Director of the Secretariat

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

The Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

Based in the New York, the UNOPS Development Group Cluster supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. For example, within the United Nations Development Programme, the Cluster supports the Bureau for Development Policy and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation. 

The cluster also supports the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Secretariat, as well as a broadening community of other New York-based United Nations organizations in the delivery of project management, implementation and administration services.

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, established in September 2010, is a collaboration of stakeholders in governments, civil society, business, research groups and international organisations to encourage increased political commitment and programmatic alignment to accelerate reductions in under-nutrition. The emphasis is on women and children under two years of age.

The current institutional structure of the SUN Movement was established in early 2012 under the aegis of United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon. At the heart of the Movement are the countries that have opted to join: so far there are 55. They have created an inclusive multi-stakeholder political movement for nutrition.

The stakeholders who support the SUN Countries have organized themselves into four networks (United Nations, Donors, Business and Civil Society). Their members have committed to align their financial and technical resources with national nutrition priorities, strengthen the multi-stakeholder and multi sectoral approach, exchange experiences, and support the sharing of knowledge.

To ensure that the Movement is fit for purpose to contribute to achieving the goal of ending malnutrition, the Lead Group of the SUN Movement commissioned, in September 2013, an Independent Comprehensive Evaluation which took place in 2014. The evaluation represented an opportunity for the Lead Group to assess the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Movement and adjust the priorities, operating modalities and stewardship arrangements accordingly. The findings of the evaluation are now informing a visioning process that seeks to ensure that the Movement is fit for purpose after 2015. Renewed stewardship arrangements are being put in place and include a renewed Lead Group, an Executive Committee and the recruitment of a new SUN Movement Coordinator.

Since 2012, the SUN Movement Secretariat has developed as a small coordinating mechanism. It has no operational role, but seeks to link together countries and networks in the SUN Movement to ensure that support, requested in countries to intensify actions and achieve nutrition objectives, is received in a coordinated and coherent way. It also ensures that the Movement’s progress is tracked efficiently and communicated clearly. At the September 2014 meeting, the Lead Group asked that the SUN Movement Secretariat is extended, in its current format, to the end of 2016 to be able to accompany the transition, following the results of the Independent Comprehensive Evaluation.

The Secretariat will adapt its size and responsibilities to be fit for purpose and meet the evolving needs and expectations of the Movement in its second phase (2016-2020). The Director of the Secretariat will have the primary responsibility of securing this transition while securing the continuation of the current Workplan. 

Reporting to the SUN Movement Coordinator (ASG level), the Director of the Secretariat will be responsible for ensuring that the Secretariat catalysis, facilitates and supports effective action across the overall SUN Movement, and the work that will be done under the mandate of the SUN Movement Coordinator. The Director of the Secretariat will be primarily responsible for providing strategic advice, planning, resource use, day-to-day management of staff, reporting on the use of funds, performance management and evaluation of progress against goals.

This includes the following key functions:

Providing senior-level strategic and tactical advice for empowering leadership by the SUN Movement Coordinator and continued enhancement of the vision and strategies pursued by the SUN Movement Secretariat;

• Participating in the development of the SUN Movement Secretariat’s objectives and priorities and providing overall strategic planning towards their achievement.

Ensuring effective functioning of the SUN Movement Coordinator:

• Developing annual work-plans of the SUN Movement Coordinator and the Secretariat;
• Ensuring high standards and relevance of all outputs and communications that emanate from the SUN Movement Coordinator and the Secretariat.

Managing and coordinating strategically the operations of the SUN Movement Secretariat  to ensure collective effectiveness:

• Strategic planning of activities in support of the SUN Movement Coordinator’s priorities; development and regular update of team work-plans;
• Management and supervision of the different teams within the Secretariat to ensure timely and quality outputs;
• Overseeing the organization of high-level events and meetings.

Ensuring optimized planning, utilization and reporting of financial and human resources:

• Optimized budget management balancing programming, expenditures and fund raising and ensuring that resources are properly utilized;
• Human resources management: performance evaluation of staff of the SUN Movement Secretariat, planning and management of recruitments;
• Coordinating the production of activity and financial reports ensuring transparency of resource utilization and quality reporting to donors.

Ensuring strategic engagement with national governments and other stakeholders:

• Maintaining relations with contributors to the SUN Movement Secretariat;
• Representing the SUN Movement Secretariat (when requested by the SUN Movement Coordinator) in public events, taskforces, working groups, intergovernmental and interagency discussions, interactions with stakeholders outside the UN system, and any other relevant situation.

UNOPS Core Values/Competencies

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Planning & Organizing
• Accountability
• Creativity
• Client Orientation
• Commitment to continuous Learning
• Technological Awareness

Functional Competencies

• Leadership
• Vision
• Empowering Others
• Building Trust
• Managing Performance
• Judgement/Decision-making

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in one or more of the following disciplines: human development, social sciences, rural and agricultural development, international development, management, development economics, public administration or related fields.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively experience that combines strategic and managerial leadership in administration, business management, planning and operations. Relevant professional experience must include several years at the international level, including considerable experience at a senior management level, as well as of experience based on a sound understanding of power relations and experience of institutional dynamics.
• Extensive professional experience in multi-sector rural development or food and nutrition security programmes and policies is strongly desirable.

Language:

• Fluency in  English and French is required.

Contract type: Fix Term Agreement
Contract level: D1
Contract duration: from February 22th – December 31st 2016. Contract renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• 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.
• 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.