Stretch Assignment - Partnership Officer/Specialist, P2/P3, 26 weeks, maternity leave coverage (expected: 29 Sep 2026–30 Mar 2027)

The European Partnership Office will specifically work on resource mobilization with DG ECHO in the MENA, ECAR and ESAR regions and on portfolio development covering Turkey and Ukraine.  Under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Advisor – EU Partnerships,  the Partnership Officer/Specialist manages and contributes to the total programme commitment and management of ECHO fund. The Partnership Officer/Specialist is responsible for the coordination, monitoring and quality review of all applications during project proposal preparation and oversight on management and reporting and adherence to the legal requirements of the EU and UNICEF. The Partnership Officer/Specialist will provide technical assistance to all UNICEF COs, ROs, Programme Group, EMOPs regarding their project activities, implementation of projects, requests for amendments, review of progress and final reporting in support of the achievement of programme/ project goals and objectives. The Partnership Officer/Specialist is responsible for communication with the respective EU desk officers, EU field staff and the Country/Regional Offices during the planning, implementation and reporting phases of the projects.

The Partnership Officer/Specialist will play a central strategic role in securing and managing UNICEF’s engagement with DG ECHO, with a particular focus on high-quality application development, positioning UNICEF competitively within the Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) process, and maximizing funding opportunities across MENA, ECAR and ESAR.

Reporting to the Senior Advisor, the incumbent will:

• Lead the end-to-end coordination and quality assurance of ECHO funding applications, ensuring they are strategically aligned with ECHO priorities and highly competitive.
• Act as a key interface with ECHO desk officers, shaping proposals based on evolving donor priorities and feedback loops.
• Drive proactive positioning of UNICEF’s portfolio (including Turkey and Ukraine) to capture both initial and additional/top-up funding opportunities.

During Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) application period

• Review HIP documents including the technical annex and provide all the relevant COs with an outline of the application process, key priorities, financial information in order for them to draft their applications for funding.
• Track all applications (using online tracker) and provide support to the COs during the application period – including sharing with them all the offline templates they are required to fill, information on various policies etc.
• Review all applications, ensure compliance/alignment with the HIP priorities/objectives/targets, verify that all parts of the application template are completed and in line with the guidance/policies, review budget and check for inconsistencies. 
• Provide feedback to the CO for corrections to be made.  Verify that the corrections are aligned with what is required.
• Complete the application packages for each individual application (30 or more) and ensure that the full application packages are uploaded to the ECHO Platform (only contribution team can do this action) before the application deadline.
• Liaise with the relevant ECHO Desk on questions in regard to new submissions or modifications
• Keep track of ECHO and our PPR internal deadlines, amount requested by the COs and sectors, as well as approval/rejections from ECHO.
• Send relevant templates/information/guidance to COs once they receive feedback from ECHO on their proposal.

• Monitor the status of the application and follow up with the CO and the ECHO desk in Brussels if the application is retained to ensure that the CO provides all the additional information requested and makes the relevant adjustments to the application.
• If requested by ECHO to turn the current application into a modification of an existing grant – provide the CO with the relevant templates and ensure that the new actions/budgets are added to the existing project.
• Upon final approval by ECHO - process legal agreements/amendments and ensure that they are compliant with UNICEF policies and legal frameworks.

• Enter grant creation and amendment requests into Service Gateway.

• Add opportunities into UNISON.

Modification request on existing grants (Additional Financing):

• Throughout the year, ECHO will release on average 5 amendments to each HIP with the addition of new available funding (Top Ups).  Following the review, provide information to the COs on opportunities to apply for additional financing or new financing.
• Provide the CO with the relevant offline templates and support them through the application period with full adherence to deadlines (as per regular application procedures)  

• Submit the package to the ECHO platform and ensure that the deadline is adhered to.

• Communicate directly with the ECHO desk during the process to respond to questions that the CO may have and/or to receive additional information.

Implementation of DG ECHO funded grants (current portfolio):

• Ensure regular contact with COs Partnership focal points to identify any issues that occur during implementation and propose solutions.
• Contribute to the exchange of information between relevant EU desks, EU Field offices and COs during the project cycle.

• Update the office’s internal pipeline and monitoring tables to support strategic planning, data review, and the identification of necessary follow-up actions.
• Support CO with guidance during grant financial closure and ensure that non eligible expenditure is reversed in coordination/consultation with DFAM.
• Monitor and provide support to all grants that have been transferred to the COEs and work with the relevant COE on reporting and visibility compliance
• Ensure that all COs/COEs prepare and submit interim and final reports in accordance with the schedule and ECHO/INTPA requirements.
• Ensure that the COs/COEs implement all legal requirements regarding visibility.

Processing of UN Joint Programmes

• Support COs through all the stages of the development and processing of joint UN proposals, including advising on the best contractual modality.
• Draft and/or review for clearance UNJP Memorandum of Understanding and Addendum, according to what is included in ECHO contract.
• Coordinate and escalate any issue with management and relevant UNICEF internal department (GSSC for the UNJP grant creation, DFAM for the funding allocation and pre-financing).

• Review interim and final reports and process amendment requests to ensure quality standards are met and ECHO-specific requirements (rules and regulations, logframe, etc.) are followed.

Capacity Building of COs:

• Support the strengthening of the capacity of ROs/COs to work with ECHO through the provision of training (ahead of the HIP application season)

Knowledge Management of Programmes:

• Maintain regular dialogue with ECHO Geographical Desks in order to strengthen partnership, identify future areas of collaboration, and address bottlenecks in project implementation.
• Share UNICEF data with ECHO counterparts: Situation Reports from the field, press releases.

The incumbent will report to the Senior Advisor – EU Partnerships who will provide overall direction and guidance. The incumbent will work with other members of the PPR Brussels EU Partnership team and provide backup as needed.

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) is required. In exceptional cases, completion of secondary education may be accepted in lieu of a university degree for candidates with substantial relevant experience.
• 3 years of work experience in related areas such as project development, financing and/or budgeting, and information processing.
• Previous experience of working on ECHO projects (application development and reporting)
• Fluency in English is required.

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. 

1. An existing Fixed-Term, Permanent or Continuing appointment within UNICEF that runs through the duration of the assignment.
2. An agreement from your supervisor to go on a stretch assignment for the full duration. The agreement of your supervisor is a pre-requisite for any stretch assignment.

Discuss the assignment with your supervisor and head of office and, upon receipt of your supervisor’s agreement, please send an email with the subject “Partnership Officer/Specialist - PPR Brussels” with the below documents to Ms. Lilian Mabonga (lmabonga@unicef.org ) by 19 June 2026

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• your last two PERs
• a signed approval letter or email confirmation from your supervisor to release you if selected.

• Candidates may be contacted for an informal interview and supervisors may also be contacted for references.
• Once the selection process has been completed, the receiving and releasing office will communicate to reach an agreement on the proposed start date for the recommended candidate.

The staff member will continue to receive her/his salary from the releasing office during their assignment. PPR will cover the standard costs for the stretch assignment (economy class ticket and applicable DSA rate).

This role is not purely technical but requires strong strategic judgment, donor insight, and hands-on experience in crafting successful ECHO proposals

Advertised: 11 Jun 2026 Romance Daylight Time
Applications close: 19 Jun 2026 Romance Daylight Time

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