Support Services Manager

Strengthening Humanitarian Preparedness and Response Programme (SHPR)

DFID–Bangladesh (DfID-B) Strengthening Humanitarian Preparedness and Response (SHPR) programme aims to provide more effective, timely and predictable humanitarian support to refugees in Bangladesh and to vulnerable communities following disasters. It also aims to strengthen the ability of the Government of Bangladesh to effectively meet the needs of these groups, and to reduce the scale of impact of disasters when they occur.

The principle objectives of the SHPR are articulated around three Pillars.

Pillar 1: Augment disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction including for large‐scale catastrophic emergencies and recurrent, predictable events;

Pillar 2: Respond to the impact of disaster events through the provision of predictable, timely and high quality humanitarian support;

Pillar 3: Deliver urgent humanitarian support to Rohingya refugees and needy host communities as well as creating an enabling environment for Rohingya related relief agencies through support to coordination fora.

The SHPR will be initially established as a facility to support DFID funding only. Depending on its successful implementation, and possible appetite from other donors to coordinate their humanitarian funding through a joint platform, the Programme may be upgraded to a multi donor programme at a later stage.

DFID has requested UNOPS to provide fund management services to programmes under the pillars.

As the Fund Manager, UNOPS will be responsible for multiple functions vis-à-vis the SHPR Programme including, design of an early recovery/emergency response facility, fiduciary management, legal and technical oversight, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, quality assurance and communication. UNOPS will also be required to support DFID in its humanitarian agenda from the onset of this project.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

UNOPS seeks a qualified candidate to support the Fund Manager in the capacity of Support Services Manager (SSM). Under the overall guidance, direction and supervision of the Fund Manager, the Support Services Manager (SSM) will contribute to ensuring that the SHPR Programme activities are in compliance with DFID requirements and up to date, and that reporting requirements to DFID/other donors are in line with agreed criteria. The SSM will be responsible to provide support for all operational aspects of the SHPR, including but not limited to preparing and processing financial transactions, assist in preparing budget and financial reports, contract management with a particular focus to quick contracting process in consultation with UNOPS legal and covering all aspects of finance, human resources, procurement, contracting and logistics, administration, outreach and stakeholder coordination in close consultation with the relevant colleagues.

Under the direct supervision of the Fund Manager, the Support Services Manager(SSM) provides support in the following:

Advisory and technical support

• Be responsible to supervise and coordinate the project support team members in order to ensure efficient operations and timely delivery of project support services.

• Manage donor contribution agreements (initially DFID with possible additions), maintain a database of contribution agreements and funds received from donors, and ensure that accurate payment requests are submitted to donors in a timely manner.

• As required, maintain financial oversight and report to the SHPR Fund Manager on over expenditure and under ­utilization of funds.

• Support the development of standard operating procedures/ Operations Manual for the SHPR Programme.

• At the request of the Fund Manager, participate in any discussions and planning exercises with Donor and partners to ensure UNOPS position, interests and priorities and constraints are fully considered and understood

• At the request of the Fund Manager participate, in any Programme evaluations, audits of the Donor with regards to the Programme and fund management role.

• As required, ensure timely compliance with the donor in terms of reporting and performing its roles as per the signed donor contribution agreement

• Act as custodian of Standard Operation Procedures on behalf of the SHPR Programme.

Audit and Compliance

• Monitor support services to ensure optimum client service and satisfaction, including liaising with appropriate teams and individuals in UNOPS Headquarters/ Region/Hub for the required support.

• Monitor and supervise all aspects of operations to ensure compliance with corporate strategies, UNOPS rules, regulations, policies, and standards of accountability, ethics and integrity and achievement of results.

• Coordinate all audit/ due diligence activities vis-à-vis the SHPR Programme partners/grantees including audit preparation, audit engagements, FMO responses to audit queries and observations, follow-up on and implementation of audit recommendations by partners/grantees, and reporting to Donor

• Maintain oversight over assets procured by SHPR, maintain the asset inventory, and conduct regular asset inventory counts.

• Ensure effective management and oversight of administrative tasks within the areas of travel management and vehicle management, and delivery of SHPR team administration in general.

Grant Management and oversight function

• Manage, advise and oversee the grant management function including the grant selection, award and contracting, grant management and oversight functions in line with UNOPS policies

• Coordinate and conduct all fiduciary oversight activities vis-à-vis the SHPR Programme on all partner/grantee projects including follow-up on and implementation of recommendations of such oversight activities and reporting to Donor

• Ensure all delivery chain mapping assessments for all partner/grantee projects are conducted, documented, up-to-date and shared with Donor as and when required.

• Work closely with Fund Manager and M&E Specialist in ensuring timely reporting, data management and inputs to the monitoring platforms such as SHPR Dashboard

• The work of external fiduciary oversight consultant. Develop their Terms of Reference and coordinate their sourcing with the Procurement Team at the UNOPS South Asian Hub. Facilitate their work by coordinating with partners.  Evaluate their performance. Highlight their major observations to the Fund Manager and to the MC.

• Follow up with partners to action the recommendations of the oversight consultants.

Project planning and coordination support

• Develop annual work plans for the UNOPS Fund Management team.

• Provide assistance and support to implementing partner budget preparation, revisions and work planning if requested by the Fund Manager.

• Provide input into project engagement and acceptance documents including assisting with contract negotiations with regard to SHPR contributions

• Support the Fund Manager on goal setting, targets and performance standards for projects and recommend tools for fiduciary oversight.

• Monitor financial projections, take necessary action(s) and/or refer critical issues to the Fund Manager.

• Constantly monitor and analyze the operating environment to identify potential risks (specifically operational risks) and take action/refer critical issues for intervention to ensure delivery of results.

• Coordinate with Cox’s Bazar field office on the aspects related to partner/grantee management.

• Provide operational support to the management of Cox’s Bazar field office
• Ensure appropriate measures have been documented in a Closure Plan to facilitate the transition of operations in the final stage of delivery

Procurement

• With support from the Procurement Team in the CO Bangladesh/South Asian  Hub, oversee procurement processes, including tendering processes and evaluation and supplier selection, to ensure viable procurement solutions that meet operational needs and compliance with UNOPS procurement procedures, regulations and standard of accountability, ethics, integrity and performance. Evaluate contractual arrangements and legal commitments/risks for appropriate action.

• Oversee the efficiency and integrity of the procurement evaluation process to ensure cost-effective procurement of goods and services.

• In consultation with UNOPS South Asian Hub functional oversight and support teams, review, administer and issue contracts, agreements / amendments with the different implementing partners / vendors / subcontractors / service providers.

• Evaluate, list, update and monitor the performance of the roster of service providers of suitable firms or institutions.

Financial Management

• Prepare the UNOPS Fund Management financial plan and manage the budget process / cycle to ensure timely revisions and reallocation of funds.

• Ensure compliance with the UNOPS/Financial Rules & Regulations and Finance procedures in close coordination with the South Asian Hub.

• Monitor, track and control expenditure to ensure optimum and appropriate use of resources and value for money.

• Ensure the availability of required financial reports and exception reports including investigating anomalies to resolve problems, reporting or recommending any action required to relevant stakeholders.

• Ensure the timely review, posting and closure of accounts. Certify/verify accuracy and compliance with standards of accountability framework. Submit/prepare mandated report on financial status.

• Ensure all financial services (accounting, cash management, payments etc.) are delivered on time and are compliant with standards of accountability and performance.

Human Resource Management

• With Support from South Asian Hub HR Support Team, plan recruitment and contract amendments, where required, for UNOPS to deliver its Fund Management operations

Administration and Information Technology

• Manage the acquisition, maintenance, inventory, recording, verification and protection of project and administrative facilities/assets, including IT infrastructure, equipment and servers with support from the South Asian Support Hub.

• Manage the timely and efficient delivery of all administrative services, (e.g. premises, asset management, organizational and personnel security, travel and IT).

• Knowledge management and innovation

• Contribute to the development and introduction of innovation to ensure UNOPS is continually incorporating best practice approaches into project support services.

• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for corporate development planning and knowledge building.

• Support the Fund Manager to plan, implement and organize strategic capacity building of project personnel, clients and stakeholders.

• Further duties may be identified by the Fund Manager during project implementation

Education

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field is required. Preferably in financial management, accounting, auditing, business administration.

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

• An audit/ accounting qualification like CA/ ACCA/ CMA would be a distinct advantage

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience covering at least Financial Management and/or Contract Management is required: Knowledge of Procurement, Logistics/ Asset Management and Human Resources is desirable.

• Experience in managing compliance and audit is required.

• Experience in managing financial and support activities in a fund management programme would be highly advantageous.

• Knowledge of UNOPS procedures, processes, rules and regulations in the areas of Finance, and Procurement is desired.

• Experience and knowledge at both policy and operational levels with a variety of relevant UN funding and/or operational agencies, bilateral donors and international financing institutions is an asset.

• Prior regional experience in Asia, particularly in Bangladesh, would be considered an asset

• Experience in the usage of computers and in office software packages (MS Office 2010 and/or newer versions) is required.

• Experience in Value For Money (VFM) will be an advantage.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, 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.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

UNOPS Bangladesh

UNOPS has been present in Bangladesh since 2003, initially providing operational support programme focusing on police reforms and disaster management. The presence has significantly grown since then with UNOPS being appointed as Local Fund Agent for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Bangladesh.

In 2014, UNOPS established formal representation in Bangladesh as a response to a request from the Executive Board of UNOPS to provide more substantial support to the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) across various areas, including organisational capacity development and integrating resilient infrastructure approaches. The office currently provides capacity development support to several GOB infrastructures related agencies and some key national NGOs with a focus at improving operational capacities within the sectors of procurement, human resources management, finance and internal control, and project management.

Moving forward, UNOPS, in line with its global priorities is expanding its portfolio within Bangladesh to provide more significant support in the sectors of resilient infrastructure, fund management and operational efficiency with an emphasis on building national capacities, improving resilience of communities and supporting in the implementation of SDGs.

Within this focus, UNOPS is currently in the process of formulating the next Bangladeshi National Resilient Programme due to commence in early 2017 with UNDP and UN-Women in keeping with priorities of GOB and international agreements such as the Sendai Framework. Building on its extensive global expertise in Fund Management, UNOPS is also working with key development partners in the country in setting up a development fund that will support humanitarian, disaster management and early recovery sectors.