Partnerships Officer – Liaison

The United Nations Office for Project Services is recruiting a Partnerships Officer – Liaison to support the United Nations Mine Action Service programme in Nigeria.

The position is based in Abuja and may involve occasional travel to Northeast Nigeria.

Contract Information

Job category: Partnerships

Seniority level: Associate

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement – Specialist

Contract level: LICA-8

Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organisational requirements, satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Role Purpose

The Partnerships Officer will serve as a technical focal point for routine coordination between UNMAS and Nigerian government counterparts in Abuja and relevant field locations.

The position will provide technical advice, maintain communication channels and facilitate information exchange supporting Nigeria’s mine-action obligations.

The role will also support the integration of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education into national systems, including the school curriculum and broader humanitarian and protection programmes.

Key Responsibilities

Government Liaison and Coordination

• Serve as a focal point for information sharing between UNMAS and federal and state government institutions.

• Maintain regular communication with the Federal Ministry of Education, State Universal Basic Education Boards, Ministry of Defence and other relevant government bodies.

• Engage the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and other gender and protection-focused institutions.

• Support coordination with national authorities, UN agencies and international and national partners.

• Monitor the inclusion of mine-action concerns in relevant sectors and follow up on agreed actions.

Education and Risk-Education Mainstreaming

• Support the integration of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education into Nigeria’s national education systems.

• Coordinate technical meetings with education authorities.

• Share curriculum materials, technical guidance and programme information with relevant institutions.

• Ensure that risk-education approaches address the different needs of girls, boys, out-of-school children, internally displaced children and children with disabilities.

• Promote gender-sensitive, inclusive and protection-responsive approaches.

Stakeholder and Contact Management

• Maintain updated lists of project contacts, government focal points and other stakeholders.

• Regularly review and update stakeholder information.

• Support effective communication and continuity with national counterparts.

• Track stakeholder commitments and agreed next steps.

Technical Assistance

• Provide technical information, suggestions and programme data to government counterparts.

• Support national institutions in preparing reports required under relevant international mine-action conventions and treaties.

• Contribute to the preparation of standards and standard operating procedures.

• Ensure technical inputs are consistent with International Mine Action Standards.

• Provide relevant information supporting government decision-making and national reporting.

Workflow and Action Tracking

• Maintain a registry of tasks, decisions and agreed follow-up actions.

• Monitor the completion of activities agreed with government focal points.

• Identify delays, risks and issues affecting liaison and coordination.

• Escalate significant concerns to the appropriate supervisor.

• Support continuity and efficient workflow management.

Meetings, Workshops and Events

• Coordinate the scheduling and logistics of formal meetings, workshops and technical working groups.

• Support meetings involving UNOPS or UNMAS leadership, government officials and programme stakeholders.

• Prepare meeting agendas, briefing notes, presentation materials and background documents.

• Record and distribute meeting minutes and action points.

• Ensure that meeting and workshop arrangements are inclusive, accessible and safe.

Correspondence and Reporting

• Draft official correspondence for government and programme stakeholders.

• Prepare routine programme updates and briefing notes.

• Support documentation of government engagements and partnership results.

• Ensure that communications are clear, accurate and professionally presented.

Knowledge Management

• Organise and maintain documents connected to government liaison and partnership activities.

• Support the collection and sharing of relevant programme knowledge.

• Document challenges, lessons learned and recommended improvements.

• Contribute to risk monitoring and programme-coordination systems.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with at least two years of relevant professional experience.

• A master’s degree or equivalent is desirable.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum of two years of progressive professional experience in liaison, public administration, programme-management support, stakeholder engagement or coordination.

• Experience working in Nigeria with relevant government stakeholders is highly desirable.

• Experience working with the Ministry of Education or State Universal Basic Education Boards is an advantage.

• Experience coordinating with national authorities, UN agencies and international or national organisations is desirable.

• Experience applying gender-sensitive, inclusive or protection-responsive approaches is desirable.

• Experience in education, child protection or community-facing programmes is an advantage.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong partnership and stakeholder-management skills.

• Ability to provide technical assistance and communicate technical information clearly.

• Good meeting-facilitation and coordination skills.

• Strong planning, organisation and documentation abilities.

• Ability to work respectfully with people from different backgrounds.

• Ability to analyse information and make practical recommendations.

• Ability to adapt to changing operational requirements.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

• Knowledge of languages spoken in Abuja or Northeast Nigeria is desirable.

Important Notice

UNOPS does not request payment from candidates at any stage of recruitment. Only applications submitted through the official application system before the deadline will be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.