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United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

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Position: Operations Manager
Job Time: Full-Time
Job Type: Contract
Place of Work: Mekelle - Ethiopia
Posted date: 2 years ago
Deadline: Submition date is over

Background

The conflict that erupted in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia in November 2020 is far from over and the humanitarian situation remains very serious. The ensuing conflict has seen thousands of Ethiopians internally displaced and fleeing from the conflict zones into neighboring Sudan, and other regional states have resulted in a major humanitarian response.  While humanitarian efforts get underway, the Government, through the Ministry of Finance is mobilizing partner support to recovery planning for Tigray. In this connection, a rapid assessment of priority recovery interventions for the region has been completed and is providing the basis for the design of a recovery and response plan.  UNDP is leading on the UN's side to ensure a smooth and seamless transition from a humanitarian to development focus at the earliest opportunity and establishes a special recovery window to channel short- and medium-term support.

While UNDP is currently engaged in a recovery assessment and planning exercise for Tigray with the Government of Ethiopia, the CO does not have any ongoing program activities in Tigray nor a field presence in the region and is now seeking to strengthen its presence in the region by establishing a sub-office in Mekelle.  The sub-office will serve as the center of operations for programming which will include, among other areas, recovery and resilience programmed, reconciliation and peacebuilding, restoration of core government functions. For this reason, UNDP is seeking to recruit several positions: a National Operations Manager to support all aspects of the management and operations of the Office. 

Under the guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative – Operations (DRR-O) and direct supervision of the Head of the Sub-Office the Operations Manager will support all aspects of the Sub-Office (SO) management and operations and will be responsible for and contribute directly to the effective and efficient operations of the UNDP SO in the region.  He/she will liaise directly with the relevant staff both at the SO, the CO, and local offices of sister agencies such as IOM, OCHA, UNHCR, etc, to ensure coordination of delivery as appropriate.

The Operations Manager is responsible for financial and human resources management, efficient procurement and logistical services, and ICT and consistency with UNDP rules and regulations. He/she ensures consistent services delivery to the programs and projects in the Region and will do so while applying policies and methods to maximize the SO performance in operations demonstrating capacity for innovation and creativity and providing advice to Management on readjustment of the operations to take into account changes in the operating environment as and when needed.

The Operations Manager will also lead and guide the SO Team fostering collaboration within the team and with other UN agencies operating in the region, consistent with rules and a client-oriented approach. The Operations Manager will work in close collaboration with program and project teams in the SO, liaise with operations staff in the CO in Addis Ababa other UN Agencies in the Region, the Provisional Regional Administration (PRA), other government officials as well as local non-state actors to successfully deliver operational services offered by UNDP.

Duties and Responsibilities

  Summary of Key Functions:

  1. 1. Ensuring strategic direction of operations;
  2. Financial resources management and supervision of the Finance team;
  3. Human Resources Management and supervision of the HR team;
  4. Efficient procurement and logistical services and supervision of the Procurement team;
  5. Supervision of ICT team;
  6. .Common services organization and management, the establishment of partnerships with other UN Agencies.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Ensures the strategic direction of operations focusing on achievement of the following results:

  •  Compliance of operations with UN/UNDP rules, regulations and policies, implementation of corporate operational strategies, the establishment of management targets, and monitoring achievement of results;
  • Provision of advice on strategies, policies, and plans affecting SO operations, delivery of practice advisory, knowledge, and learning services;
  • Collaboration with CO Management to establish collaborative arrangements with potential partners, a Client Relationship Management System for resource mobilization purposes and appropriate operational partnership arrangements;
  • SO business processes mapping and establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Finance, Human Resources Management, Procurement, Logistical and ICT services, Results in Management;
  • Constant monitoring and analysis of the operating environment, quick readjustment of the operations, advice on legal considerations and risk assessment;
  • Knowledge building and sharing with regards to management and operations in the SO, organization of the operations staff training, synthesis of lessons learned/best practices, and sound contributions to UNDP knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Ensures effective and accurate financial resources management focusing on achievement of the following results:

  • Proper planning, expenditures tracking, and audit of financial resources following UNDP rules and regulations, performing the function of Manager Level 2 in Atlas for vouchers. Approval of pending disbursements as the “third authority” (cheques, bank transfers, EFT). Approval of bank reconciliations;
  • Management of cost-recovery system for the services provided by the SO to projects and other UN Agencies. Accurate planning, forecasting, and reporting of extra-budgetary income;
  • Proper management of the contribution management business process and accounting for contributions to ensure that the money due to UNDP is properly identified, consistently and uniformly classified, recorded on a timely basis, and received with sufficient supporting documentation;
  • Organization and oversight of SO cash management processes, including liquidity management, risk assessment, bank relationship management; timely accounting and reconciliation of all transactions, security for cash assets on-site;
  • Member of the bank signatory panel;
  • Routinely monitors financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigates anomalies or unusual transactions. Informs supervisors and other UNDP staff at the CO and Headquarters of the results of the investigation when satisfactory answers are not obtained and ensure that all financial transactions are identified, recorded, and verified in compliance with IPSAS as outlined in the corporate policies and procedures.

Ensures strategic human resources management focusing on achievement of the following results:

  • SO compliance with corporate human resources policies and strategies;
  • Optimal staffing of the sub-office and projects;
  • Oversight of recruitment processes and performance management systems ensuring link of job design with recruitment, performance management, and career development.

Ensures efficient procurement and logistical services management, focusing on achievement of the following results:

  •  SO compliance with corporate rules and regulations in the field and management of the SO procurement strategies including sourcing strategy, supplier selection, and evaluation, quality management, customer relationship management, e-procurement promotion and introduction, performance measurement;
  • Management of the SO contract strategy including tendering processes and evaluation, managing the contract and contractor, legal implications. Oversight of procurement processes and logistical services following UNDP rules and regulations, acting as Manager Level 2 in Atlas for Purchase orders approvals;
  • Proper management of UNDP assets, facilities, and logistical services, including full compliance with IPSAS in the accounting for the procurement, utilization, and disposal of the SO’s assets.

Ensures effective and adequate supervision of ICT services focusing on achievement of the following results:

  •  Designs and maintains appropriate Business Continuity management mechanisms and plans;
  • Maintains a secure, reliable infrastructure environment for ICT and adequately plans for disasters and recoveries;
  • Use of Atlas functionality for improved business results and improved client services;
  • Identification of opportunities and ways of converting business processes into web-based systems to address efficiency and full accountability issues.
  • Promotion of different systems and applications for optimal content management, knowledge sharing, information provision and learning including e-registry, web-based office management system, etc.;

Ensures proper common services organization and management, the establishment of partnerships with other UN Agencies focusing on achievement of the following results:

  •  Ensures the implementation of common services in line with the UN reform, the latest developments in common services and the best practices.

  Competencies

  Core Competencies:

  • Building support and political acumen;
  • Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
  • Building and promoting effective teams;
  • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
  • Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
  • Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards;
  • Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
  • Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
  • Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking;
  • UNDP Certification programs Prince2, Procurement, HR, Accounting, and Finance will be an asset. 

Functional Competencies: 

Building Partnerships:

  • Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build alliances;
  • Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients, and potential partners;
  • Displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/herself and willingly accepts new work assignments.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

  •  Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
  • Develops and/or participates in the development of mechanisms, including identifying new approaches to promote individual and organizational learning and knowledge sharing using formal and informal methodologies.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

  •  Understands advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines (financial resources and human resources management, contract, asset and procurement, information and communication technology, general administration);
  • Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit;
  • Keeps abreast of new developments in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
  • Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
  • Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

Promoting Organizational Change and Development:

  • Performs appropriate work analysis and assists in redesign to establish clear standards for implementation.

Design and Implementation of Management Systems:

  • Carries out research into existing systems to identify best practice and make recommendations to management on applicability to UNDP;
  • Identifies and recommends remedial measures to address problems in systems design or implementation.

Client Orientation:

  •  Anticipates client needs;
  • Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
  • Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective.

Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management: 

  • Provides inputs to the development of organizational standards for accountability and results-based management.

  Required Skills and Experience

  Education:

  •  Master’s Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics, or related field.

Experience:

  • 4 years of relevant experience at the national and international level (6 years with Bachelor's Degree) in providing management advisory services and/or managing staff and operational systems and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP systems, preferably PeopleSoft;
  • Experience in accrual accounting, IPSAS, or IFRS is highly desirable;
  • Experience in crisis context will be an asset, not a requirement.

Language Requirements:

  •  Fluency in spoken and written English and the local language Tigrinya is a requirement. Knowledge of Amharic and Tigrinya an added advantage. 

  Disclaimer

  Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job descriptions, experience, and educational requirements.