UNICEF : Partnerships Manager – Geneva
JOB DETAIL
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built – we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career, while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, a future
How can you make a difference?
The Public Partnerships Division (PPD) strengthens UNICEF’s role as a key partner for children’s rights by engaging with governments and public institutions globally, focusing on policy advocacy and resource mobilization. The division positions children’s rights in multilateral forums and fosters holistic partnerships with countries. The Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding (GHTF) is one of UNICEF’s most flexible funding mechanisms, enabling rapid responses to humanitarian crises. The position of Partnership Manager focuses on expanding GHTF by engaging key governmental and institutional donors, securing multi-year commitments, and ensuring GHTF remains a leading and impactful funding tool for addressing crises.
The position is laser-focused on driving the growth and influence of the GHTF, UNICEF’s flagship mechanism for flexible humanitarian financing. The Partnership Manager will spearhead efforts to deepen engagement with key governmental and institutional donors, acting as the lead strategist in securing new, multi-year commitments for GHTF. With a matric management with donor desks, this includes conducting targeted outreach, forging high-value alliances, and ensuring that GHTF remains at the forefront of donors’ minds as the most impactful, flexible, and scalable funding vehicle for addressing humanitarian crises.
Key responsibilities for the role include:
Initial Donor Mapping and Partnership Offering (First Three Months):
- Conduct a comprehensive donor mapping strategy for GHTF, analyzing trends and profiling relationships with existing donors, especially in Europe.
- Develop tailored strategies to strengthen ties with key European donors and identify new potential donors.
- Create a premium partnership package for major donors (e.g., Netherlands, Germany, Sweden), offering exclusive access to UNICEF leadership and insights.
Donor Engagement and Expansion (Post Initial Three Months):
- Drive targeted outreach to secure new contributions from identified donors and convert them into long-term partners.
- Develop country-specific strategies to diversify UNICEF’s GHTF donor base in Europe, leveraging opportunities like EU presidencies and regional conferences.
- Innovate new partnerships and resource mobilization strategies to accelerate GHTF growth.
- Collaborate with internal teams to create impactful communication strategies and advocacy materials to enhance GHTF’s visibility.
- Monitor and align strategies with the evolving priorities of European donors, ensuring ongoing relevance.
- Strengthen UNICEF’s relationship with governments and key interlocutors in Geneva, coordinating with senior leadership to maintain strategic alliances and participate in high-level donor briefings.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Job Description
To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…
- Minimum requirements
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- Education: An advanced university degree is required in one of the following fields: international relations, political science, communications, international development, or another relevant technical field.
- Work Experience: A minimum of eight years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: public affairs, programme management, resource mobilization, external relations, or other relevant area.
- Skills: Resource planning and mobilization, Goal implementation, Diplomatic communication and negotiation, Authoritative knowledge of development issues, Partnerships development, In-depth familiarity with political and governmental processes, Ability to conduct sound policy analysis.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.
- Desirables: UN knowledge, Emergency experience, proficiency in French language, development country experience, knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
For every child, you demonstrate ․․․
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are ․․․
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drives to achieve impactful results
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, all eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
Level of Education: Bachelor Degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: No requirements
