Programme Management Specialist

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement, and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors, and United Nations organizations.

New York Service Cluster (NYSC) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP). It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners headquartered in New York.  The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) is implemented by UNDP’s Local Action Cluster of the Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) unit of BPPS on behalf of the GEF Partnership. It is executed by UNOPS. The Global ICCA (indigenous peoples and local communities) Support Initiative (GSI) is funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) International Climate Initiative. The SGP and ICCA GSI are signature programmes and a central part of the UNDP Local Action Cluster of NCE.

SGP grant making promotes community-based innovation in addressing global environmental issues and improved, more sustainable livelihoods through initiatives led by civil society and community organizations, with special consideration for indigenous peoples, women, youth and persons with disabilities. SGP has supported over 25,000 community-based projects in over 125 countries in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable land management, protection of international waters, and sound chemicals and waste management. Over the years, SGP has developed extensive partnerships at global, national and local levels. See http://sgp.undp.org for further background information.

The Programme Management Specialist will act as a Regional Programme Specialist for the Local Action Cluster in Asia and the Pacific (SGP Regional Focal Point), and form part of the SGP Central Programme Management Team (CPMT) and the Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH). He/she will contribute to Local Action cluster strategic objectives as follows: responsibility for execution support to Local Action Country Programmes in Asia and the Pacific; implementation of the GEF Small Grants Programme (including GEF, Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) and other donor finances), Global ICCA Support Initiative (GSI), and other partnerships; supervision of Country Programme staff vis a vis Country Programme Strategy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; as well as identification of upscaling, resource mobilization, and knowledge generation opportunities regarding local actions.

The Programme Management Specialist will provide implementation support to the SGP and partnerships globally with a particular focus on the Asia and Pacific region under the NCE Local Action Cluster. He/she will contribute to Local Action cluster strategic objectives by supporting the implementation and monitoring of the GEF, ICCA GSI, CBA and other SGP partnerships, based on an evolving assessment of country demands. 

This is a position to support a project which UNOPS is implementing for the United Nations Development Programme. The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

• Keep abreast of developments in BMU IKI(International Climate Initiative), GEF and other donor policies and programming directions to support the implementation of international frameworks and multilateral environmental treaties relating to sustainable development and Agenda 2030, Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and other related conventions, particularly in relation to the Asia and Pacific region;
• Contribute inputs to the BMU IKI, GEF SGP and other donors,  regarding the role of IPLCs(Indigenous peoples and local communities) and CSOs(Civil Society Organizations) in the Asia-Pacific with a focus on green/blue COVID-19 recovery, the blue economy, nature-based solutions, climate change adaptation, scaling up and broader adoption, partnership building and networking, policy dialogues and advocacy, sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk reduction and resilience.
• Undertake periodic reviews of the Local Action portfolio and monitor implementation progress in achieving global objectives in the Asia-Pacific region, as specified in the Global ICCA Support Initiative and SGP global strategies.
• Coordinate technical support to Local Action Country Programmes in Asia and the Pacific on Biodiversity Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture, Land Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management, Climate Change, International Waters, Chemicals and Waste Management, and issues related to SIDS(Small Island Developing States) by liaising with the corresponding Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs) or other experts;

• Keep track of the Local Action project portfolio related to the ICCA GSI and SGP, including CBA, in the Asia-Pacific region, including monitoring of results and information in the database; 
• Identify lessons learned and best practices both at the global and Country Programme levels, and ensure adequate dissemination of the same at the global level in collaboration with the Local Action Knowledge Management team and other relevant staff through development of analytical and case studies of the portfolio and other knowledge management products; 
• Participate in and provide inputs for major evaluation processes, including the periodic independent evaluations of the ICCA GSI and SGP, as well as country-based evaluations; 
• Support and provide inputs related to the Asia-Pacific region in the preparation of ICCA GSI and SGP, including CBA,  Annual Monitoring Reports and relevant BMU IKI, GEF, and UNDP documents, particularly sections relevant to the demonstration of Local Action impacts. 
• Provide strategic guidance to the Local Action Country Programmes on Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and support the preparation of reports; 
• Facilitate up-scaling of Local Action projects by assisting country teams in the development of medium and full-sized projects, country and global policy linkages, and collaboration with other bilateral donors and external partners;
• Work with the partners of the SGP and ICCA GSI, including reporting to all relevant donors and partners in relation to the Asia-Pacific region

3. Execution and Management of Country Programmes

• Provide overall supervision and support of Local Action Country Programmes, including facilitation of the recruitment by UNOPS and UNDP Country Offices of Local Action Country Programme staff, and review and approval of NSC composition for the Asia-Pacific region;
• Coordinate with UNOPS the financial monitoring and review of programmatic delivery in Asia and the Pacific region (countries to be assessed on a periodic basis);
• Coordinate Local Action Country Programme operations in Asia and the Pacific with UNOPS team, review relevant documents and reports, identify problems and issues to be addressed and initiate corrective actions, liaising with relevant UNOPS portfolio managers and ensuring follow-up actions;
• Continuously explore opportunities to improve efficiency of Local Action Country Programme operations in the region in collaboration with UNDP COs and UNOPS;
• Maintain regular contacts with UNOPS colleagues on coordination and policy matters relevant to Local Action;
• Conduct execution support, monitoring, and trouble-shooting missions to back-stop the successful implementation of Local Action Country Programmes, as relevant.
• Provide execution support of regional portfolios, financial monitoring, and review of regional programmatic deliveryPerform supervisory functions for Local Action National Coordinators’ performance as the Local Action focal point for the assigned countries in the region.
• Perform supervisory functions for Local Action National Coordinators’ performance as the Local Action focal point for the assigned countries in the region.
• Advise Local Action Country Programmes during the preparation and revision of Country Programme strategies (CPS), and coordinate technical inputs on implementation and monitoring at Country Programme and project levels;
• Advise Country Programmes on UNDP, BMU IKI, GEF, and other relevant policies and their implications for Country Programme management covering all related technical, policy and operational aspects;
• Coordinate with UNDP NCE Regional Team Leaders (RTLs), Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs) and Local Action National Coordinators (NCs) in UNDP regional initiatives and activities.

4. Programme Policy Development and Support

• Contribute to Local Action strategy development, facilitating consultative processes in the preparation of proposal development for thematic and regional initiatives;
• Act as Local Action focal point and contribute to the discussions at UNDP, GEF, and other donors and partners regarding community-based approaches and achievements in Asia and the Pacific;
• Support efforts to strengthen collaboration between UNDP Local Action and other partners as part of the UNDP mandate to build capacity of civil society and safeguard environmental services for the vulnerable communities and address gender concerns;
• Support and provide inputs to the preparation and organization of the Steering Committee meetings of the GEF-SGP and the preparation of GEF Council papers, as appropriate;
• Contribute to strategic planning and development of operational policies and procedures of Local Action management and supervision of Country Programmes at the global level;
• Facilitate the understanding of, and support to, the implementation of decisions by donors and other authorities in relation to Local Action programmes and activities.

5. Partnership Development & Resource Mobilization

• Assist, as relevant, NCE colleagues at regional and global levels in the development of Local Action partnerships with bilateral donors, multi-lateral organizations, private sector, foundations, and non-traditional donors to mobilize additional resources for relevant regional initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region as well as for SGP and ICCAs at the global level;
• Collaborate with partners to increase programmatic impact and visibility of UNDP Local Action at the regional level, ensuring donor visibility and in compliance with donor policies and regulations;
• Work with other UN agencies to promote delivery of Local Action in order to maximize global environmental, socio-economic and other benefits;
• Identify new partnerships opportunities and donors to generate greater programme and portfolio impacts;

• Master’s degree preferably in community development, natural resource management, climate change, rural development or other closely related field. 

Contract type: Fixed-Term Staff Appointment
Contract level: P-3
Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

• 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
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.