Job Highlight
Lead the UNOPS Partnerships and Futures Group at the forefront of global development, shaping strategic partnerships, driving knowledge, innovation and foresight, and positioning the organization to scale impact across diverse partner ecosystems. As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will influence high-level decision-making, build transformative alliances, and ensure UNOPS remains agile, relevant, and future-ready in delivering results for people and communities worldwide.
About the Group
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.
Role Purpose
The Director, PFG provides leadership and strategic direction of the group, working collaboratively with key internal and external stakeholders to strengthen capabilities that support implementation of UNOPS 4-year strategic plan to scale up and speed up delivery for impact for the partners and people UNOPS serves.
The Director, PFG reports directly to the Executive Director (ED), and supports the two Deputy Executive Directors (DEDs), respectively, Management and Policy (M&P), and Delivery and Partnerships (D&P).
The Director, PFG is accountable for:
- Driving growth in the volume and value of UNOPS portfolio of engagements and ensuring the portfolio is strategically aligned, diverse and balanced.
- Strengthening UNOPS positioning, ensuring that it is demand-ready for partner needs across mission thematic areas.
- Driving increases in partner satisfaction with the quality and delivery of UNOPS services.
- Ensuring PFG is adding value to the overall strategic direction of UNOPS.
Functions / Key Results Expected
1. Organizational Leadership and Strategic Direction
- Serve as a senior organizational leader contributing to UNOPS corporate strategy, advising the Executive Director and senior management on emerging global trends, risks and opportunities in partnerships, knowledge, innovation and foresight.
- Translate UNOPS organizational mandate into a strategic vision and multi-year plan for partnerships, knowledge, innovation and foresight that leverages innovation, strengthens organizational coherence and enhances UNOPS global positioning.
- Envision and advocate for the role of partnerships, knowledge, innovation and foresight as core drivers of sustainable development and operational excellence within and beyond UNOPS.
- Ensure alignment between PFG priorities and organizational goals, while championing initiatives that strengthen leadership capacity, institutional resilience, and long-term impact.
2. Functional Stewardship
- Lead the development, implementation and continuous evolution of the strategies and approaches that define how UNOPS develops partnerships and integrates knowledge, innovation and foresight across the organization.
- Ensure the quality and effectiveness of partnerships, knowledge, innovation and foresight across UNOPS, building capabilities and sharing accountability for results with regional and country offices and headquarters groups.
- Promote devolved, empowered decision-making models that place accountability and authority closest to the point of delivery while ensuring coherence and organizational learning.
- Guide regional and country teams on strategic negotiations, programme design and high-impact engagements with partners, ensuring alignment with UNOPS priorities and global standards.
- Provide authoritative advice to the Executive Director, the Deputy Executive Directors, Regional Directors, governing bodies and external partners on complex and politically sensitive matters.
3. Strategic Partnerships
- Oversee the development of partner segment strategies for growth, framed by missions, and driven by partner needs and trends.
- Ensure segment portfolios are mission aligned and balanced, drawing on knowledge, innovation and foresight, and market intelligence.
- Serve as a member of the Strategic Portfolio Committee (SPC), providing strategic recommendations on portfolio composition, and the Portfolio Oversight Committee (POC), ensuring high-stakes engagements are managed at the appropriate level and in a way that protects the organization while maximizing UNOPS impact.
- Oversee the generation and dissemination of segment and partner insights among UNOPS leadership team and partner-facing personnel.
- Oversee the strengthening of quality standards for partnership development among partner-facing personnel across UNOPS.
4. Key Partner Leadership
- Oversee the development and delivery of key partner strategies to strengthen relationships, engagement and positioning, and ensure mission-led intent is embedded.
- Oversee Key Partner Leads (KPLs) in PFG and the functional coordination of KPLs across UNOPS geographic offices.
- Support the ED, DEDs and UNOPS leadership team in representing UNOPS and engaging with Member States, donors, international financial institutions, host governments and implementing partners to advance UNOPS strategic interests and expand opportunities for collaboration and partnership development.
- Represent UNOPS at the highest levels in inter-agency bodies, executive boards, governing bodies and major international forums.
- Strengthen collaboration across the UN system, ensuring UNOPS contributes to collective results and sector-wide standards.
- Oversee the development of global-level capabilities to support opportunity development, and guide efforts to identify and develop opportunities with key partners in collaboration with regions and countries.
5. Knowledge, Innovation and Foresight
- Guide the development and advancement of missions, driving the creation of evidence and strategic insights, ensuring UNOPS credibility, visibility and positioning are strengthened across each mission and bringing mission-led perspectives to senior discussions.
- Oversee the integration of knowledge, innovation and foresight through missions into policy and practice, working across Management & Policy and Delivery & Partnerships to align policy framing, service offering development and service delivery.
- Promote a culture of experimentation and learning that anticipates future needs and positions UNOPS to respond to global shifts.
- Oversee the establishment and continuous improvement of knowledge management, innovation and foresight frameworks, tools and capacity development approaches - enabling personnel to access the right information at the right time and the organization to learn systematically, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of global best practice and technological innovation.
6. People Leadership, Culture and Organizational Capacity
- As a member of UNOPS global leadership team, role-model UNOPS values and behavioral competencies.
- Drive leadership development and talent pipelines, ensuring the cultivation of the next generation of partnerships, knowledge, innovation and foresight leaders.
- Promote teamwork and collaboration across PFG, ensuring team members have clear direction, objectives and guidance to enable them perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.
- Foster a positive work environment that is respectful of all. Ensure appropriate focus on team well-being, empowerment, diversity and inclusion and that the highest standards of conduct are observed.
- Champion organizational learning, continuous improvement, and a high-performance culture.
Skills
Business Relationship Management, Growth Strategies, Key Account Development, Knowledge Management, Market Intelligence, Strategic Partnerships, Partner Development, Strategic Thinking
Competencies
Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organisation. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organisation.
Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organisational 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 Requirements
Required
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in international development, business administration, public policy, economics, political science, or 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
Experience Requirements
Required
- Relevant experience includes strategic leadership, partnership development, and organizational positioning within large, complex UN system organizations.
- Experience in development and/or humanitarian contexts is required.
- Strong experience in portfolio growth, opportunity development, and/or market/partner intelligence is required.
- Proven experience leading multi-year strategy development and implementation, including performance monitoring and results-based management, is required.
- Demonstrated experience in building and managing high-level partnerships with governments, multilateral institutions, donors, and/or private-sector actors, is required.
- Experience advising senior leadership and governance bodies (e.g. executive committees, boards, etc) on strategic, political and operational matters is required.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams and driving alignment across diverse organizational units is required.
Desired
- Experience in innovation, future studies, foresight methodologies or knowledge management is desired.
- Experience in programme, portfolio or project management is desired
Language Requirements
LanguageProficiency LevelRequirementEnglishFluentRequiredFrenchFluentDesirableSpanishFluentDesirableArabicFluentDesirableChinese, MandarinFluentDesirableRussianFluentDesirable
Additional Information
- 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.
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.
- For more details about the contract types, please click 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.
