UNOPS is hiring a Partnerships Specialist in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on an ICA - IICA - Regular contract at IICA 2 level (ICS 10, mid level). The specialist builds key relationships, mobilizes resources and expands the office's portfolio, and applications close on 10 November 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we read the full vacancy and set out every duty, requirement and condition below.
Key Facts About the Position
💼 Position title: Partnerships Specialist
🗂️ Job category: Partnerships & Knowledge
📍 Duty station: Kinshasa
📊 Seniority level: Mid Level
🏷️ ICS level: ICS 10
📝 Contract type: ICA - IICA - Regular
🔢 Contract level: IICA 2
⏱️ Duration: Ongoing
What the Job Highlight Says
UNOPS sums up the role in one line: drive strategic growth by building key relationships, mobilizing resources and expanding the office's portfolio to achieve sustainable development results.
UNOPS in Africa: The Regional Office in Nairobi
The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. It is supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices, spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa.
The office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in:
🌱 Climate Action
🏥 Health
🏗️ Infrastructure
🕊️ Peace and Security
📈 Middle-Income Country Support
🏝️ Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support and oversight in Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing and driving continuous improvement, it contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.
The Central Africa Multi-Country Office (CAMCO)
Since 1999, the Central Africa Multi-Country Office (CAMCO), headquartered in Yaounde, Cameroon, has partnered with UN agencies, international organizations and governments in 15 Central African nations. CAMCO provides fund management, technical assistance and capacity-building across critical sectors: infrastructure, health, education, governance, procurement and environmental protection. It works with national and local authorities to secure local ownership and sustainable impact.
The diverse portfolio includes:
👥 Rural-community empowerment
🛣️ Road rehabilitation
🕊️ Peace consolidation in the DRC and CAR through Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes
📦 Wide-ranging procurement and human-resource services
Recent initiatives include drinking-water systems in Cameroon, mining-sector capacity-building, health-system support in the DRC and infrastructure development in Madagascar, funded by a broad array of international partners. Together, these projects advance regional stability, resilient infrastructure and improved livelihoods throughout Central Africa.
UNOPS in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
UNOPS has been a committed partner in the DRC since 1999, delivering fund management, technical support, capacity building and project management services. Working with the Government, UN agencies and international partners, it advances sustainable development across infrastructure, health, education, governance, procurement and environmental protection. A strong focus on local ownership ensures that projects build national capacity and empower communities.
The DRC Portfolio the Specialist Will Help Grow
🛡️ Peace and security: technical assistance to MONUSCO.
🌳 Environmental preservation: management of regional initiatives such as CAFI and FONAREDD, working closely with Indigenous communities.
🏥 Health centers in Kwango: construction funded by KOICA.
💉 National health system support: the RSS3 initiative (GAVI).
🌾 Agriculture and food security: agricultural infrastructure development through the PNDA project (World Bank).
⚖️ Governance and stabilization: support through the multi-donor Coherence Fund.
🧑💼 Humanitarian HR services for UNHCR.
Why This Role Exists
The Partnerships Specialist develops and implements partnership and programme development plans for the office. The work centres on building and maintaining effective working relationships with governments, UN agencies, donors and other stakeholders in order to:
💰 Mobilize resources
📂 Expand the office's portfolio
🏛️ Strengthen UNOPS' positioning as a reliable development and implementation partner
The specialist also ensures that partnership initiatives are aligned with UNOPS' global and regional priorities, contribute to sustainable results and support the achievement of the office's strategic objectives.
Building the Partnership and Programme Development Plan
🗺️ Develop and implement a comprehensive partnership and programme development plan aligned with the UNOPS Strategic Plan and Regional Strategies.
🔍 Analyze the country context and the regional and national development landscape, identify key partners and position UNOPS strategically within potential operational niches.
🧩 Make sure the plan fosters a pipeline of opportunities, reflects in-house capacity, promotes a diverse project portfolio and leverages internal tools and knowledge resources.
⚠️ Examine risks and opportunities related to the strategic positioning of the office(s) and recommend measures to ensure sustainable growth.
🔗 Coordinate and collaborate with Partnerships personnel at global, national and liaison levels, as well as Project Managers and project teams, so that interactions with partners stay coherent and aligned.
Finding and Developing New Partnership Opportunities
📡 Monitor and analyze humanitarian and development trends to identify areas of collaboration aligned with UNOPS' mandate and capacity.
📰 Research and track events, publications and announcements to screen opportunities and identify emerging trends that can drive new partnerships.
🏢 Advise UNOPS HQ and the Regional Office on the development of framework partnership agreements to expand opportunities at the regional level.
✍️ Contribute to the identification, design, formulation and negotiation of new projects and programmes, including drafting concept notes and project briefs for partner discussions.
💾 Manage and maintain partnership opportunities and engagement records in ERP, in line with corporate guidelines.
🧮 Coordinate technical and financial inputs and lead negotiations to finalize new project proposals.
📑 Draft the agreements and contractual documents required for the approval and implementation of new projects.
🏷️ Clearly communicate UNOPS pricing policies and value proposition to partners.
🌐 Support the diversification of the office portfolio in line with UNOPS' strategic, regional and country objectives.
📣 Collaborate with Communications and Reporting colleagues to gather content for outreach materials.
Representation and Inter-Agency Work
🤝 Establish and strengthen partnerships with UN agencies, international organizations, governments, foundations, NGOs and private-sector actors to diversify project opportunities.
📢 Lead or support advocacy, public information and communication initiatives with the Communications team, as required.
🗣️ Participate, as authorized by the line manager, in inter-agency, donor and government coordination forums, giving updates on project development issues in consultation with UNOPS project managers and technical experts.
📋 Contribute to UN common planning and programming processes, including strategic country analyses, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and response plans.
🕸️ Build and maintain a strong network of key partners, stay informed on social, economic and political trends, and leverage innovation to strengthen project and partnership development.
Knowledge Management and Innovation
🧰 Implement standards, tools and templates provided by HQ to strengthen partnership and project development within the team, enhancing UNOPS' effectiveness as a trusted provider of project services.
💡 Contribute to the research, development and application of best practices and innovative approaches that maximize performance and ensure long-term impact.
🎯 Build partnership capacity and negotiation skills among Project Managers, enabling stronger engagement with stakeholders.
📚 Facilitate knowledge sharing by disseminating lessons learned and best practices in project and partnership development, supporting organizational learning and planning.
🔄 Provide regular feedback on systems, tools and resources to strengthen their effectiveness and ensure continuous improvement.
Core Skills for the Post
🚀 Business Expansion
🤝 Partnerships
🗓️ Planning
📝 Business Proposal Development
👥 Stakeholder Engagement
The Competencies UNOPS Looks For
🔭 Long-term strategic thinking: develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally to positively shape the organisation, and anticipates the impact of future decisions on other parts of the organisation.
🫱 Respect and integrity: 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 and is a role model for diversity and inclusion.
🧑🤝🧑 Team spirit: acts as a positive role model, collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: acts as a positive leadership role model who motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed with appropriate leadership styles.
🎯 Partner and beneficiary focus: understands the impact of their own role on all partners, always puts the end beneficiary first, and builds strong external relationships as a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).
✅ Results orientation: efficiently sets an appropriate course of action to accomplish a goal, with concern for quality in all areas; sees opportunities and takes the initiative, understanding that responsible use of resources maximizes impact on beneficiaries.
🔄 Adaptability: open to change and flexible in a fast-paced environment, adapts their approach to changing circumstances, reflects on experiences, performs consistently under pressure and always pursues continuous improvement.
🧠 Sound decision-making: evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions, takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks, and applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.
💬 Communication: expresses ideas or facts clearly, concisely and openly, considers the feelings and needs of others, actively listens, proactively shares knowledge and handles conflict effectively by finding common ground.
Education and Years of Experience
One of the following combinations is required:
🎓 Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 7 years of relevant experience, OR
🏅 Master's degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 5 years of relevant experience.
What Counts as Relevant Experience
Relevant experience is work in international development, involving:
🗂️ Execution of partnership and programme development plans
✏️ Project development and proposal writing
🏛️ Establishment of partnerships with UN agencies, international development organizations, governments, foundations or private-sector organizations
➕ Related areas
Desired experience:
🌏 Working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country
🆘 Experience in development or humanitarian contexts
📊 Experience in project and programme management
Two Languages Required: English and French
🇬🇧 English: Fluent, required
🇫🇷 French: Fluent, required
Application Timing and Selection Stages
🕛 Applications must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
📬 Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to the next stage, which may include various assessments.
🚫 UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
🛑 UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process ask candidates to make payments of any kind.
🧩 If you are shortlisted and need support or reasonable accommodation to complete an assessment, inform the human resources team when you receive your invitation.
Diversity and Fair Selection
UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Its workforce includes a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations and abilities, and it strives to foster an inclusive environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
All applications are evaluated on the skills, qualifications and experience in the vacancy announcement. UNOPS is committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcomes diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
Conduct Standards and Background Checks
UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment. Background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes. Recruitment is contingent on the results of the checks.
Contract 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during the contract, and no compensation is paid for taking courses and refreshers.
📜 All UNOPS personnel perform their duties in line with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks.
🌐 All personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the UNOPS Partnerships Specialist based?
The duty station is Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The post sits within UNOPS' DRC operations, part of the Central Africa Multi-Country Office (CAMCO) under the Africa Regional Office.
What type of contract does this vacancy offer?
It is an ICA - IICA - Regular contract at IICA 2 level, with ICS level 10 and a mid-level seniority. The duration is listed as ongoing.
How many years of experience do I need?
You need 7 years of relevant experience with a bachelor's degree, or 5 years with a master's degree. The degree can be in any discipline.
Do I need to speak French?
Yes. Fluent English and fluent French are both required for this post.
What does the Partnerships Specialist mainly do?
The specialist builds the office's partnership and programme development plan, identifies and negotiates new projects, drafts concept notes and agreements, and represents UNOPS with governments, donors, UN agencies and other partners to mobilize resources and grow the portfolio.
Which partners and projects will the role work around?
The DRC portfolio includes technical assistance to MONUSCO, the CAFI and FONAREDD environmental initiatives, KOICA-funded health centers in Kwango, the RSS3 health system initiative (GAVI), the PNDA project (World Bank), the multi-donor Coherence Fund and humanitarian HR services for UNHCR.
What is the exact closing time?
Applications must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on 10 November 2026. Late applications will not be considered.
Will UNOPS ask me to pay a fee during recruitment?
No. UNOPS states that it will at no stage of the recruitment process request payments of any kind from candidates.
What happens after I apply?
Only shortlisted candidates are contacted and invited to the next stage, which may include various assessments. Final candidates go through background checks before recruitment. Find more roles like this in the Jobs section on Youth Works Hub →.
Deadline
⏳ 10 November 2026
Links
🔗 Apply: https://careers.unops.org/careersmarketplace/Login?jobId=5005
📄 Job details: https://careers.unops.org/careersmarketplace/JobDetail/Partnerships-Specialist/5005
