Under the overall supervision of the Country Manager, the Partnerships Advisor shall be responsible for performing, amongst other, the following duties:

Partnership and programme development planning

• Develop a comprehensive partnership and programme development plan in line with UNOPS Strategic Plan and Regional Strategies. This includes country context, analysis of the regional and national development and humanitarian landscape, identification of main partners, strategic positioning of UNOPS in the potential operational niches identified, as well as grow a pipeline opportunities for all countries in scope of AUMCO/UNOPS Uzbekistan. Ensure plan reflects in-house capacity, typology of projects and the internal tools and knowledge resources.
• Work with the Country Manager and Senior Programme Manager to build a partnership strategy for UNOPS Uzbekistan
• Advise on UNOPS Uzbekistan’s strategy and positioning in the country.
• Examine risks and opportunities presented by the strategic positioning of the Uzbekistan office and propose appropriate responses to ensure sustainable growth.
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant Partnerships personnel at local, liaison and HQ level, as well as Project Managers and project personnel of the country offices covered by the office, to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners.

Develop opportunities

• Monitor and evaluate humanitarian and development trends and needs to identify areas of collaboration within UNOPS mandate and existing capacity.
• Research events, publications and announcements, to track and screen opportunities for possible UNOPS interventions and identify trends that will drive partnership opportunities.
• Provide advice and feedback to UNOPS HQ and Regional Office on the development of framework partnership agreements that can increase opportunities at the regional level.
• Contribute to the identification, design, formulation and negotiation of new projects and programs and draft concept notes and project document briefs for discussion with partners.
• Create and maintain oneUNOPS opportunities and engagement functionalities in alignment with UNOPS corporate guidelines.
• Coordinate technical and financial requirements, and negotiate proposals to close new project opportunities.
• Drafts agreements and/or contractual documents required for the signature and implementation of new projects.
• Understand and clearly explain UNOPS pricing policy to partners.
• Contribute to the diversification of UNOPS Uzbekistan in line with UNOPS strategic and Regional objectives.
• In coordination with the Communications and Reporting personnel, when available, gather content for communications and outreach materials for any countries managed within the scope of the UNOPS office.

Liaison

• Undertake advocacy, public information and communication activities in collaboration with the Communications Officer, when required.
• Build a network of key partners, keeping abreast of evolving trends (social, economic, and political), including the application of innovation to project and partnership development.
• Liaise with partners, counterpart government ministries and departments on matters of protocol, policies and procedures, and advise management accordingly.
• Coordinate with all country projects on matters relating to support from country ministries, including obtaining and renewing MOUs, visas, importation of project assets, etc. and advise relevant programmes on effective communication with the relevant ministry as may be required.
• Provide to the Country Manager and AUMCO Management political updates/analysis of developments in Tashkent and the country as a whole as well as other information when necessary.
• Advise the Protocol Section on matters relating to key communications with counterpart ministries.
• In consultation with the Country Manager, ensure that government ministries are informed of UNOPS activities.
• Establish relations with relevant Ministries, departments and other government entities to build relations and manage information flows.
• Establish relations with central, regional and municipal authorities with particular focus on areas where UNOPS has operations.
• Actively liaise with other UN agencies, diplomatic communities and other relevant organizations in Uzbekistan, to gather information on their practices/communication and to further provide strategic advice to the UNOPS Uzbekistan’s senior management

Knowledge management and innovation

• Implement standards, tools and templates provided by HQ to effectively manage partnership and project development within the team to enhance/maintain UNOPS effectiveness as a provider of project services for sustainable results.
• Contribute to the ongoing research, development and implementation of best practice and innovative approaches to maximise performance and sustain achievements in project and partnership development.
• Help build partnerships capacity and negotiation skills among project managers
• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building within project and partnership development.
• Provide regular feedback on existing systems, tools and resources to ensure its relevance to day-to-day operations.
• Undertake special projects as may be required.

Education:

• A Master’s degree preferably in Business Administration, Public Administration, International Development, Engineering, Political Science, Communications or International Relations.
• A combination of Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in administration, project management, finance, government or related social sciences is required.
• At least 3 years of demonstrated experience in public relations/liaison and information analysis is required.
• Knowledge of UN rules and regulations will be an asset.
• Prior work experience with the Government of Uzbekistan is an advantage.
  Strong interpersonal skill is desirable.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).

• Full working knowledge of English is essential.
• Working knowledge of the Russian language and/or Uzbek is mandatory.

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: LICA-11 (ICS-11)
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

• 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.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• 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.