Caribbean OCT and EU Engagement Specialist

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNOPS operates across 23 countries, delivering high-impact solutions that drive sustainable development. UNOPS focuses on building and improving resilient infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public facilities, sanitation systems, and housing—to enhance quality of life and foster inclusive growth. UNOPS also supports public health by procuring essential medicines and medical equipment, ensuring broader access to healthcare services. By strengthening institutional capacities, UNOPS promotes transparent, efficient, and equitable public management. As a trusted partner to governments and development stakeholders, UNOPS aligns its interventions with national priorities, helping countries advance the Sustainable Development Goals through practical, results-driven support.

The Barbados Country Office (CO) functions as a strategic hub to support Caribbean nations in implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), helping regional leaders advance a global agenda on climate justice and financing.  The primary mandate of the Barbados Country Office is to Speed Up and Scale Up engagements across 17 Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), ensuring that partner expectations are met with agility and precision. Through dedicated operational presence, UNOPS Barbados Country Office streamlines complex regional logistics and fosters stronger collaboration with sovereign governments and financial institutions in the Caribbean. The office focuses on delivering high-value solutions aligned with the region’s priorities, including the economy, nature and climate, human capital, infrastructure and capacity development.

The Strategic Positioning team within UNOPS Barbados operations is responsible for ensuring that BBCO is perceived as the partner of choice for Caribbean SIDS. Through partners engagement and visibility, it drives expansion and diversification of the BBCO portfolio by establishing high-value partnerships and enhancing UNOPS visibility across the Caribbean.

The Specialist will focus on OCTs, Dutch-speaking Caribbean and EU-specific leads. Through targeted engagements and the development of a meaningful value offer, he will ensure alignment with UNOPS’ wider strategic priorities and the specific development needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

 There might be two contract options to consider in this vacancy announcement:

• Short-term / part-time opportunities on home-based retainer contracts or similar as per current organizational need.
• Full-time open-ended (no end date) contract home-based

This is currently a retainer role, and the incumbent will perform one or more of the following functions:

Strategic Positioning & Market Intelligence

Targeted Market Analysis: Conduct rigorous assessments of the socio-economic landscapes within the Dutch-speaking Caribbean and OCTs to identify untapped entry points for UNOPS interventions.

EU Synergy Mapping: Intelligence gathering on European Union funding cycles to align UNOPS' technical capabilities with EU regional priorities.

SIDS Advocacy: Design and promote tailored service offerings that directly address the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States, focusing on climate resilience and sustainable infrastructure.

Relationship Management & Representation

High-Level Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate and manage a robust network of diplomatic, governmental, and private sector contacts within the Caribbean to solidify UNOPS as a partner of choice.

EU-Lead Cultivation: Act as the primary technical focal point for EU delegations and regional bodies, translating complex development needs into actionable project proposals.

Inter-Agency Collaboration: Promote and position the organization in regional forums to ensure that OCT-specific initiatives are synchronized with broader UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCF).

Programmatic Alignment & Value Creation

Bespoke Value Propositions: Develop high-impact briefing notes and concept papers that articulate the UNOPS value offer specifically for the challenges faced by Caribbean partners.

Strategic Pipeline Oversight: Lead the end-to-end development of new business leads, ensuring every opportunity is vetted for financial viability and alignment with UNOPS’ strategic mandates.

Resource Mobilization: Formulate innovative financing strategies, including blended finance or multi-partner trust funds, specifically geared toward the scale and scope of OCT development projects.

Required

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Public Administration, International Development, Political Science, Communications or International Relations.

• A combination of a Bachelor's degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

Required

• At least 5 years of experience in international development including demonstrated experience in: Developing and executing partnership and programme development plans; Project development and proposal writing; Acquisition of projects.

• Experience working with EU Government and/or Caribbean OCTs is required.

Desired

• Establishing partnerships with UN agencies, international development organisations, governments, foundations, international NGOs or private sector organisations.

• Prior experience working in international organisations, international development, post-disaster and/or emergency contexts would also be an advantage.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.