Head of Secretariat - RIISE

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNOPS operates across 23 countries, delivering high-impact solutions that drive sustainable development. UNOPS focuses on building and improving resilient infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public facilities, sanitation systems, and housing—to enhance quality of life and foster inclusive growth. UNOPS also supports public health by procuring essential medicines and medical equipment, ensuring broader access to healthcare services. By strengthening institutional capacities, UNOPS promotes transparent, efficient, and equitable public management. As a trusted partner to governments and development stakeholders, UNOPS aligns its interventions with national priorities, helping countries advance the Sustainable Development Goals through practical, results-driven support.

The Barbados Country Office (CO) functions as a strategic hub to support Caribbean nations in implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), helping regional leaders advance a global agenda on climate justice and financing. The primary mandate of the Barbados Country Office is to Speed Up and Scale Up engagements across 17 Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), ensuring that partner expectations are met with agility and precision. Through dedicated operational presence, UNOPS Barbados Country Office streamlines complex regional logistics and fosters stronger collaboration with sovereign governments and financial institutions in the Caribbean. The office focuses on delivering high-value solutions aligned with the region’s priorities, including the economy, nature and climate, human capital, infrastructure and capacity development.

The Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) Facility is established as a regional mechanism designed to support governments in implementing climate-resilient infrastructure. The Facility provides demand-driven technical assistance, strengthens institutional capacity, and facilitates knowledge and skills exchange across countries in the region.

The Facility is envisioned as a five-year initiative, initially serving countries in the Eastern Caribbean eligible for Official Development Assistance, namely Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Through a growing number of short-term and medium-term technical assistance assignments and surge deployments, the Facility is expected to strengthen the capacity of ministries, project implementation units, and utilities responsible for delivering climate-resilient infrastructure in these countries.

The Facility will be implemented through a United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Hosted Entity Partnership, which will provide the institutional platform required for the Facility’s establishment and early operations.

The Head of the Secretariat will oversee the successful implementation of Phase 1 of the Facility defined as “Facility Set-Up and Strategic Positioning,” and is limited to the first two years of the overall five-year horizon.

Through its successful engagement and alliance building, the head of the Secretariat will seek to integrate additional development partners and participating countries, strengthening the Facility’s Caribbean footprint, and transitioning toward a sustainable, regionally owned mechanism supported by diversified financing and regional leadership.

The Project will begin implementation in Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) - countries with a combined population of approximately 460,000 people - where early demand for implementation support has been identified.

As the Facility demonstrates its value and operational model is refined, there is potential for additional Caribbean countries to join, subject to demand and available financing.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND POSITIONING

• Design and advance relevant strategies, frameworks and operational guidelines for the successful achievement of RIISE’s objectives, outcomes and overall mandate.
• Achieve strategic positioning of RIISE through meaningful engagement with relevant regional stakeholders, including the Regional Steering Committee, the Technical Advisory Panel and participating Caribbean countries, among others.
• Champion RIISE external visibility and communications initiatives, ensuring all stakeholders are aware of RIISE activities and proactively support its objectives.
• Meaningfully engage and outreach to countries to ensure continuous alignment with country needs and promote RIISE to relevant stakeholders and decisions makers

OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

• Oversee the implementation of the Secretariat’s work plans, and associated objectives. Define standards, manage performance, and ensure the achievement of planned results in line with the objectives established by the Regional Steering Committee.
• Manage resources, operational systems, governance processes, and performance delivery. Ensure alignment with RSC objectives and UNOPS requirements.

TECHNICAL ADVISORY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

• Anticipate implementation challenges and emerging needs across participating countries.
• Analyze policy implications and recommend strategic responses.
• In close coordination with the Technical Advisory Panel and relevant experts, ensure the appropriate technical and subject-matter expertise is incorporated in all secretariat activities.
• Ensure technical excellence, quality standards, and incorporation of expert advice throughout Facility operations.

PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

• Lead and motivate the team of the Secretariat.
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established.
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately and timely.
• Select, recruit and train the team as required and take into account gender parity and diversity objectives.
• Ensure safety and security for all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards.
• Create, foster and role model a culture of respect and zero tolerance for discrimination, abuse of authority, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Ensure accountability for actions and perform duties in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans, as expected by UNOPS policies, standards and commitments.

Required

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) preferably in Public Administration, International Relations, Business Administration or other relevant fields is required OR
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in the above-mentioned fields or other relevant field with two (2) additional years of relevant experience.

Required

• At least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in programme/project management in senior position within international or regional institutions is required.
• Proven relevant experience in converting strategies into actionable programme plans in a multi-stakeholders environment is required.
• Experience in identifying, strengthening, and leveraging relationships with high level stakeholders to support the effective implementation of large scale programmes is required.
• Experience of working with Caribbean institutions across the region.
• Experience in people management or supervisory experience is required.

Desired

• Demonstrated track record of coalition building and coordination of partnerships and initiatives, preferably in climate, environmental or sustainable development.
• Experience in intergovernmental processes, including with bi-lateral cooperation, multilateral development banks, IFIs and/or the UN, with a track record of working in multilateral negotiations.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
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• 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.