Partnerships Specialist

Background Information - Job-specific

Background Information – Job specific

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO), established in January 2023, supports, develops, and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises eight business units: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

The Partnerships and Outreach Unit at UNOPS EAPMCO:

The Partnerships and Outreach Unit supports all external relations of EAPMCO, including fundraising, stakeholder engagement, donor and client liaison, business document preparation, funding acquisition, and outreach. It works closely with the Director of EAPMCO and Country Managers to formulate and implement business development strategies, positioning UNOPS as a partner of choice across the 24 countries under EAPMCO’s remit.

The EAPMCO Partnerships and Outreach Unit has the following functions:

Stakeholder management and liaison: Establishing and maintaining donor and client relationships, facilitating high-level meetings, providing intelligence and follow-up support to country managers, preparing briefs and capacity statements, and coordinating with HQ and the Asia Regional Office.

Project development and fundraising: Scanning and assessing opportunities, developing concept notes, project briefs, proposals, and tender submissions, and supporting negotiations and agreement drafting.

Best practices: Ensuring the consistent application of UNOPS standards in project design, including the use of PRINCE2 methodology and corporate templates.

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Partnerships, the Partnerships Specialist will serve as Deputy to the Head of Partnerships, providing operational leadership, backstopping Country Managers, and UNOPS country operations on business development, and managing the day-to-day pipeline development across EAPMCO’s geographic scope.

The Partnerships Specialist will support the Head of Partnerships, and the broader partnerships unit, in advancing EAPMCO’s business development objectives year-on-year. Key functional areas include:

Partnership and programme development planning

Portfolio growth and pipeline development

Stakeholder management and partner engagement

Knowledge management and innovation

Partnership and programme development planning

Support the Head of Partnerships in the drafting, implementation, and continuous refinement of the EAPMCO partnership and business development strategy, ensuring clear linkages to UNOPS corporate priorities and the Asia Regional Office strategic objectives.

Coordinate joint planning with country managers so that national business development strategies and EAPMCO’s regional backstopping approach are adequate and tailored to specific country needs

Conduct systematic donor mapping and country needs analyses across EAPMCO’s 24 countries, translating political, humanitarian, and development trends into actionable business development insights.

Horizon scanning and monitoring of global, regional, and national funding landscapes to anticipate shifts in donor priorities and advise on implications for EAPMCO’s pipeline.

Contribute to internal strategic reviews, ensuring that country business plans are consistent, targeted, and feasible, and that resources are aligned to maximize opportunities.

Provide recommendations to senior management on risk/opportunity balance when entering new markets or sectors.

Portfolio growth and pipeline development

Manage the day-to-day tracking, prioritization, and follow-up of new opportunities, ensuring that engagements move swiftly from identification to closure.

Draft and coordinate preparation of concept notes, pitches, EOIs, tender submissions, and full proposals, working closely with technical specialists, project managers, and country teams.

Ensure backstopping support to Country Managers by preparing country-specific donor intelligence packs, coordinating proposal drafting on their behalf when capacity is stretched, and troubleshooting challenges in negotiations or internal clearances.

Provide quality assurance screening for submissions, ensuring adherence to UNOPS formats, pricing policies, and value proposition.

Maintain an up-to-date opportunity pipeline dashboard, flagging high-priority opportunities for senior management attention and escalating where strategic decision-making is required.

Liaise with HQ reviewers, HQ Partnerships Group, and the Asia Regional Office to align proposals with corporate priorities and obtain timely clearances.

Stakeholder management and partner engagement

Maintain a structured network of donor and client contacts across governments, multilaterals, IFIs, bilateral donors, and foundations relevant to the region.

Regularly update and share partner intelligence (donor priorities, pipelines, political context) to strengthen EAPMCO’s engagement approach.

Represent the Partnerships and Outreach Unit in working-level meetings, donor briefings, and internal UN coordination platforms when delegated, ensuring professional representation of UNOPS.

Support the Head of Partnerships and the Director by preparing briefing notes, talking points, and background analyses ahead of high-level external engagements.

Facilitate follow-up with donors and clients after meetings or negotiations to ensure momentum is maintained and next steps are acted upon.

Work with Country Managers to harmonize engagement across the region, avoiding duplication and ensuring that UNOPS presents a coherent, unified front to external partners.

Knowledge management and innovation

Apply UNOPS corporate standards, templates, and systems for business development to ensure a consistent and professional approach across all proposals and partner interactions.

Document lessons learned from business development efforts (e.g., successful bids, lost opportunities, negotiation challenges) and feed these into internal guidance for continuous improvement.

Maintain and regularly update the pipeline database, ensuring all opportunities are captured, categorized, and tracked against strategic priorities.

Lead internal knowledge-sharing sessions with Country Managers and partnership focal points to strengthen skills in proposal writing, negotiation, and donor engagement.

Contribute to global and regional knowledge products, providing field-level perspectives from EAPMCO that can enrich corporate business development practices.

Promote innovation in partnership approaches for example, exploring new financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, or blended finance opportunities and advise on their applicability to EAPMCO’s portfolio.
Impact of Results

The Partnerships Specialist will help maintain a steady flow of new opportunities, supporting the sustainable growth of UNOPS in the region. By backing up Country Managers and ensuring proposals and partner engagement are handled to a high standard, the role strengthens UNOPS’ reputation and contributes to achieving its mandate. Competencies
Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above) Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground. Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education:

Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in partnerships, business development, fundraising, and/or donor relations within international development is required.

Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing partnership or business development strategies is an asset.

Experience in drafting concept notes, proposals, and/or tenders for institutional donors is an asset.

Experience in building and maintaining partnerships with UN agencies, international organizations, governments, foundations, or private sector partners is a strong asset.

Experience in project design and acquisition is required.

Programme or project management experience is an asset.

Prior experience in international organizations or in post-conflict, humanitarian, or emergency settings is an advantage.

Familiarity with major donors and financing institutions, and mechanisms is highly desirable.
Language Requirements:

Full working knowledge of English is essential.

Knowledge of a regional language of Asia and the Pacific is considered an asset.

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

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.

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.