Partnerships Officer

Organizational Context

UNICEF Ukraine, established in Kyiv in 1997, significantly scaled up its humanitarian response following the war's escalation, while adapting development programming. It collaborates with the Government, UN agencies, NGOs, and donors across sectors like child protection, education, health, WASH, and social protection. The Country Office's Partnerships team, where this role is embedded, is crucial for resource mobilization, donor relations, and reporting, managing a diverse portfolio to secure income and influence for children's results.

Job Purpose

The Partnerships Officer assignment is integral to UNICEF Ukraine's ability to sustain and expand its response for children affected by the conflict. Embedded within the Partnerships team, the role focuses on resource mobilization, donor relations, and reporting across the Country Programme. This position directly contributes to securing reliable income and influence by nurturing existing and establishing new partnerships with public and private sector donors at local and capital levels. The officer will ensure programmatic and financial compliance with donor agreements, support proposal development, budget management, donor reporting, and strategic engagement. This role sits at the intersection of resource mobilization and programme quality, directly impacting UNICEF's efforts to protect children's rights, ensure their health and education, and provide them a fair chance to fulfill their potential amidst the ongoing crisis.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Partnerships Manager/Specialist, the Partnerships Officer will primarily support donor reporting by drafting, revising, and proofreading sections for accuracy and alignment with proposals and donor templates. This includes cross-checking financial and narrative data, flagging inconsistencies, and maintaining internal trackers for timely approvals and submissions. The officer will coordinate and draft inputs by collecting and consolidating data and programme updates from relevant sections for reports, proposals, and partner communications. This involves drafting concept notes, project proposals, briefing materials, and donor correspondence. Key responsibilities also include knowledge management and record-keeping, ensuring the Partnerships section's filing and tracking systems, such as grant and pipeline trackers and reporting calendars, are up-to-date, organized, and accessible. The officer will also take meeting notes and circulate action points. Furthermore, the role involves environmental scanning and political analysis, monitoring developments in the donor landscape, UN system, and multilateral policy environment. This includes preparing concise analytical summaries on how emerging trends or political shifts may affect UNICEF's programming. The officer will support partner engagement by attending meetings with member states and multilateral bodies, contributing to information-sharing and joint programming, preparing background materials, and assisting with follow-up. Finally, the role requires conducting donor research and partner profiling, analyzing prospective and existing donors' funding priorities, geographic focus, policy positions, and past engagement with UNICEF or the Ukraine response, and maintaining updated donor profiles.

Work Experience

A minimum of three years of professional experience is required in public affairs, programme management, resource mobilization, or external relations, preferably in an international or multilateral setting. This includes experience drafting, editing, and proofreading donor reports, proposals, or briefing materials in the humanitarian or development sector. Candidates should have experience conducting background research and political/contextual analysis, synthesizing information, and monitoring donor landscapes or development assistance trends. Experience coordinating inputs from multiple stakeholders and working within the UN system or an international development/humanitarian organization, including with international counterparts across cultures, is also essential.

Skills

Strong attention to detail and high accuracy in written work and data handling are essential. Excellent drafting, editing, and proofreading skills in English, adaptable across document types and audiences, are required. The ability to conduct independent analytical work-researching, synthesizing, and presenting findings clearly for senior staff-is crucial. A sound understanding of the international donor landscape and development assistance architecture, with an interest in the Ukraine context, is needed. Organizational skills, including prioritizing tasks, managing deadlines, and proactively flagging risks, are important. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and familiarity with knowledge management platforms are also required. Core competencies include building partnerships, ethical awareness, driving results, innovation, strategic thinking, and collaborative work. Values such as care, respect, integrity, trust, accountability, and sustainability are emphasized.

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