Partnerships Development Specialist

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

UNOPS Development and Special Initiatives team works with UN partners and Member States. This portfolio offers support for various initiatives and priorities of the UN Secretary-General in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, it helps the UN Secretariat in implementing global programs in areas such as political affairs, climate, counterterrorism and peacebuilding, among others.

UNOPS has an agreement with the Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) to implement the Partnership Facility activities. The Partnership Facility supports strategic collaboration between the United Nations and peace finance ecosystem including International Financial Institutions (IFIs), innovative financing actors, private sector and peace tech partners in crisis-affected settings through dedicated capacities, shared analysis and stronger alignment of planning, financing and programming.

The Central African Republic (CAR) is implementing the Plan National de Developpement (PND 2024-2028) and the PBF-EU-IFI Strategic Results Framework (SRF 2025-2028). The SRF provides a common reference for conflict-sensitive programming, joint monitoring and alignment among the Government, United Nations, IFIs and the European Union.

The project establishes dedicated liaison capacity in the Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) through 31 December 2027 to strengthen operational alignment, joint planning, pipeline development and strategic collaboration among the United Nations, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the IMF, the European Union and Government counterparts. The function is intended to deepen strategic and programmatic collaboration, with particular attention to the World Bank Country Partnership Framework and PRA eligibility process, joint programming and prevention financing in the context of the AfDB 2026-2031 Country Strategy Paper, continued strategic engagement with the European Union, the growing partnership with the IMF, and knowledge generation and evidence-informed decision-making.

The incumbent of the position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

The assignment will provide strategic partnership, financing and analytical support to translate the SRF into implementable, evidence-informed collaboration with IFIs, European Union and Government counterparts in support of nationally owned peacebuilding priorities. The role will place greater emphasis on upstream partnership development, joint investment design, prevention financing, partner-specific strategic processes and knowledge products, while supporting the continuity of SRF implementation and coordination mechanisms.

The incumbent will work under the UNOPS Senior Programme Manager supervision and within the RCO and PBPSO coordination arrangements established for the project, in close collaboration with the UN Country Team, PBF Secretariat and relevant external partners.

A. Strategic partnerships and partner-specific engagement

• Support substantive engagement around the World Bank Country Partnership Framework and contribute analysis and coordination inputs relevant to the PRA eligibility process and prevention priorities.
• Deepen collaboration with AfDB on joint programming, prevention financing, catalytic approaches and collaborative analytical work, identifying concrete entry points for aligned or co-financed initiatives.
• Support the growing partnership with the IMF by preparing analytical inputs, mapping areas of complementarity with peacebuilding priorities, and facilitating relevant technical exchanges.
• Engage Government and partner teams to test interest in specific opportunities and establish the steps needed to advance them.

B. Joint programming, investment pipelines and financing solutions

• Map and prioritize investable opportunities emerging from the SRF and PND, including opportunities where PBF resources can catalyze, sequence or complement larger IFI or EU financing.
• Coordinate or substantively contribute to concept notes, investment briefs, terms of reference, joint proposals and programming matrices for aligned or co-financed initiatives.
• Analyze financing options, sequencing, targeting and implementation dependencies and provide recommendations to support conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive investment design.
• Facilitate technical exchanges needed to move priority concepts from identification toward partner review, approval or financing decisions.

C. Evidence, results and knowledge for partnership decisions

• Develop and maintain decision-oriented mapping of UN, PBF, IFI, EU and relevant Government investments linked to SRF priorities, including pipeline status and potential complementarities.
• Produce concise analytical and strategic products, including alignment briefs, financing notes, risk and opportunity analyses, pipeline overviews and inputs to joint assessments.
• Support conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive analysis, including attention to populations at risk, women and young people, as relevant to joint programming and investment decisions.
• Document lessons, good practices and recommendations on UN-IFI-EU collaboration and prevention financing and support their dissemination through appropriate country and global knowledge channels.

D. SRF implementation, coordination and follow-up

• Facilitate technical and programmatic coordination among the United Nations, IFIs, European Union and Government where this adds value to SRF implementation and partnership decisions.
• Support preparation and follow-up for SRF governance mechanisms, including concise materials, action tracking and partner inputs, in collaboration with the PBF Secretariat.
• Support collection and synthesis of partner information needed to track SRF indicators and connect reported results with active or planned programmes.

Required

An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent), preferably in international relations, development studies, economics, public policy, political science, finance, public administration or another relevant social science, with five (5) years of relevant experience is required;

Desired

A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) preferably in international relations, development studies, economics, public policy, political science, finance, public administration or another relevant social science, with seven (7) years of relevant experience is desired.

Required:

Relevant experience is considered progressively responsible experience in international development, peacebuilding, development finance, programme management or humanitarian affairs.

Desired:

• Experience developing partnerships or programmes with international financial institutions, development banks, bilateral/multilateral partners or comparable financing institutions.
• Experience preparing strategic analysis, investment or programme concepts, financing proposals, partnership briefs or similar decision-oriented products.
• Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder processes involving government, United Nations entities and financing or development partners.
• Knowledge of results-based management, national development planning and UN cooperation frameworks.
• Experience in fragile or conflict-affected settings, including CAR or comparable contexts.
• Knowledge of prevention and peacebuilding financing, including catalytic or blended approaches.

• 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.
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• 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.