Programme Manager (Civil Society and Health for All)

UNOPS Myanmar is one of UNOPS’ leading offices in Asia, acting as fund manager for three of the largest development programmes in the country, namely the Access to Health Fund, the Livelihood and Food Security Fund (LIFT) and the Joint Peace Fund (JPF), and acting as the Principal Recipient for the Global Fund in Myanmar. UNOPS provides procurement, infrastructure, and project management services to a wide range of organisations in the country, including international development partners, other UN agencies, NGOs, and INGOs. UNOPS plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of services provided to its partners meets stringent requirements of speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The Access to Health Fund aims to improve Health outcomes for vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas of Myanmar. The Fund works with Ethnic Health Organizations, national and international NGOs, the United Nations, and other partners to increase people’s access to health-services. The Access to Health Fund is supported by 8 donors - the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Norway and the corporate responsibility department of Takeda Pharmaceuticals .

Access to Health Fund strengthens the health system at all levels, extending access for poor and vulnerable populations to quality health services. The Access to Health Fund has a particular focus on improving health equity in Myanmar, with emphasis on the hardest-to-reach and most vulnerable populations, many in conflict-affected areas. Focus areas of the Fund include maternal, newborn and child health, combating HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and health system strengthening to deliver sustainable, efficient and responsive healthcare across Myanmar. This position will report to Senior Programme Manager (Strategy).

The Programme Manager (Civil Society and Health for All) works in close collaboration with regional program teams, health and HSS team and M&E teams of the Access to Health Fund to ensure the Fund delivers excellent results through exemplary grant and program management.  S/he supervises three program management senior officers  working to support the mainstreaming of the cross cutting thematic areas of the Fund across the grants:

Management of the Civil Society and Health for All team

• Ensure the team’s close collaboration and impeccable teamwork with the different teams of the Fund and other relevant UNOPS stakeholders

• This will include grant management, performance review,  information sharing, joint visioning, joint planning, monitoring, technical support, and working as ‘one team’ in the implementation of programmes under the strategic direction of the Fund

•  Provide guidance and support to programme management senior officers in the team and coordinate with programme and M&E colleagues for mainstreaming of cross cutting themes, grant making, and development of localization work across the Fund

• Ensure that the technical and strategic inputs provided by the team meets the needs of the Programmes and responds to the Access to Health’s strategic direction and needs depends on the country’s political context and working environment

• Ensure that demand side is not ignored under the health for all lens when essential health services available to vulnerable people in Myanmar and increasing the number of people with access to these services

•  In close networking with local civil society organizations, disabled people’s organizations, and relevant key stakeholders, ensure that supported activities are aligned with the Fund’s strategies and  priorities, with EHOs’ priorities when relevant, with Access’ conflict sensitivity principles, with approaches to civil society engagement, and with other key principles of the Fund

• Create and maintain strong partnerships with relevant external stakeholders, including civil society networks and disabled people’s organizations, in a spirit of supporting and facilitating the localization work, portfolio management, and aligning towards shared goals.

• Maintain a clear understanding of cross cutting themes related grant outcomes and core indicators, in particular as they relate to the strengthening of community health systems and the improved health situation of vulnerable communities in the conflict affected areas.

• Provide management oversight to ensure that (i) community engagement and (ii) conflict sensitivity are an integral part of the Fund’s approach (iii)gender mainstreaming and inclusion, disability inclusion, accountability and other cross cutting principles of the Fund.

Portfolio Improvement

•  The incumbent is a key interlocutor to work closely with programme and strategy teams of the Fund to promote an efficient portfolio which delivers mainstreamed health services with cross cutting themes reaching to vulnerable populations and internally displaced persons in conflict affected areas of Myanmar.

• Work closely with Health and HSS team and other teams in the strategy and programme units and  to ensure grants contribute to the strengthening of health systems particularly community health system and ensuring cross cutting areas’ standards such as disability inclusion, community feedback mechanism, conflict sensitivity and social cohesion and gender mainstreaming

• Work in close collaboration with regional programme teams: share information, seek their advice and give due consideration to advice received to move the portfolio forward in a way that is both managerially and technically sound

• Identify and suggest ways to expand integrated health services to vulnerable population in conflict affected areas

• Propose any initiative that may be necessary to adjust grants and portfolios and ensure they are in compliance with the Fund’s policy and strategies

• Provide teams with technical inputs as necessary for improving quality of the  interventions defined under respective thematic areas the Fund is supporting

• As a management member of the Access’ Management Team, collaborate closely with the Programme Managers, Strategy Director, Programme Director, Fund Director and Deputy Fund Director to  assume an active role in defining and steering the Fund’s strategic direction by guiding adaptation of the Fund to changing circumstances, and overseeing a constant learning and transformation agenda which aims to keep the Fund’s support at the forefront of health responses

• In coordination with and under the overall leadership of the Fund Director, Deputy Fund Director, and senior management be able to present Access’ strategy at the highest levels with the Fund Board, and others as required

•  Assist senior management for oversight localization and cross cutting themes of the Fund, budgeting, and work plan development

• Plan, guide and drive process related to the Funds operation such as annual reporting, budget revisions and grant making

Information and knowledge management

• Ensure that the Civil Society/Health for All team adequately manages knowledge and information – keeping the Access to Health Fund and its key Partners abreast of important developments and capturing and sharing lessons learned

• Facilitate in promoting information sharing on all aspects related to disability inclusion, demand generation, community engagement, and community system strengthening in Myanmar

• Closely work with Communication Team for external and internal communication of health related information on the Access to Health Fund

• Perform any other duty as may be requested by the supervisor

• A Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (for example: international development, social science, public administration, political science) with 5 years of relevant experience.
• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (for example: international development, social science, public administration, political science) with 7 years of relevant experience is considered as equivalent.

•  At least 5 years of experience managing grants or projects is required
• Within the experience, at least 3 years of working in the health or humanitarian or community development sector is required
• Full competency in the usage of computers and office software packages including g-suite  is highly desirable
• Experience of working sensitively and effectively in a culturally diverse setting is preferable
•  Previous experience with the Access to Health Fund is highly desirable
• Experience of working in local governance, including but not limited to formal local government structures, local and community based NGOs, traditional governance systems, and informal networks desirable

•  Fluency in English and Myanmar is required

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: LICA 10
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

• 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.