Job Detail

About UNOPS

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources.


Working with us

We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.


Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Job Description

Background Information - Afghanistan

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency.  At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services. 

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need.

 Background Information - Job-specific

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Programme (HoP), and in close coordination with the Regional Office and the Partnerships Group, the Programme and Partnerships Specialist is responsible for developing and implementing the partnership and programme management activities.

 Functional Responsibilities

1. Partnerships development
2. Programme management
3. Representation and inter-agency collaboration 
4. Knowledge management and innovation

1. Partnerships development 

• In support of the Head of the Project Development Unit, contribute to developing comprehensive partnership development initiatives in line with the UNOPS Strategic Plan, Asia Regional Office (ARO) and AFCO Strategies. This  includes country context, analysis of the regional and national development and humanitarian landscape, identification of main partners, strategic positioning of AFCO in the potential operational niches identified, and the growth of pipeline opportunities in Afghanistan. Ensure the plan reflects in-house capacity, typology of projects and the internal tools and knowledge resources. 
• Contribute to the design of project proposals with a specific focus on implementation modality, procurement plans, HR plans, governance structure and budgets. 
• Examine risks and opportunities presented by the strategic positioning of the AFCO and propose appropriate responses to ensure sustainable growth.
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant Partnerships personnel at local, liaison and HQ levels, as well as Senior Programme Managers, Project Managers and project personnel to ensure aligned and coherent interactions with partners and identify synergies.
• Monitor and evaluate humanitarian and development trends and needs to identify areas of collaboration within the UNOPS mandate and existing capacity. 
• Contribute to the identification, design, formulation and negotiation of new projects and programs and draft concept notes and project document briefs for discussion with partners.
• Create and maintain oneUNOPS opportunities and engagement functionalities in alignment with UNOPS corporate guidelines. 
• Coordinate technical and financial requirements and negotiate proposals to close new project opportunities.
• Draft agreements and/or contractual documents required for the signature and implementation of new projects.
• Understand and clearly explain UNOPS pricing policy to partners.
• Contribute to the diversification of the AFCO in line with UNOPS strategic and Regional objectives. 

2. Programme Management 

• Provide appropriate levels of programmatic management and administrative support to the HOP regarding all ongoing project activities while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures
• With advice and guidance from HOP, provide support on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements, legal agreements and project documents.
• Ensuring mobilisation stage requirements are in place by the time the PM is mobilised for the new engagements.
• When required, act as start-up project manager and hand over to the incoming PM within 90 days of agreement start date (where applicable).
• Provide comprehensive support and facilitate the timely delivery of progress reports to donors and project partners.
• Ensure no projects within the portfolio have Lapsed/Expired MOUs.
• Provide support on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements, legal agreements and project documents.
• Support the HOP with all reporting, including UN Afghanistan reporting activities in line with AFCO’s business plan and in line with UNOPS corporate policies and procedures.
• Support project implementation in the procurement process, recruitment, gender initiatives and communication with donors and partners.Support the development of plans and strategies related to programme/project management in AFCO to improve AFCO’s programme and project implementation.
• Support the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities for AFCO projects and programmes and provide technical assistance to the Head of Programme

3. Representation and inter-agency collaboration 

• On behalf of the HOP, participate in and report on the relevant inter-agency, donor and government coordination meetings such as the UN Afghanistan Programme Management Team (PMT). 
• Take part in UN common planning and programming processes, including strategic country analysis, UN Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (UNSFA), Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and other response plans and Criticality Assessment.
• Support the interagency Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) efforts and provide technical assistance to the HOP
• Establish a comprehensive mechanism and framework for the monitoring and reporting on the strategic planning framework of the UN in Afghanistan and its partners based on the new aid architecture under UNSFA.

4. Knowledge management, including Quality assurance and innovation 

• Implement standards, tools and templates provided by HQ to effectively manage partnership and project development within the team to enhance/maintain UNOPS effectiveness as a provider of project services for sustainable results.
• Undertake advocacy, public information and communication activities in collaboration with the Communications Officer and Funds/Programme Communication focal points when required.
• Contribute to the ongoing research, development and implementation of best practices and innovative approaches to maximise performance and sustain achievements in project and partnership development. 
• Help build partnership capacity and negotiation skills among Programme/project managers 
• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building within project and partnership development. 
• In close collaboration with the Programme/Project Managers, support AFCO Infrastructure, Programme, Project, Procurement and Partnerships unit in coordinating quality reviews of project documents, deliverables and programme/project implementation processes 
• Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.) ensuring donors’ and UNOPS compliance 

Skills Required

• Communication Skills
• English Fluency
• Management
• Excellent proposal and report writing skills

Submission Guideline:

Submission Guideline

Please click on the below link for actual vacancy announcement to see the complete details and submission guideline as this is only an attempt for attracting female applicants for gender parity in organization. Please make sure you fill your profile/application properly with all relevant details in order to be considered for the next stage of recruitment/selection.

https://jobs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=26840

Submission Email:

https://jobs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=26840