Deputy Director, Partnerships and Futures

The Partnerships and Futures Group (PFG) is responsible for strengthening and expanding UNOPS partnerships and building knowledge, innovation and foresight capabilities through non-programmatic missions, underpinning UNOPS ability to scale up and speed up delivery for impact - for the people we serve.

PFG works across the range of UNOPS partner segments - including UN agencies, international financial institutions and multilateral/regional development banks, donors, partner country governments, vertical funds and multilateral initiatives, south-south cooperation, and the philanthropic and private sectors - to deepen engagement, expand implementation capacity and accelerate progress toward the SDGs.

PFG collaborates closely with HQ groups and geographic offices on partner segment strategies, partner leadership, and opportunity development, ensuring that partner engagement is coherent, intelligence-driven and aligned with UNOPS strategic priorities to strengthen UNOPS positioning and visibility.

PFG leads the development of knowledge, innovation and foresight through eight thematic missions relating to the sustainable development goals, enabling UNOPS to anticipate partner needs and emerging trends and respond proactively to strengthen mission readiness. It brings mission-led intent to partnerships and opportunity development, and drives the horizontal integration of missions into policy framing, service offering refinement and service delivery. It provides expertise and business partnering support to teams across UNOPS, and technical advice to partners.

PFG has personnel based in UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen and in locations close to key partners: Beijing, Brussels, Manila, Riyadh, Tokyo, and Washington.

The Deputy Director, Partnerships and Futures Group, serves as the principal deputy to the Director, PFG, supporting the strategic leadership, management and performance of the Group while providing direct leadership of the Knowledge, Innovation and Foresight (KIF) function.

The position combines group-wide leadership responsibilities with substantive functional accountability for KIF, including the eight thematic missions, knowledge management, organizational learning, innovation and strategic foresight.

Working closely with the Director, PFG, the Head of Strategic Partnerships, headquarters groups and geographic offices, the incumbent promotes coherence between partnership strategies, mission-led priorities, organizational capabilities and service delivery.

The Deputy Director represents and acts on behalf of the Director when designated, exercising delegated authority in accordance with applicable UNOPS policies and procedures.

The Deputy Director, Partnerships and Futures provides strategic leadership and management support to the Director, PFG, while leading the Knowledge, Innovation and Foresight (KIF) function to strengthen UNOPS organizational positioning, mission readiness and capacity to respond to evolving partner needs.

As Deputy Director, the incumbent contributes to the overall strategic direction, operational effectiveness and performance of PFG, deputizing for the Director as required, coordinating cross-functional priorities and ensuring coherence and continuity across the Group.

As Head of Knowledge, Innovation and Foresight, the incumbent provides strategic direction and oversight of thematic missions, knowledge management, innovation and foresight capabilities, ensuring that emerging trends, evidence and organizational learning inform partnership development, service offerings and delivery.

Through these complementary responsibilities, the Deputy Director strengthens collaboration, drives organizational learning and innovation, and translates strategic insights into actionable priorities that support UNOPS strategic objectives and sustainable development impact.

1. Deputy Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Support the Director in defining and implementing PFG's strategic direction, priorities and multi-year plans, ensuring alignment with UNOPS corporate strategy.

• Deputize for the Director when designated, exercising delegated authority and ensuring leadership and management continuity.

• Contribute strategic advice to senior management on partnerships, knowledge, innovation, foresight and emerging organizational opportunities.

• Support oversight of PFG's performance, risks and strategic priorities, ensuring coordination and alignment across functions, and other management responsibilities as required.

• Lead designated group-wide initiatives and represent PFG in internal and external engagements on behalf of the Director.

2. Functional Leadership

• Define and lead the strategic and operational priorities for the knowledge, innovation and foresight (KIF) team, ensuring alignment with UNOPS objectives and PFG's strategic direction.

• Oversee KIF work plans, resource requirements, performance and delivery of agreed results.

• Provide strategic oversight of the eight thematic missions, ensuring coherence, technical quality, organizational relevance and impact.

• Collaborate with the Head of Strategic Partnerships and geographic offices to translate mission priorities into partnership opportunities and operational solutions.

3. Thematic Mission Leadership and Integration

• Guide mission leads in developing strategic insights, evidence and thought leadership that strengthen UNOPS positioning and mission readiness.

• Drive the integration of mission-led perspectives into organizational strategies, partnership development, service offerings and delivery.

• Promote cross-mission collaboration, knowledge exchange and integrated approaches to complex development challenges.

• Represent the thematic missions collectively in senior-level discussions and external engagements, supporting mission leads in their respective areas of expertise.

4. Knowledge Management, Innovation and Strategic Foresight

• Oversee the development and implementation of organizational knowledge management, innovation and foresight strategies, frameworks and capabilities.

• Strengthen institutional learning and knowledge sharing to support evidence-based decisions, service offering refinement and operational effectiveness.

• Champion innovation, experimentation and the development of solutions that respond to organizational and partner needs.

• Oversee horizon scanning, trend analysis and scenario planning to anticipate emerging risks, opportunities and future development priorities.

• Foster internal and external collaboration, including with UN agencies, research institutions and relevant networks, to strengthen knowledge exchange, innovation and foresight capabilities.

• Promote the adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in support of organizational objectives, ensuring appropriate oversight and compliance with applicable policy on responsible AI use, data protection and information security.

5. Strategic Partnerships and Organizational Positioning

• Support the Director in strengthening UNOPS strategic partnerships, organizational positioning and engagement with key partner segments.

• Contribute strategic insights to partnership and portfolio discussions, identifying emerging opportunities and areas for collaboration.

• Represent UNOPS in designated senior-level engagements, partnerships and external forums, advancing organizational priorities and visibility.

6. People Leadership

• Create, foster and role model a culture of trust, empowerment and accountability in the KIF team.

• Build engagement and foster a diverse and inclusive work environment, respectful of all, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed.

• 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.

• Promote teamwork, collaboration and diversity, by providing timely guidance and supervision to the team, to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.

• Plan, recruit, manage and develop a flexible and diverse workforce, with the skills and competencies needed to ensure optimum performance.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in international development, business administration, public policy, economics, political science, or a related discipline with 12 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related disciplines with 10 years of relevant experience is required.

Required

• Extensive senior leadership experience in international or similarly complex organizations, including advising senior decision-makers, leading multidisciplinary teams and driving cross-functional collaboration.

• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing multi-year strategies, overseeing complex portfolios and translating strategic priorities into measurable results through effective performance monitoring and management.

• Proven experience designing and implementing initiatives in at least two of the following areas: knowledge management and organizational learning, innovation, and strategic foresight, including integrating these capabilities into organizational operations.

• Strong experience in strategic partnership development, opportunity identification, portfolio growth and organizational positioning, including engagement with governments, multilateral institutions, donors and/or private-sector partners.

• Demonstrated experience providing strategic advice to senior leadership and governance bodies, representing organizations in high-level engagements and influencing decisions on complex strategic and operational matters.

• Experience of working in multicultural environments.

Desired

• Experience in innovation, future studies, foresight methodologies or knowledge management is desired.

• Experience in programme, portfolio or project management is desired

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts.

• Experience of working in UN system organizations.

• 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.