Public Partnership Specialist (P-3)

UNICEF

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Contract type

• Fixed Term Appointment

Locations

Latin America and Caribbean Region

• Panama

Functional Area

External Relations

• Partnerships

Position level

Public Partnership Specialist (P-3), FT, #00117051, Regional Services Div, Prog Section, Panama City – Panama, LACR

Apply now Job no: 596384

Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment

Duty Station: Panama City

Location: Panama

Categories: Partnerships

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

The Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office (LACRO), headquartered in Panama City, Panama, provides strategic leadership, technical guidance, and oversight to 24 Country Offices across the region, supporting efforts to advance child rights and equity through evidence-based policies, integrated programming, partnerships, and regional cooperation. The region faces a rapidly evolving and complex policy environment shaped by persistent inequalities, climate change, demographic shifts, political and economic volatility, technological transformation, and ongoing migration and displacement. In this context, UNICEF LACRO seeks to strengthen its engagement with governments, international financial institutions, regional development organizations, foundations, and other strategic partners to advance child-centered policies and mobilize support for children.

How can you make a difference?

The Partnerships Specialist is a seasoned professional in the field of external relations, in particular partnership development and resource mobilization. The quality of work and external communications performed by the specialist directly impacts on the overall reputation of UNICEF. S/He follows established procedures but is expected to make recommendations on strategies for engagement and communications products. The Partnership Specialist is accountable for quality, substantive input and ability to project a competent and trusted image of UNICEF to partners.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

• Implement the work plan for assigned area, in order to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of results, in accordance with UNICEF’s partnership strategy.
• Seeks and promotes new partnerships and resource mobilization, working with UNICEF colleagues to identify partnership and resource mobilization needs and broker resource mobilization agreements to meet those needs.
• Receives and screens inquiries from potential collaborators and facilitates communication with appropriate UNICEF staff. Scans and scouts external environment within designated partnership area for opportunities and risks and shares information in a timely fashion with relevant UNICEF staff.
• Provides strategic, logistical and programmatic support to senior management and other UNICEF staff in corporate engagement and interaction with assigned partners.
• Develops and maintains deep knowledge and familiarity with current and prospective partners and relevant stakeholders, contributing to a database of key contacts and to UNICEF’s base of knowledge on partnership and resource mobilization.
• Expands UNICEF’s network of key interlocutors to build stronger relationships between UNICEF and governments, other key-decision makers, regional development institutions, foundations, civil society organizations, international financial institutions and/or other relevant constituencies.
• Develops and implements annual partnership engagement and resource mobilization plans.
• Acts as a focal point for identification and pursuit of opportunities for outreach, engagement, policy influence and collaboration, including on how to anticipate and respond to partners’ concerns and priorities, ensure that UNICEF’s interests, perspectives, and knowledge are taken into account in relevant policy and institutional processes, and ensure that they are fully aware of UNICEF’s perspectives, policies, priorities and capabilities. Contribute to the development and management of initiatives for high-level outreach, including for UNICEF’s Senior Management.
• Contributes to the development of new partnership and resource mobilization practices and approaches by formulating recommendations for action based on on-going monitoring, analyzing current trends within designated partners and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development.
• Contributes to strategies for engagement and the development of communications products to enhance UNICEF’s visibility and influence with existing and prospective partners and key stakeholders by providing analysis of the current environment and trends and formulating recommendations for strategy approaches and message development. Works closely with UNICEF’s colleagues to ensure that policy advocacy and outreach is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of the programmes that UNICEF’s supports. Contributes written inputs for communications instruments that best inform and influence decision makers.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the supervisor to ensure the success of the team, including guiding, training, and coaching short-term staff, including interns and consultants, as needed.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD_Partnership Specialist_P3.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have… Minimum requirements:

• Education: Completed advanced university degree in international relations, political science, communications, international development, public policy or another relevant technical field is required. A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work

Experience

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: partnerships, public affairs, programme management, resource mobilization, external relations, or other relevant areas.
• Skills: Strong diplomatic communication and negotiation skills to establish and maintain trusted partnerships, achieve organizational objectives, and build effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders are required.
• Current knowledge of development issues, strategies, and programming policies and procedures in international development cooperation is required.
• In-depth knowledge of partnership development and resource mobilization is required.
• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative approaches to resource management and outreach-related activities is required.
• Proven ability to identify new opportunities and requirements, address challenges, and recommend effective solutions and improvements is required.
• Excellent communications skills, verbal and written are required.
• In-depth familiarity with political and governmental processes is required.
• Ability to conduct sound policy analysis is required.
• Language

Requirements

• Proficiency in Spanish and English is required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) is desirable.

• Experience working with international financial institutions is highly desirable.

• Experience engaging with foundations and philanthropic organizations is desirable.

• Experience collaborating with regional development institutions is considered an advantage.

• Corporate engagement and private-sector partnership experience is an asset.

• Experience in government relations and engagement with public sector stakeholders is desirable.

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts 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 i