Partnerships Specialist

The Partnerships Specialist is responsible for developing and implementing the partnership development plan and supporting communications plans for Mozambique and other Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. The role focuses on building and maintaining effective relationships with governments, UN agencies, donors, and other stakeholders to mobilize resources, expand the office's portfolio, and strengthen UNOPS positioning as a reliable development partner.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive partnership development and communications plan in line with UNOPS Strategic Plan and Regional Strategies.
• Ensure communications and visibility are strategically integrated into partnership development and positioning.
• Examine risks and opportunities presented by the strategic positioning of the Mozambique Country office and propose appropriate responses.
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant Partnerships personnel at local, liaison and HQ level to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners.
• Monitor and evaluate humanitarian and development trends and needs to identify areas of collaboration within the UNOPS mandate and existing capacity.
• Research events, publications and announcements to track and screen opportunities for possible UNOPS interventions.
• Provide advice and feedback to UNOPS HQ and Regional Office on the development of framework partnership agreements.
• Contribute to the identification, design, formulation and negotiation of new projects and programmes and draft concept notes and project document briefs.
• Create and maintain engagement opportunities and engagement functionalities in alignment with UNOPS corporate guidelines.
• 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.
• Understand and clearly explain UNOPS pricing policy to partners.
• Contribute to the diversification of the Multi Country / Country Office in line with UNOPS strategic and Regional objectives.
• Gather content for communications and outreach materials in coordination with Communications and Reporting personnel.
• Establish and further develop partnerships with UN agencies, international organisations, governments, foundations, international NGOs and private sector organisations.
• Undertake advocacy, public information and communication activities in collaboration with the Communications Officer.
• Participate in and report on relevant inter-agency, donor and government coordination meetings.
• Provide strategic direction to communications personnel to ensure alignment with country priorities and partnership objectives.
• Build a network of key partners and keep abreast of evolving trends including innovation in project and partnership development.
• Implement standards, tools and templates provided by HQ to effectively manage partnership and project development.
• Contribute to research, development and implementation of best practices and innovative approaches to maximise performance.
• Help build partnerships capacity and negotiation skills among project managers.
• Contribute to dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
• Provide regular feedback on existing systems, tools and resources to ensure relevance to day-to-day operations.

Requirements

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Public Administration, International Development, Engineering, Political Science, Communications or International Relations.
• A combination of a Bachelor's degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.
• At least 5 years of experience in international development including demonstrated experience in developing and executing partnership, communications and programme development plans.
• Experience in project development and proposal writing.
• Experience identifying, developing and/or negotiating partnership opportunities with IFIs/MDBs, including translating government and financing institution priorities into implementable projects and programmes.
• Project and programme management experience is an asset.
• Experience establishing partnerships with UN agencies, international development organisations, governments, foundations, international NGOs or private sector organisations.
• Experience providing strategic oversight or direction to communications, advocacy or visibility activities in support of organizational or partnership objectives is an asset.

Skills

• Partnership Development
• Creative Communications Planning
• Program Development
• Project Development
• Proposal Writing
• Negotiation with IFIs
• Partnership Management
• Project Management
• Strategic Communications
• Advocacy Strategic Planning
• Resource Mobilization
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Partnerships with UN Agencies
• International Development
• Donor Relations

Languages

English, Portuguese