Coordinator, Surge Capacity

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the UNOPS Integrated Practice Advice and Support (IPAS) serves all the regions and headquarters, primarily with advice and solutions to everyday implementation challenges. IPAS consists of a diverse team of subject matter experts in the six practice areas of HR, Administration, Legal, Finance, Procurement, Project Management and Infrastructure. IPAS has three main roles:

Support to operations in the field offices: IPAS provides timely advice and supports actively finding of solutions to everyday implementation challenges, based on policy and best practices. It also provides operational support in specific areas.

Business efficiency: IPAS recommends changes to policies, processes and operating standards based on the feedback and experience of the field offices. IPAS also ensures transparent and efficient project implementation, in line with policy and business needs. 

Body of knowledge: IPAS contributes to research and coordination within the policy groups and project practitioners. It provides structured knowledge and subject matter expertise which is used across practice areas to provide coherent and tailored advice to the requesting offices.

UNOPS is a project-based organisation. We receive no core funding and operate on full cost recovery. We specialise in implementation, supporting partners to deliver their goals. The growth of the organisation, coupled with the changes in the environment we operate in, we have to rethink our approach to remain flexible, efficient and responsive in critical situations. 

To address this, a new team is being established in IPAS to provide surge capacity support to country offices and projects. The role of this new team will be to provide UNOPS a mechanism to support country offices with ad hoc resources in order to address risks of technical quality or delay through engaging closely with projects and offices that have a need, evaluate the needs, and then coordinate and deploy temporary support (e.g. for new projects; emergency response; covering gaps after the unexpected departure of key personnel etc). 

This support will be provided through different resources, depending on the type of support required (e.g. surge capacity team, retainers, LTAs, partnerships, etc). The new surge capacity team consists of a coordinator and  surge capacity personnel in the areas of HR, Procurement and Project Management / Infrastructure. Additional technical support will be sourced via retainers, talent pools, rosters etc. 

Sneak peak of our working environment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8CyuSqczvI

The primary focus of the Coordinator, Surge Capacity is on developing and managing a systematic and efficient approach to enhance UNOPS support to UNOPS country offices globally. 

UNOPS promise to deliver operational excellence comes with a number of challenges during the start-up, implementation and closing of projects. UNOPS country offices have to meet multiple demands and pressures in addition to their usual workload such as responding quickly to new opportunities, adapting to changing environments (e.g. political crisis or environment disaster), and handling unexpected personnel changes (sick leave, unplanned departures etc).  Under these circumstances, country offices often have a critical need for additional capacity to help them meet these demands and facilitate essential roles in these areas. 

To meet these challenges, UNOPS is setting up a new unit for the coordination and deployment  of surge capacity support to country offices. The Coordinator, Surge Capacity will be leading this unit, under the supervision and guidance of the IPAS Manager. 

The unit entails a team of international ICAs (and access to other resources such as retainers, LTAs, partnerships, etc) to be deployed for field assignment, both physically and remotely. Support can be requested for different situations, including to assist with the quick inception of new projects, to support emergency responses, as well as to cover gaps after unexpected departure of colleagues whose roles are critical to the operations of the office and/or the project.  In addition to this dedicated team, the Coordinator, Surge Capacity is responsible to coordinate additional support options, drawing from UNOPS larger workforce, for example rosters, retainers, talent benches, high performing nationals, endorsed candidates, as well as external resources. The Coordinator, Surge Capacity will be responsible to develop and implement the strategy and mechanism for efficient deployment of resources to country offices. This also includes identifying policy provisions or processes that may be enhanced to augment the organisation agility to address surge capacity needs.  

Proactive outreach to and close coordination with country and regional offices, as well as the development and use of management tools will be essential to understand the needs of offices and projects globally and to allocate resources efficiently. The Coordinator is responsible to ensure that advice to country offices is timely and focuses on providing solutions and results. This requires close interactions across the organisation. It also requires a good understanding of the diverse environment and associated risks in which UNOPS operates.  

As the face of IPAS for surge capacity, you will be required to be a role model by leveraging a business partnering approach. You’ll be working closely with the other IPAS Team leads to address the mandate of IPAS of supporting country offices, always considering business efficiency and contributing to the body of knowledge. A team centered approach is required to manage the diverse team under surge, with both “ad hoc” (retainer) and full time personnel.

The Coordinator, Surge Capacity will perform the following duties and responsibilities: 

1. Support to UNOPS organisational readiness

2. Management of the Surge Capacity 

3. Development and implementation of operational strategies

4. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent), preferably in Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Project Management or related field is required.

• A Bachelor degree (or equivalent) combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience can be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree (total of 9 years of experience).

Experience:

• With a Master’s degree, a minimum of 7 years’ professional experience in project management and/or operations is required. Good understanding and experience in the operational areas of the Surge Capacity (procurement, finance, human resources, infrastructure and project management) is a distinctive advantage. 

• Within these 7 years, a minimum of 2 years of leadership experience is required, including a proven track record managing personnel and operational systems. 

• Experience working in a developing country, conflict and/or post-conflict project management environment is required. 

• Proven track record of developing and managing strategies for new projects and initiatives is a distinctive advantage. 

• Knowledge of UNOPS policies, rules and processes is a distinctive advantage, in particular in the areas of procurement, finance, human resources, project management and infrastructure project management.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English is required. 
• Knowledge of French or Spanish is an asset.

• Contract type: ICA
• Contract level: I-ICA-3
• Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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 (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.