South East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)
The South East Asia an...
South East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)
The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.
In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.
The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.
UNOPS in the Philippines
Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants management to push forward the justice reform agenda of the Philippine government through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. In the Support to the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, UNOPS is working with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government strengthening capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition, also with funds from the EU. In the health sector, UNOPS works with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the construction of health facilities in Eastern Samar, and with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).
UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law, and governance sectors.
Project Background Information – SUBATRA
The Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) (The Action) aims to contribute to the smooth and timely undertaking of the transitional government process through the strengthening of the capabilities and capacities of the 3 branches of the Bangsamoro Government. Promoting a good enabling and governance environment will ensure the efficient development and implementation of policies consistent with the transition plan, focusing on the enhancement of capacities that are critical for the sound functioning of interim institutions.
The overall EU Action is specifically focused upon 4 defined lines of effort:
- Strengthening the capacity of the BTA’s (Bangsamoro Transition Authority) executive branch superstructure to drive and coordinate key transitional policies;
- Strengthening the capacity of the Parliament to exercise its law-making and oversight functions;
- Strengthening the capacity of the Justice System to adjudicate litigations and improve access to justice;
- Strengthening the capacity of civil society to contribute to a peaceful transition to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao.
These 4 lines of effort are in turn focused upon delivering 4 Results from the overall EU Action:
- Result 1: enhanced capacity of the BTA’s Executive Branch to efficiently handle the transition through improved institutional superstructure to plan, impulse, and monitor transitional policies as well as the enhanced capacity of the administrative machinery, especially key governance ministries, to implement policies and deliver basic social services.
- Result 2: enhanced capacity of the Bangsamoro Parliament to exercise its lawmaking, oversight, and representation functions.
- Result 3: enhanced capacity of the multifaceted Bangsamoro Justice System to adjudicate.
- Result 4: enhanced capacity of the civil society to contribute to a peaceful transition to BARMM.
The EU Action was signed with UNOPS in August 2020 and has a duration of five years, with an ongoing inception phase in Q1 of 2021 (and a further planned transition period to last until 2022 when the new elections for the new Bangsamoro Government are held at the same time as the national elections). The EU Action will be implemented not only during the transition but also during the post-transition phase as well, thus ensuring a seamless crossover to the elected Bangsamoro Government.
UNOPS has been contracted as an Implementing Partner to provide support to specific and necessary components of the Action, namely Procurement, Logistical and Administrative Support Services, Communications and Visibility, and Infrastructure Management, as well as overall Project Management backstopping and oversight.
The Action will contribute to improving the capacity of the BTA to efficiently implement the transition, according to the provisions of the BOL - the latter being essential for peace consolidation in Mindanao. This is the cornerstone of the core Bangsamoro self-reliance and self-determination for effective autonomy during the transition.
Functional Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Management Support - Officer will be responsible for:
1. Project implementation
- Preparation and maintenance of project files, including internal and external project reports.
- Coordinate information flows and oversee change controls, risk registers and issue management by establishing document control procedures.
- Coordinate assigned delivery of work packages and take responsibility for progress.
- Coordinate and liaise with the Project Manager on the implementation progress.
- Identify and escalate to the Project Manager of any deviations from the plan and update plans.
- Work with the Project manager to identify and manage risks.
2. Financial and procurement management
- Maintain all supporting project financial documents for audit and review processes.
- Support the Project Manager to ensure accurate data entry into UNOPS ERP system (OneUNOPS) and OneUNOPS Projects – as appropriate.
- Monitor project budget and financial expenditure and all administrative procedures in line with the work-plan.
- Facilitating processing of direct payments and advance requests and prepare project budget revisions.
- Manage the preparation of financial reports; including developing financial monitoring and reporting formats as per UNOPS requirements.
- Monitor budgets, cash flow and reporting on expense obligations to ensure that deliverables are met.
- Conduct financial analysis to manage and calculate financial shortfalls and over-expenditures.
- Conduct budget revisions and initiate corrective actions when necessary.
- Coordinate vendor communications, meetings, and reports as necessary.
3. Stakeholder management, coordination and liaison
- Establish a solid working relationship with the project board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholders.
- Supports the Project Manager in communication between the project and the partners.
- Manage communications with stakeholders and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products.
- Supports the Project Manager to advise the client on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance).
4. Knowledge management and innovation
- Actively seeks advice and coordinates donor engagement with UNOPS MCO Partnership Office
- Support the compilation of lessons learned as per defined reporting format and the PMM.
- Actively contribute to building local capacities at every level and opportunity in Project Management Support.
- Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building.
- Contribute to expertise in tools and techniques.