Donor Relations Officer
Support donor relations and grant management for UNICEF Bangladesh.
Overview
Support donor relations and grant management for UNICEF Bangladesh.
You have:
- At least 3 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in external relations, fundraising, grant management or other relevant programmes; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset.
- Advanced ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and concisely orally as well as in writing
- Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills
- Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing
- Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development
- Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel
- Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment
- Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines
- Have affinity with or interest in child rights, development and volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System
Contract
This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a "first call for children" and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment of the sustainable human development goals adopted by the world community and the realization of the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. UNICEF Bangladesh has scaled up its programming considerably in response to the 2018 Rohingya crisis and more recently the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, with commensurate increases in funding needs. The capacity of the office to raise and manage these additional funds, as well as ensure adequate funding for the existing and upcoming new country programme, has been strengthened by the setting up of a Partnerships Unit reporting to the Deputy Representative. This team has contributed to diversifying significantly the overall public and private donor portfolio, successfully increasing annual revenue from an average of approximately $60m per year over the course of the last CPD until 2017 to over $150m in recent years. The need for ongoing technical support and sustained attention to contribution management will be extended well into future years. Continued and timely donor reporting will be critical to maintaining both the humanitarian response as well as delivering the large-scale ongoing development programme. Working as a key member of the resource mobilization and partnerships team, this role is based in Dhaka and will collaborate closely with the programme sections and the Cox’s Bazar team; and ensure funding needs are supported, whilst safeguarding overall quality in fundraising activities, systems and processes. Continued resource mobilization and timely donor support is critical to enable UNICEF to deliver at scale. For this reason, donor proposals, reports and other programmatic documents must be delivered at a high standard, in line with organizational standards and benchmarks, and aligned with donor expectations. The incumbent will be instrumental in ensuring quality donor reporting and grant management, in close coordination with the programme teams, the donor relations specialist, and the wider Partnerships Unit. Failure to deliver on our donor agreements, especially donor quality reporting, donor coordination and contract management will put the totality of the Country Programme and the humanitarian and development interventions at risk of being under-funded. This in turn will impair the ability of UNICEF Bangladesh to delivery results for children. The results affect ultimately credibility, reputation and success of UNICEF.
Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Chief Partnerships or their designated mandated representative(s) and working closely with the Partnerships Unit, the Communications Team and Programme Sections,
The UN Volunteer Donor Relations Officer will: • Update and maintain information on all donor and programme reporting requirements and templates. Provide section chiefs and field offices with regular updates on these requirements and follow-up as required to ensure the timely inputs, clearance and submissions of proposals and reports to donors. • Work with relevant sections and field offices in the preparation of high quality concept notes, funding proposals and donor reports by standardizing formats, contents and ensuring adherence to donor requirements. Provide quality assurance of proposals and reports. This includes gathering of information, consolidation, editing, layout and branding of all required proposals and reports which include ad hoc proposals, donor interim and final reports and specific thematic reports. Ensure donor reporting and proposal SOPs are followed. Ensure the templates, donor conditions and final version of concept notes and reports are properly saved in the donor sharepoint folder and easily accessible to programme colleagues. • In close collaboration with the External Communications section, ensure that the necessary visibility requirements are communicated to the sections and collected timely for reporting and other such purposes. Ensure inclusion of human interest material in donor proposals and reports. • Support sections on the submission of grant extensions and programme change requests to donors. Ensure the revised plans and related information is saved on the grant Sharepoint folder. • In close collaboration with the Budget Unit, monitor funds utilization, grant expiry, etc, and ensure programmes are implementing in alignment with donor conditions. • Conduct research and maintain up-to-date information on donors for UNICEF Bangladesh’s advocacy and resource mobilization information and use. Update and prepare briefing notes and presentations for the donor meetings and field visits as required. • Coordinate donor engagements - meetings and technical calls - under the direction of the Partnerships Unit. • Support the development of internal and external briefing documents. • Provide training and technical assistance, as required, to staff and partners to improve the overall quality and consistency concept notes, proposals and reports. • Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor to ensure the success of the team, including support with other types of reports.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:- • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Core Values • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability • Sustainability
Core Competencies • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness • Works Collaboratively with others • Builds and Maintains Partnerships • Innovates and Embraces Change • Thinks and Acts Strategically • Drives to achieve impactful results • Manages ambiguity and complexity
Functional Competencies • Analyzing • Persuading and influencing • Entrepreneurial Thinking
• At least 3 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in external relations, fundraising, grant management or other relevant programmes; experience working in the UN or other international development organization is an asset; • Advanced ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and concisely orally as well as in writing • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Have affinity with or interest in child rights, development and volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.
Dhaka is located in central Bangladesh along the Buriganga River. Not only is it the capital city, but it is also the largest in the country. It is the centre of political, cultural, and economic life in Bangladesh. The official language is Bengali, while English is the working language of UN Agencies. In recent decades, Dhaka has seen the modernization of services, communications, and public works. The city is attracting large foreign investments and greater volumes of commerce and trade. It is also experiencing an increasing influx of people from across the nation; this has reportedly made Dhaka one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Good English-speaking medical, dental services, and educational centres are available for internationals. Dhaka is connected to other cities by rail, road, and by air and internationals can move easily from one city to another.Dhaka has venerable green spaces, including many gardens and parks, historical places, and nice restaurants. The weather is tropical - hot and very humid during the summer monsoon season (April-September) and drier and cooler in the winter (October-March). You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe your experience with external relations and fundraising initiatives? | This question helps assess your relevant experience in building partnerships and securing funding. | Discuss specific examples of successful fundraising campaigns or partnerships you have managed. |
| How do you ensure the quality of donor reports and proposals? | The interviewer wants to understand your approach to maintaining high standards in documentation and reporting. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Describe a challenging situation you faced in a multicultural team. How did you handle it? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What strategies have you implemented to monitor and evaluate fund utilization? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you prioritize multiple projects with tight deadlines? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What methods do you use to engage and coordinate with donors? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Can you provide an example of how you influenced a decision or outcome in your previous roles? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you stay updated on trends and changes in donor expectations? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |