures while still ensuring adherence to essential public procurement principles.

Under the overall guidance of the UACO Partnership Specialist and in coordination with the UNOPS Head of Programme, the incumbent is supporting a variety of regional programmatic activities, supporting the UACO team, with high quality and accuracy of work. The Partnerships Senior Officer will be in charge of implementing the partnerships and programme development plan.

Functional Responsibilities

This is a local position, it is therefore open to Nationals of Ukraine and to individuals who have a valid residence/work permit.

1. Country Engagement Work Support:

• The Partnerships Senior Officer will support the Partnership Specialist in the development of engagement opportunities and oversight of country-related work of the UACO Partnership in the region (Ukraine, Moldova, Poland). The Partnerships Senior Officer will need to interact frequently with personnel from different work streams of the Support Unit.
• Under the direction of the Partnership Specialist, the Partnerships Senior Officer will be tasked with:
• Contribute to active positioning and expansion of UNOPS portfolio by building a network of key partners, keeping abreast of social, economic, and political trends;
• Establish contacts with potential partners, organizing meetings and negotiations, and prepare subsequent records of meetings, plan of action and follow-up for potential partnership development opportunities;
• In coordination with the Programme team, lead on the identification, design, formulation, drafting and negotiation of new projects and programmes, including concept notes and project documents;
• Contribute to the diversification of the UACO portfolio through the identification, design, formulation and negotiation of new projects and programs and draft concept notes and project document briefs for discussion with partners;
• Create and maintain oneUNOPS opportunities and engagement functionalities in alignment with UNOPS corporate guidelines;
• Support the Partnership Specialist in the oversight of country-related work of the UACO Partnership in the region;
• Coordinate technical and financial requirements, and negotiate proposals to close new project opportunities;
• Draft agreements and/or contractual documents required for the signature and implementation of new projects;
• Coordinate technical and financial requirements, and negotiate proposals to close new project opportunities;
• Interact with international team members from different work streams;
• Support country analysis related to the recovery of the country and the reforms on the path towards EU accession; including inter alia, public documents, national targets, country portfolios, country contacts, etc.;
• As required, draft country, multi-country or regional briefing notes in coordination with relevant staff members of the UACO and ECR;
• Keep Partnership Specialist and the Country Management Team apprised of all management and ad-hoc requests from implementing and development partners, regarding country engagement in the region;
• Support the technical organization of meetings, conferences or other regional gatherings, in coordination with other staff members of the Support Unit, for events where Partnership Specialist or Country Director are expected to attend, including content presentation preparation;
• Ensure monthly and quarterly collection of country update reports from country facilitators, as guided by the Partnership Specialist/ Country Director;
• Provide Quality assurance of country progress update reports and drafting of stories of change that the Partnership can promote;
• Ensure completion of periodic country-related updates such as Country Engagement Opportunity Updates, Newsletters, Monday boards, and Share Point;
• Support hiring process of ad-hoc consultancies.

2. Information Management:

• The Partnerships Senior Officer will be familiar with the regional information included in the knowledge management system of the UACO and will be the primary point of contact for relevant queries and extract and analyses information accordingly.
• The Partnerships Senior Officer will also be responsible for ensuring that information flowing from exchanges between Partnership Specialist and country stakeholders and/or implementing partners is adequately captured in the Support Unit’s Information Management System.
• Overview the knowledge management system of the UACO – for the countries in the region, be the primary point of contact for relevant queries and extract and analyze information accordingly;
• Maintain track of formal communications between the SU and country counterparts and implementing partners;
• Ensure the appropriate allocation of written products resulting of SU work in the region, including but not limited to Partnership Plans, Partnerships Highlights and other deliverables, as well as PP implementation monitoring reports.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) international relations, international development, economics, finance, administration or a related field is required.
• Bachelor degree in combination with additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years (4 years for a bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in international cooperation, communications, partner or client relationships, business development and/or market analysis.
• Demonstrated excellent research and analysis skills related to partner/business development in an international setting is highly desirable;
• Prior experience in a developing country is highly desirable;
• Experience with international organizations or working with donors such as the World Bank or the US Government is considered as a strong asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required.

This is a local position, it is therefore open to Nationals of Ukraine and to individuals who have a valid residence/work permit.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: Local ICA Specialist
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

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

Additional Information

• 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.