Partnerships Advisor

Organizational Context

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office oversees over 250 projects in 40 countries, focusing on fragile settings. It supports national priorities through initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, and Peace & Security. The North Africa Multi-Country Office (NAMCO) manages operations across Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Morocco, advancing socio-economic development and promoting youth and women's empowerment. This role is based in Comoros.

Job Purpose

The Partnerships Advisor provides high-level strategic support to refine national strategic priorities, facilitate high-level dialogues, and identify partnership opportunities. The role guides advocacy efforts with the government and technical/financial partners to optimize UNOPS's contribution to sustainable development in Comoros. The advisor will orient the partnerships team and related roles, and collaborate closely with the leadership team to develop and implement the partnership strategy. Key functions include providing situation analyses, stakeholder mapping, and technical support for program formulation, leveraging their network to enhance communication between the government, UNOPS, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Develop and advise on a comprehensive partnership development strategy aligned with UNOPS's strategic plans, analyzing national contexts and identifying key partners for strategic positioning. Advise leadership on strategy implementation and project development, including partner and sector prioritization. Research donor strategies to identify funding opportunities. Drive a rigorous, impact-focused approach to project and program development. Support and guide the partnerships team in building and maintaining strong relationships with governments, UN agencies, donors, NGOs, academia, and the private sector. Collaborate with program and support service leads to ensure new projects align with programs. Mentor partnership officers, working with communications to ensure external positioning aligns with national priorities. Lead key partnership meetings and negotiations with the government and partners, ensuring follow-up. Coordinate and coach staff on partnerships and programs. Facilitate high-level meetings between UNOPS leadership and government representatives. Support partners in reviewing implementation options and promoting national ownership. Establish standards for institutional communication materials and success stories. Represent UNOPS in meetings with government officials and partners. Participate in inter-agency planning and sector groups. Contribute to UN system policy harmonization. Ensure projects adhere to results-based management principles and have appropriate monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Guide partnership officers in identifying opportunities and developing proposals, providing input on project formulation and implementation approaches. Implement HQ tools and models, and contribute to best practices and innovative approaches for partnership and project development.

Work Experience

Required: Experience in international development, including partnership and program development, project development, proposal writing, and establishing partnerships with UN agencies, international development organizations, governments, foundations, or private sector entities. Desired: Experience in multicultural environments, UN system organizations, developing countries, project/program management, and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

International Business Development, Partnerships, Planning, Proposal Writing, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Sourcing, Strategic Thinking

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