Partnerships Specialist (Retainer)

Horn of Africa Multi Country Office

Established in 2009, Ethiopia Multi-country office, now referred to as the Horn of Africa Multi-Country Office (HAMCO) manages a growing portfolio of engagements, including associated strategic and operational risks within the region. The HAMCO sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Addis Ababa which manages a portfolio of engagements in four (4)  Horn of Africa countries  (Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan and South Sudan). HAMCO focuses on Infrastructure, Procurement, Project Management, HR and Transactional Services, and Fund Management services across a wide range of sectors including Health, Education, Agriculture, Resilient infrastructure, among others.

Our goal is to support countries, help people in need and enable our partners through  delivering on our mandate of infrastructure, procurement and project management in the countries in the Horn of Africa.

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Multi-Country Office Director and in close coordination with the Regional Office and the Partnerships Group, the Partnerships Specialist is responsible for developing and implementing the partnership and programme development plan for the office managed by the Multi-Country Office Director.  This may also include new countries where UNOPS plans to initiate or broaden operations.

The Partnerships Specialist is responsible for the below listed duties.

Partnership and programme development planning

• Develop a comprehensive partnership and programme development plan in line with UNOPS Strategic Plan and Regional Strategies. This  includes country context, analysis of the regional and national development and humanitarian landscape, identification of main partners, strategic positioning of UNOPS in the potential operational niches identified for the Ethiopia Country Office. Ensure the plan reflects in-house capacity, typology of projects and the internal tools and knowledge resources.
• Examine risks and opportunities presented by the strategic positioning of the Country office and propose appropriate responses to ensure sustainable growth.
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant Partnerships personnel at local, liaison and HQ level, as well as Project Managers and project personnel of the country offices covered by the office, to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners.

Develop opportunities

• Monitor and evaluate humanitarian and development trends and needs to identify areas of collaboration within UNOPS mandate and existing capacity.
• Research events, publications and announcements to track and screen opportunities for possible UNOPS interventions and identify trends that will drive partnership opportunities.
• Provide advice and feedback to UNOPS HQ and Regional Office on the development of framework partnership agreements that can increase opportunities at the regional level.
• Contribute to 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.
• Coordinate technical and financial requirements, and negotiate proposals to close new project opportunities.
• Drafts 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 Country Office in line with UNOPS strategic and Regional objectives.
• In coordination with the Communications and Reporting personnel, when available, gather content for communications and outreach materials for any countries managed within the scope of the UNOPS office or by the Partnerships Group.

Representation and inter-agency partnership

• Establish and further develop partnerships with UN agencies, international organizations, governments, foundations, international NGOs and private sector organizations to diversify project opportunities within the Country Office or Partnership Group.
• Undertake advocacy, public information and communication activities in collaboration with the Communications Officer, when required.
• On behalf of the Country Office Director and/or Head of Programme, participate in and report on the relevant inter-agency, donor and government coordination meetings including addressing project development issues in consultation with UNOPS project managers and technical experts when required. Take part in UN common planning and programming processes, including strategic country analysis, UNDAF/UNSDF, response plans, etc.
• Build a network of key partners, keeping abreast of evolving trends (social, economic, and political), including the application of innovation to project and partnership development.

Knowledge management and innovation

• Implement standards, tools, and templates provided by HQ to effectively manage partnership and project development within the team to enhance/maintain UNOPS effectiveness as a provider of project services for sustainable results.
• Contribute to the ongoing research, development, and implementation of best practices and innovative approaches to maximize performance and sustain achievements in project and partnership development.
• Help build partnership capacity and negotiation skills among project managers
• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building within project and partnership development.
• Provide regular feedback on existing systems, tools, and resources to ensure their relevance to day-to-day operations.

Impacts of results

The effective and successful achievement of results by the Partnerships Specialist impacts the performance of the Country Office by maintaining a robust and diverse pipeline of project opportunities, which leads to the sustainable growth of the UNOPS’ presence and strengthens the achievements of UNOPS management results and the fulfillment of its mandate.