Partnerships Officer, P-2, FT, #23383, Sudan (Outposted to Nairobi, Kenya)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Future

How can you make a difference?

The conflict in Sudan is severely putting at risk the health and well-being of Sudan’s million children, therewith the future of the country and heavily affecting the wider region. 16 million children in Sudan require urgent humanitarian assistance.

UNICEF is staying and delivering for the children of Sudan, through a three-pronged humanitarian, development, and peace nexus strategy: (a) provide and maintain critical and lifesaving services in hotspot areas, (b) provide urgent assistance to newly displaced and host communities in non-hotspot areas, (c) preserve resilience through ensuring basic service delivery across states.

UNICEF is calling on all its partners to redouble efforts and stand in solidarity with the children of Sudan, protect their rights, and their future.

UNICEF Sudan implements a significant and growing portfolio from development partners including IFIs, focusing on building resilient systems for children in Sudan.

Under the supervision of the Public Partnership Specialist (Development Portfolio), your role as Partnership Officer is to enhance UNICEF Sudan capacities to efficiently, effectively, and accountably protect and expand UNICEF Sudan’s partnership and resource base with development partners (including IFIs, BMZ/KfW and other development partners). You will engage teams across UNICEF Sudan Sections, WB PMU, and multiple field offices. You may also serve as internal focal point on specific donor portfolios. The key result is to ensure sustained and expanded support for UNICEF Sudan resilience and development programming.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. Contribute to the implementation of the work plan for assigned area, to ensure timely and cost effective delivery of results, in accordance with UNICEF’s partnership strategy.
2. Build and maintain UNICEF’s partnerships, by supporting the development and implementation of standards and guidance for UNICEF partnerships; formulation of work plans and strategies.
3. Support the development of frameworks and templates and review partner agreements and amendments for senior staff approval, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations.
4. Maintain up-to-date information on partner and income trends, analyse development assistance policies and keep resource partner profiles updated.
5. Help supervisor maintain effective relationships with member states, UN agencies, NGOs, host government and other partners, in order to keep them informed on important, strategic operational UNICEF issues.
6. Attend meetings with the UN and other multilateral bodies, NGOs, member states, taking notes, sharing information, and supporting joint information programmes to increase UNICEF’s profile, and protect its interests.
7. Contribute to ideas for opportunities to develop new and existing synergies with other UN agencies to senior external partnership officers in order to support a more effective and efficient approach to programme delivery.
8. Assist with the preparation of information to provide to member states, UN agencies, NGOs, host government and other partners on the strategy, design, relevance and impact of programmes, to advocate the work of UNICEF.
9. Collate and share relevant discussion and feedback on programme activities and issues of priority to UNICEF, gathered from member states, UN agencies, NGOs, host government and other partners, to engage them with inter-governmental/inter-agency discussion and inform future activities.
10. Gather inputs from UNICEF that will contribute to inter-governmental/inter-agency work, to ensure that UNICEF positions are properly explained and taken into account in decision-making.
11. Maintain awareness of current activities, political and social events of UN and other multilateral bodies/governments, conduct analysis to understand how they may impact UNICEF activities and programmes and provide timely information to UNICEF staff for decision-making.
12. Conduct research on perspective new partners for UNICEF, and provide analysis of the areas of work, outreach, financial based and reputation of prospective partners.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:   Partnerships Officer Level 2.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in International Studies, International Business Relations, Political Science, Communications, International Development and any other related fields.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in programme management, programme funding, public affairs, resource mobilization, external relations, or other relevant areas.
• Skills: Current knowledge of development issues, strategies, as well as programming policies and procedures in international development cooperation. Strong communications skills, verbal and written. Strong networking and negotiation skills. Strong familiarity with political and governmental processes. Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious working relationships, both within and outside the organisation. Advanced knowledge of partnership development and resource mobilization. Ability to conduct sound policy analysis. Ability to contribute to formulation of strategies and policies.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of Arabic is an asset. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language.
• Grant Management, Multi-task, Capacity Building, Donor Reporting is considered as desirable.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

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

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates from donor countries 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.

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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.