PARTNERSHIPS AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION CONSULTANT
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Job Description
In line with the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa’s strategy, the consultant will lead the design of targeted approaches and actions to advance strategic collaboration between UNESCO and key partners including bilateral and multilateral government financing organizations, vertical funds, international and regional financing institutions, private sector and foundations/philanthropic institutions. This will be done with the close collaboration and input from relevant staff working in the UNESCO Regional (Harare) and Country Offices (Maputo and Windhoek).
In doing so, the consultant is expected to consider the emerging trends in development and funding which call for diverse and innovative new approaches, noting the trend towards financing over funding and the significant projected overall reduction in development funding by the traditional donors. to partnership and financing. S/he will also consider the key internal/external platforms and frameworks which situate the Organization’s actions in the Southern Africa region.
Duties and Responsibilities
TASKS
Lead the development of a common understanding and approach between UNESCO’s technical staff, the director of the Regional Office, and Heads of Country Offices in Maputo and Windhoek with funding partners to enable a more profound and strategic engagement with UNESCO;
Contribute to the identification, development, and implementation of new strategic partnership development and management tools, including those related to providing increased visibility for partner contributions.
Contribute to the development of UNESCO’s Regional Strategy for Southern Africa (2026-2030) which takes into consideration the Resource Mobilization Plans of the National Offices. and work with all three offices to develop initial resource mobilization targets for the next two biennium (2026-2027 and 2028-29) and the bridge-year 2030 to the next strategy;
Identify and support initial dialogue with government, global vertical and private sector funding partners with interest in investing in the Southern Africa region covered by the ROSA Office (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).
Lead content development and coordination to enable UNESCO to entre high-level bilateral consultations with identified government and private sector actors for the development of a regional intersectoral comprehensive flagship on digital transformation, taking into account the work already done or being done in parallel by the Country Office in Namibia
Interface closely with the Regional Office’s ADM Unit to identify training requirements for staff to develop accurate budget preparation for identified opportunities;
Establish relationships with potential financing partners (bilateral government entities, global verticals, private sector, foundations, and philanthropic funders) interested in investing in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Engage UNESCO’s senior technical staff, the Regional Office Director, and Heads of Country Offices in Maputo and Windhoek in the process for them to promote, mobilize, and deepen cooperation, and ensuring sustained/increased engagement for increasing resource mobilization.
TASKS (continued)
Support and strengthen one or two key donor partners’ integration of UNESCO’s technical areas in their policies and programmes. Identify opportunities for UNESCO’s technical and substantive input to donors’ development and related policies and strategies at the country and regional levels.
Monitor regional trends and their implications at the regional and country levels in development cooperation and aid, as well as partner development policies, budgets, systems, andprocedures. Analyze and synthesize findings/information to develop project concept notes and proposals, take appropriate action, and/or advise the UNESCO Regional Office Director, Heads of Country Offices, and programme units at the Regional Office as needed.
Prepare comprehensive and substantive briefs, reports, statistics, revenue projections, etc., for UNESCO’s Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP) or as requested by the Director.
Contribute to the development of UNESCO’s Regional Strategy (2026-30) which takes into consideration the Resource Mobilization Plans of the National Offices and develop a strategy with clear year-wise resource mobilization targets for Public and Private Sector Partnerships and Resource Mobilization (2026-30). This includes activities aimed at increasing flexible and predictable earmarked resource mobilization, ensuring guidance to key UNESCO staff on effective stewardship of partnerships with the identified donors.
Contribute to the identification, development, and implementation of new strategic partnership development and management tools, including those related to providing increased visibility for partner contributions. Interface closely with the Regional Office’s ADM Unit to ensure accurate budget preparation for identified opportunities and help resolve any pending financial issues on current or past projects funded by the same donor.
Drive content development and coordination for high-level bilateral consultations with identified government and private sector donors in line with UNESCO and partner priorities, with a specific focus on digital transformation and for which ensure close collaboration with the Director, Division for Planning and Programming in BSP.
OUTPUTS
Successfully integrated UNESCO’s technical areas into donor policies and programmes, enhancing the alignment of donor strategies with UNESCO’s objectives
Facilitated, and supported the development of a regional digital transformation for programme proposal covering both Country Offices in Maputo and Windhoek, and seven countries within the remit of the Regional Office and aligning with UNESCO’s strategic priorities on digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence and taking into account completed/ongoing work on the same topic by the Country Office in Namibia. This will ideally involve co-design workshops with key public and private funding organizations for the country-level modules with result matrices including workplan and M&E plan, and budget proposal;
Integrated partnership and resource mobilization as a key component of the Regional Office Strategy for 2026-30.
Developed a tailored Resource Mobilization Strategy for the UNESCO Regional Office in coordination with the Country Offices in Maputo and Windhoek, BSP, and Programme Units.
Led the preparation and coordination for the director and senior staff missions to donor offices for consultations, including substantive briefs and presentations, targeted communication materials, and provided follow-up as needed.
Liaised as required with officials in bilateral and multilateral government financing organizations, vertical funds, international and regional financing institutions, private sector and foundations/philanthropic institutions, to identify areas of common interest where the development of comprehensive proposals should be undertaken.
Supported the preparation of technical-level discussions with government and private sector donor counterparts and relevant UNESCO colleagues as required.
Proposed innovative means of ensuring partner recognition and visibility within UNESCO initiatives under the Regional Office Strategy for 2026-30.
Qualifications and Experience
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS
Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, business management, public administration, international relations, or a relevant field providing a strong foundation for the role.
Experience in one or more of UNESCO’s key mandate areas – including demonstrated evidence of prior success in resource mobilization; experience in mobilizing resources within the area of digital transformation is highly desirable.
A minimum of five years of experience in resource mobilization, business development, and/or planning in the United Nations or intergovernmental organizations, with good familiarity of UN rules and norms concerning resource mobilization.
Experience in writing, editing, and developing compelling content for public and private sector partners, especially in results-based programme design, technical and financial proposal writing.
Demonstrated success in building partnerships and mobilizing resources, contributing to the growth and sustainability of an international organization and/or UNESCO programmes.
Skilled in analysing and presenting information to partners, ensuring clear communication of the organization’s impact and needs.
LANGUAGE
Fluent in English, with strong communication skills to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders and programmatic result-based documents.
Proficiency in additional UNESCO languages, enhancing the ability to engage with a broader range of partners is desirable.
How to Apply
