Project Management Support - Associate (Grants Monitoring and Reporting)

Background Information – Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants management to push forward the justice reform agenda of the Philippine government through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. In the Support to the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, UNOPS is working with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government strengthening capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition, also with funds from the EU. In the health sector, UNOPS works with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law,  and governance sectors.

Project Background Information – GoJUST II 

Building on the success of GoJUST I, the EU in partnership with UNOPS and British Council supports the five-year (2020-2025) Justice Sector Reform Programme: Governance in Justice II (GoJUST II).  This project aims to strengthen the Rule of Law through a two-pronged approach by combining improved administration of justice and enhanced promotion and protection of human rights.  GoJUST II will build on the experiences and lessons learned from the work done in the previous GoJUST I and previous EU-Philippines Justice Support Programmes in the sector.

Since its implementation in December 2020, GoJUST II has made great strides to advance justice reforms and improve justice services in the Philippines. It remains the country's leading justice sector reform program. In line with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, GoJUST has continued to partner with the key justice actors (Supreme Court, Department of Justice, Department of Interior and Local Government and Civil Society Organizations, and Academe) to implement critical reforms and improvements in the justice sector in the past three years.

GOJUST II seeks to achieve four major result areas, as follows: 

Result 1 - Justice sector coordination mechanisms are improved

Result 2 - Strengthened institutional efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of justice services

Result 3 - Increased access to the justice system for vulnerable groups, including women

Result 4 - Justice policy and practice is informed by evidence and responds to justice needs

UNOPS is one of the implementing partners of GOJUST II under Indirect Management and is responsible for the provision of logistical and administrative support, which includes the organization of training, workshops, seminars, and study tours; procurement of goods and services; small works; grants management and communication and visibility.

Background Information – Role  Specific 

Under the supervision of the UNOPS Programme Management Officer and working closely with the GoJUST2 Senior Adviser on Access to Justice, the Programme Management Associate (Grants Monitoring and Reporting) will be responsible for supporting Key Result Area 3 implementation by providing administrative, monitoring, and reporting support to the  grants management activities as indicated in the approved program plan. The role will also over-all provide the link with the target partners/stakeholders on the technical assistance required to ensure that goals and objectives of the grants are achieved.

Under the direct supervision of the UNOPS Programme Management Officer (Grants) and with guidance from the GoJUST Senior Expert for Access to Justice, the Programme Management - Associate will be performing the following core functions and specific tasks:

1. Provide assistance to the Technical Assistance Team Senior Adviser in the grant cycle activities implementation

• Assist in administrative functions related to call for proposals for each and every round.
• Assist in the data gathering of information requirements that maybe needed to prepare for the concept notes.
• Support the Senior Adviser in the administrative and logistics requirement aspects in the review of the proposals, Capacity and PSEA assessments and planning, grant amendments and grant closure.

2. Assist the Technical Assistance Team Senior Adviser  in providing training/ capacity  building, monitoring and reporting of the results of the Grant Facility

• Assist the Senior Adviser in the preparation and conduct of capacity building training/workshops that may be programmed for the proponent CSO, whether individually or as a common activity of the set of grantees.

• Provide support in the conduct of monitoring activities to check the progress of the work of the grantees, which could be a combination of review of narrative reports, virtual meetings with the grantees or on-site visits.

• Assist the review of the progress of accomplishment of the grantees,  and support in the tracking of milestones/deliverables/outputs and outcome indicators and its contribution to the GOJUST2 logframe.

• Ensure that data inputs on the GOJUST2 monitoring tool/s  is regularly updated, validated and  consolidated;

• Support the preparation and conduct of joint lesson learning or catch-up planning type of activity, in order to overcome difficulties, possible mentoring or coaching sessions for laggard grantees;

• Support in the assessment of the progress of the grant implementation on an annual basis and reviewing the lessons from year one;

• Support in setting up, updating and maintaining the  grant monitoring dashboard, through provision of status of implementation of grantee milestones.

3. Assist in the operational, logistics, and procurement in the implementation of GOJUST related activities for the assigned Key Result Area/s:

• Collaborate within the UNOPS and Technical project team members on operational requirements for implementation of activities in close coordination of vendors (if necessary). 

• Assist in the administrative, logistical, and procurement activities before, during, and after each of the GOJUST II supported activities.

• Assist UNOPS, the Senior Key Experts and Non-Key Experts from the GoJUST Technical Assistance Team in events coordination and implementation.

• Check to ensure the completion of the documentary requirements for implementation of GoJUST 2 assisted project activities.

• Completion of secondary/high school is required.
• University Degree (Bachelor or Masters) in in law, public administration, social justice, development studies, and/or other disciplines relevant to development work to assist the vulnerable sectors in their justice needs, with a preference for law, justice, and grant management related discipline, is an asset and may substitute some of the required years of experience.

• A  minimum of six (6) years of experience in project/program management, M&E, knowledge management and facilitation is required.
• Advanced skills in the use of Google sheet and/or database work, is required. 
• Experience in working with a range of stakeholders is an asset. 
• Prior experience and sound knowledge of the Philippine Justice Sector context is an asset.
• Experience in managing Access to Justice programs/projects is desirable.

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in Filipino or any major local dialect is desired.

Contract type: Local Individual Contract Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: ICS-6 / LICA-6
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
Duty Station: Manila, Philippines (Manila is a family duty station)

The position is open for application only for Philippines nationals and those who hold valid permission to work in the country.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.