Programme Manager

The UNOPS Mine Action Cluster (MAC), within the Global Partner Services Office (GPSO), is a principal service provider to the United Nations, governments of mine-affected countries and other partners.
The Mine Action Cluster was established in 1997. Based in New York, it has helped partners to significantly improve the lives of people in more than 30 countries across the world.
The Mine Action Cluster supports emergency, post-conflict and peacekeeping operations. It delivers fast procurement, recruitment and management services to facilitate humanitarian aid and launch emergency mine clearance.
The cluster is responsible for administration, as well as providing support and overseeing the day-to-day management of the project field offices, in line with the partners’ requirements and UNOPS rules and regulations.
It is headed by the Cluster Chief who has overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Mine Action Cluster on behalf of its partners.

The United Nations established a peace keeping mission, known originally as MONUC, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) under Security Council Resolution (SCR)1279 (1999). The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC) was established in DRC in February 2002 to support MONUC (later changed to MONUSCO) through Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) activities as a part of Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) mandate. Following Security Council Resolution 2098 (2013), MONUSCO was mandated to handover humanitarian demining activities to the UNCT and / or Government of DRC. During 2013, UNMACC decided to undergo a name change to UNMAS, in order to better illustrate the role of UNMAS as a service provider for MONUSCO and as an agency within the UNCT. Currently, UNMAS in DRC operates under Security Council Resolution 2147 (2014). As a section of MONUSCO, UNMAS in DRC provides the following assistance:

• Landmine and UXO assessment to support safe movement and deployment of MONUSCO military and civilian staff.
• Survey and clearance of dangerous items in communities affected by conflict,
• Destruction of unserviceable weapons and ammunitions of Force battalions and DDR, as requested by the Mission,
• Implementation of ammunition and weapons management activities for MONUSCO in coordination with Security Sector Reform (SSR) and the Force.

The Programme Manager will provide leadership on policy, technical matters, institutional development, and capacity development as determined in the Mine Action strategy. Working with UNMAS, UNOPS and specifically the national mine action and ERW institutions, the Programme Manager is responsible for the following:

• Responsible for developing and maintaining a mine action concept of operations and a mine action plan under the guidance of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) or the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) and in cooperation with peacekeeping and political missions, UN agencies, local authorities and other relevant partners. The Programme Manager will advise DPKO, and other UN agencies and the local authorities on all aspects of a comprehensive mine action programme, including coordination, institutional arrangements, information management, quality management, clearance, survey, marking, risk reduction education and resource mobilisation. When required, in consultation with UNMAS, he/she may advise and assist local authorities in establishing and/or supporting national mine action programmes;
• Provide advice to the mine action and ERW institutions in developing priorities, work programmes, quarterly reports, annual accounts and annual reports of the mine action and ERW institutions to the respective authorities, donors and other international partners, and UN Agencies;
• Advise the national mine action and ERW institutions on co-ordination mechanisms and maintenance of relationships with local administrations and organisations charged with mine action and ERW related issues;
• Provide mine action technical advice to Peace Keeping and/or Political missions (SRSG, DSRSG, RC and/or Force Commander) and the country team, and will work closely with the Peace Keeping and/or Political missions and the country team, SRSG, DSRSG and/or RC in determining priority tasks for mine action in the country;
• Provide technical advice and guidance to other UN agencies and partners when requested;
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining a database of landmine and ERW-related information, and a master map of mine-affected areas. DMAS/PM actively seeks the information necessary to update and refine this database. He/she will act as the point of contact for, UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other organizations seeking information on the mine/ERW situation;
• Manage the overall implementation of the mine action and ERW component, as outlined in the current Strategy Document, and amend the document, as may be necessary, for approval by the relevant parties;
• Ensure that all mine action and ERW activities are implemented in accordance with the current UN InterAgency Mine Action Strategy, and the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS);
• Advise on the development of national institutions (including the; selection, organization, training and equipping of appropriately-sized capacities) that enable them to manage, coordinate and implement appropriate responses to the current and residual landmine and ERW threat;
• Participate in the integration and co-ordination of bilateral projects and support in the overall framework of the mine action and ERW component of the Programme that support the achievements of capacity building;
• Monitor and report on the establishment, maintenance and operating of Mine Action Information Management Systems (IMSMA);
• Design and draft project documents including; proposals, Letters of Agreements (LOA) and Memorandums of Understanding (MOU);
• Approve draft Statements of Work (SOW) for inclusion in Requests for Proposals (RFP) issued by UNOPS for proposed mine action and ERW activities in the projects target country;
• Approve technical, safety and quality standards for mine clearance and ERW operations, in accordance with accepted international standards for humanitarian and emergency assistance;
• Provide monitoring and management support to project financial, HR, logistics and administration activities in conjunction with UNOPS;
• Depending on the role this position will be assigned to within the project administration setup in a specific country/programme (i.e. office structure, DOAs, ATLAS functions, segregation of duties, etc.), the incumbent will have responsibilities determined by UNOPS rules and regulations embodied in its regulatory framework - Organizational Directives, Administrative Instructions and other documents as periodically issued and updated by UNOPS. Reporting lines with regards to compliance with UNOPS rules and regulations are ultimately to UNOPS Chief Peace and Security Cluster through Portfolio Manager. In addition, division of responsibilities when it comes to administrative processes in support of the programme objectives will be as determined for each country office and confirmed in writing by UNOPS Chief of Peace and Security Cluster;
• Establish the donor support arrangements for the mine action and ERW component of the Programme and assist in the formulation resource mobilization strategies;
• Provide input to the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and the annual Portfolio of Mine Action Projects;
• Provide (UNOPS, UNDP and/or UNMAS) with monthly, biannual, and annual reports on progress, project status, resource requirements, and future plans as required;
• The Programme Manager is responsible for the reporting on external assistance provided to the project;
• The Programme Manager will report directly to the (UNDP or UNMAS) on policy and general project issues as well as to the UNOPS concerning implementation of the project and on technical matters of mine action and ERW;
• The Programme Manager will report to the senior management of the peacekeeping and political missions, where relevant, on in-country peacekeeping strategy and policy issues;
• This position may also entail safety and security responsibilities within the region of operation to include the protection of all UNOPS personnel, assets, property and information belonging to UNOPS and/or UN.

• Leadership – Proven supervisory ability and/or technical leadership. Ability to maintain effective working relations both as a team member and team leader.
• Teamwork Skills – Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Organizing and Quality Orientation – Ability to manage, organize, plan and implement work assignments, juggle competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
• Decision Making – Demonstrated ability to apply good judgment and decision making skills.
• Communication Skills – Strong spoken and written communication skills.
• Creativity and Innovation – Strong analytical and problem solving skills and ability to handle a range of management and coordination issues.
• Ability to Learn – Willingness to keep abreast of new developments.
• Change Orientation - Understands the role of technology and business processes and constantly strives to better utilize these for achieving organizational / departmental goals.
• Lives and Breathes UNOPS Values – Takes ownership for all responsibilities and honours commitments.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.