Strategic Partnerships Specialist in Bonn

The Strategic Partnerships Specialist supports the implementation of UNDP’s New Strategic Partnerships Strategy, including work plans, monitoring, resource mobilization, communications, and knowledge management. The role involves cross-functional collaboration to advance partnership opportunities and engagements to strengthen relationship building and resource mobilization.

Responsibilities

• Provide substantive contributions to the design and implementation of partner engagement strategies and action plans, including definition of priorities, objectives, and KPIs across the assigned portfolio.
• Synthesize and analyze intelligence, including qualitative and quantitative data, to identify and assess trends, political and socio-economic contexts, in support of ongoing and new partnership opportunities.
• Manage regular, proactive engagement with partners within the portfolio, providing analytical inputs and strategic advice to senior management and internal and external counterparts.
• Facilitate partner positioning by collaborating closely with the Communications Group and the Strategy, Projections, Analysis and Corporate Engagement (SPACE) team in BERA and other relevant units to shape outreach and visibility materials that reinforce UNDP’s mandate and value proposition.
• Facilitate the implementation of structured partner engagements, including preparation and follow-up of Annual Consultations and other high-level dialogues.
• Formulate analytical inputs on partners priorities, funding trends, and financing modalities to advise on strategic targeting and maximize resource mobilization opportunities.
• Monitor and evaluate core and non-core resource mobilization trends, including the systematic monitoring and reporting of programme or project initiatives/opportunities in UNITY (Quantum +) to facilitate informed decision-making, reporting briefs/updates and general portfolio oversight.
• Catalyze the diversification efforts of non-DAC partners in line with the Funding Windows Resource Mobilization strategy including preparations of new financing agreements.
• Serve as the BERA focal point to coordinate and manage knowledge, analytical tools, and technical guidance in support of government development financing (GDF) strategies and implementation.
• Identify and coordinate the development and implementation of communications, advocacy and visibility initiatives/products in close coordination with the Communication Group, other teams in the Partnership Group and relevant Bureaux, ensuring strategic positioning and visibility of partners’ interests/priorities, contributions and results.
• Operationalize MOU and partnership framework processes, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and partner expectations.
• Provide technical inputs to funding analyses, partnership risk assessments, and the appraisal of emerging opportunities.
• Facilitate internal coordination across BERA teams, Regional Bureaux, and thematic units within Central Bureaux, including support to crisis response and time-sensitive partner engagements.
• Promote and execute integrated ways of working within a distributed organizational model to ensure seamless delivery across global locations.
• Design and deliver partnership and resource mobilization capacity building materials and training with respect to specific portfolio of partners.
• Enhance UNDP’s partner knowledge repository through enhancements of relevant databases, resource mobilization toolkits, and other relevant tools for outreach for partner engagement.
• Codify and disseminate lessons learned from partner engagements to foster continuous improvement across teams and units.
• Provide strategic support for high-level corporate events and initiatives as required.
• Perform other duties within the incumbent’s functional profile as assigned by the direct supervisor, to support the efficient functioning of the office and the Organization.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, International Affairs, Political Science, Public Policy or any related field is required, or a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of master´s degree.
• Minimum 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with Bachelor’s degree) or relevant work experience in partnerships development, resource mobilization, development cooperation including South-South and Triangular cooperation or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the development and management of strategic partnerships, including engagement with government counterparts, donors, or development partners and resource mobilization initiatives is required.
• Proven experience supporting and coordinating engagement with partners, advisory meetings, or complex multi-stakeholder initiatives/meetings, including preparation of substantive background documentation is required.
• Experience working with or supporting initiatives with programme countries, emerging economies, G77 partners preferably from the Latin America region is desirable.
• Experience working directly with Government development financing (GDF) at country office or regional level is desired.
• Experience in providing strategic support for high-level corporate events and initiatives is desired.
• Experience in knowledge management, including documenting good practices, lessons learned, and partnership case examples is desirable.
• Fluency in English is required;
• Working knowledge of another UN language (Spanish or French) is desired.

Skills

• Partnership Development
• Resource Mobilization
• Development Cooperation
• Strategic Partnerships Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Government Relations
• Donor Engagement Strategies
• Development Partner Coordination
• Background Documentation Preparation
• South-South Cooperation
• Trilateral Cooperation
• Knowledge Management
• Strategic Support for Events
• Corporate Event Planning
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Monitoring and Reporting
• Communications
• Partnership Case Documentation

Languages

English, Spanish, French