Senior Advisor, Partnerships, Blended Finance and Strategic Initiatives - Home-Based [Open to All applicants]

UNDP•New York, NY

7d•Remote

About The Position

The Joint SDG Fund supports countries in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through joint programmes (JPs) implemented by governments and national stakeholders, supported by the UN Country Team led by Resident Coordinators (RCs). The Fund is managed by a Secretariat hosted by the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO), with the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF-O) as the Administrative Agent. The Fund incentivizes coherent and coordinated joint UN action, anchored in UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks, to identify fiscal space and overcome hurdles to SDG acceleration. It increasingly focuses on co-creation with Member States, development finance institutions, and non-traditional partners like private sector finance institutions and philanthropies, linking policy reform, SDG localization, and catalytic financing across priority transitions. The primary objective of this position is to advise the Head of the Secretariat on strengthening the Joint SDG Fund’s partnerships, catalytic financing, and country co-creation agenda. The Senior Advisor will engage with public and private sector actors, including development finance institutions, foundations, philanthropic organizations, and private sector partners, to support resource mobilization, partnership development, and innovative/blended financing approaches. This role is advisory and catalytic, focusing on high-value engagement with the development finance ecosystem and non-traditional partners, advancing early-stage programme design, pipeline development, and blended finance innovation, and informing the Secretariat’s strategic positioning. It does not lead Member State donor relations, formal resource mobilization with contributing governments, or intergovernmental engagement.

Requirements

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Political Science, International Relations, Business Management, Economics, Social Sciences, Management Science, or a related field is required.
A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields combined with an additional two years of qualifying professional experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of an advanced university degree.
A minimum of 10 years (with a Master’s degree), or 12 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic partnerships, external stakeholder engagement, and relationship management.
This experience must include substantive engagement with development finance institutions, banking and financial institutions, foundations, private sector actors, and/or international development organizations.
Proven ability to identify potential sources of funding, develop aligned proposals, and to secure major new sources of funding for large projects.
Extensive experience designing, managing, and advancing strategic partnerships in support of sustainable development outcomes, with a strong focus on blended finance, catalytic capital, and UN pooled financing mechanisms, including joint programmes and inter-agency initiatives.
Demonstrated experience providing strategic advice to senior leadership and governing bodies, supporting informed decision-making on partnership models, financing structures, and programmatic priorities in system-wide or multi-entity contexts.
Proven ability to lead partnership and programme co-creation, shape strategic engagement processes, and facilitate effective collaboration across public, private, philanthropic, and actors.
Strong analytical, drafting, and strategic communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex financial, technical, and institutional information into clear, authoritative messages for senior leadership and external partners.
Excellent interpersonal, coordination, and negotiation skills, with demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with donors, investors, implementing partners, and UN entities, and to operate effectively in multicultural and multi-institutional environments.
Demonstrated experience with the UN development system or similar multi-lateral organizations, including familiarity with Fund Secretariats, pooled financing instruments, joint programming modalities, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms supporting integrated and scalable development impact.
Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of another UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) is desirable.
At least 5 years of hands-on experience in blended finance and catalytic financing, including direct engagement with private sector entities, multilateral institutions, pooled funding mechanisms, and/or the UN development system.
Demonstrated experience in resource mobilization and partnership across institutional sectoral, and geographic contexts.
Professional experience within the UN system or comparable international organizations, with a strong understanding of agency mandates, joint programming, and global pooled funding arrangements.
Experience in team leadership, including overseeing partnership portfolios, managing operational processes, or guiding matrixed teams.
Professional experience in systems innovation and change management within the international development context with a demonstrated ability to support institutional adaptation and new financing models.
Strong expertise in partnership development and blended finance instruments in complex, multi-stakeholder and inter-agency environments.
Prior professional experience in the UN system or comparable multilateral organizations, with a proven ability to navigate complex governance structures, coordinate high-level events, and apply an in-depth understanding of agency mandates and pooled funds.
Experience working with government counterparts in development coordination roles (including Ministries of Finance and Central Banks), contributing to enhanced coherence, alignment, and effective finance programme implementation in support of sustainable development priorities.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and strategic advancement of strategic partnerships with non‑Member State stakeholders, including development finance institutions, foundations, philanthropic organizations, and private sector partners, aligned with the Joint SDG Fund’s mandate and priorities, and focused on identifying and shaping high‑value, opportunity‑driven collaboration and financing pathways.
Serve as a senior advisor to the Head of the Secretariat on the development of partnerships expansion, authoring and coordinating strategic proposals, high-level correspondence and partnership agreements to secure new funding.
Drive resource mobilization efforts through partner mapping, concept and proposal development, preparation of pitch materials, and tailored engagement strategies.
Identify and advance opportunities to align partner interests with Joint SDG Fund country pipelines, thematic portfolios, and catalytic financing instruments.
Support engagement with both traditional and non-traditional partners, including sub-national actors and private-sector-adjacent institutions, as appropriate.
Contribute to knowledge management and performance tracking by monitoring contributions, and results while actively staying abreast of global financing trends to adapt best practices for the fund.
Lead, guide, and mentor team members, fostering teamwork, professional development, and clear communication within the Fund and across organizational boundaries.
Participate in international, regional, and national meetings and engage with representatives of partner institutions on behalf of the team, as required.
Map and analyze partnership opportunities with existing and prospective development finance institutions, collaborating with the Head of the Secretariat to develop strategic pitches, key messages, and engagement approaches.
In close collaboration with the Fund’s programme team, provide strategic advice, guidance, and support on the design, implementation, and positioning of existing and new joint programmes within local, regional, and global partnership frameworks.
Lead and coordinate blended finance engagement with development finance institutions and other financial actors, providing strategic input to updates and reporting on the Fund’s catalytic financing efforts.
Collaborate with the Fund’s communications team, to strengthen the visibility, coherence, and impact of partnership-related communications, announcements, and external engagement.
Support the Joint SDG Fund Secretariat’s engagement with the Strategic Advisory Group to engage non-Member States and other strategic partners while providing relevant technical documents on partnerships.
Co-lead and co-coordinate the Joint SDG Fund’s participation in key fora, including global conferences and meetings, including the co-organization of relevant side events and coordination of the Secretariat’s engagement calendar.
Prepare and deliver briefings and partnership-focused updates for Fund governance bodies and engagements with strategic partners.
Provide strategic advice and guidance on blended finance innovation, driving improvements across the programme cycle, policies, templates, and operational procedures.
Facilitate collaborative co-creation processes with external partners and UN Country Teams, including programme design sprints, early-stage concept development, and partner engagement.
Foster cross-functional coherence by liaising closely with internal teams (communications, programme, policy, results) and coordinating with key UN entities (including UN Global Compact Network, DCO and the MPTF Office) and partners to align partnership efforts with programmatic pipeline delivery.
Contribute to the development and strengthening of programmatic partnerships at country, regional, and global levels to scale, impact, and financing of joint programmes, including the activation of local ecosystems and strengthened linkages with regional and global initiatives.
Co-lead advocacy and narrative development to position the Joint SDG Fund as a platform for SDG-aligned investment, enhancing visibility around catalytic results, partnership value-add, and localization outcomes.
Support the preparation of briefs, presentations, and background materials for senior leadership engagements with partners and external stakeholders.
Capture, document, and disseminate lessons learned from partnership and co-creation processes, contributing to internal learning and external knowledge products.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Secretariat.