Team Leader - Global Fund Local Fund Agent
- Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
- Location:
- Grade: Mid level - P-4, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
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Occupational Groups:
- Banking and Finance
- HIV and AIDS
- Closing Date: Closed
Background Information - UNOPS
“UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peace building, humanitarian and development operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities help suffering people in troubled parts of the world.” -Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General
The mission of UNOPS is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peace building, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.
Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, the vision of UNOPS is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.
By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.
UNOPS employs approximately 6,000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of regional offices as well as operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries.
UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.
The Global Fund does not have a country-level presence outside of its central Secretariat. Instead, it hires third party Local Fund Agents (LFAs) to oversee, verify and report on grant performance. LFAs are selected through a competitive bidding process.
The Global Fund typically engages one LFA in each country where its grant funds are disbursed. The LFA provides access to local knowledge that is relevant to grant performance. The Global Fund adheres to the principles of performance-based funding in making disbursement decisions. The aim is to ensure that investments are made only where funding is managed and spent effectively on programs that achieve impact in fighting the relevant diseases. The LFA is a crucial part of the Global Fund’s system of oversight and risk management. Its principal role is to provide informed and independent professional advice about the capacity of fund/grant recipients to manage the implementation of activities funded by grant funds (including the recipient’s capacity to oversee implementation of activities by implementing parties), to make recommendations concerning periodic disbursement of grant funds, to review grant performance when a grant is being considered for renewal, and to provide the donor on an on-going basis with relevant information on issues or risks which might affect grant performance.
The LFA is expected to have an up-to-date and comprehensive understanding of relevant diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria), how they are prevented, transmitted and treated, and their impact on a specific country. The LFA team assesses the recipients’ institutional and health/programmatic capacities and arrangements to ensure adequate health expertise (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and/or malaria) in the implementation of the donor grant funds. The LFA team also determines whether the recipient has adequate infrastructure and information systems to support grant implementation, including the monitoring of performance of implementing partners and outsourced entities in a timely and accountable manner. The Global Fund has adopted an intensive risk management approach to services with enhanced effort toward in-depth verifications and reporting. The identification of financial and programmatic risks with ongoing updates shall be provided the donor with special attention to the overall context of the relevant diseases and grant implementation in country.
The LFA Team Leader (TL) will be based in-country and report to the Senior Manager, Global Health Partnerships, based in Geneva. The TL is responsible for the management of the UNOPS team and ultimately responsible for the quality of all deliverables submitted to the client.
The functions/duties/key results of this job description are generic and may not always be applicable, nor comprehensive, for all jobs under this job title.
The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
Functional Responsibilities
Leadership and Management
The incumbent is required to perform the function of leadership and management of UNOPS team activities in the relevant country by carrying out the following activities:
• Supervise and closely monitor the work of the UNOPS team;
• Ensure the allocation of tasks within the team and the involvement of the appropriate expertise;
• Ensure that all teamwork, includes inputs of all technical experts, is of high quality and completed within the timeframe, and as per guidelines set by the donor;
• Hold regular UNOPS team meetings and promote teamwork and enthusiasm among team members for the provision of services to the donor;
• Lead and guide, troubleshoot and advise the team on remedial actions to be taken;
• Responsible for completion of the performance management process for the team;
• Provide development opportunities for the team members;
• Ensure an adequate working environment is maintained for the UNOPS team including the provision of logistical and administrative support;
• Develop the annual scope of work, cost proposal and the consequent annual work plan of team activities;
• Maintain updated schedule of time worked by all team members in each technical area;
• Foster an atmosphere of team spirit, mutual respect and professional independence within the team;
Relationship with donors
• Demonstrate an overall understanding of the grant architecture and in-depth knowledge of all team activities required to be performed as described in the donor Manual;
• Remain updated on donor guidelines and procedures, timeframes for completion of Team activities, and the forms and templates to be used in the field of work;
• Pro-actively monitor grant implementation and/or performance by recipients through regular contact, including with other stakeholders;
• Provide the donor with relevant information on issues or concerns/ risks which may affect grant performance; such should be reported to the donor/client either through regular deliverables or through special channels and protocols of communications set up by the donor/client, and as per UNOPS rules and regulations.
• Attend meetings and other ad hoc events related to grant implementation ,and in line with the scope of work agreed with the donor/client, and keep the donor informed on relevant matters;
• Coordinate closely with UNOPS global quality assurance team to arrange any necessary technical support;
• Facilitate visits by donor staff and travel as necessary for joint monitoring visits
Content management
• Organize and lead recipient assessments, and financial and programmatic reviews to provide informed and independent professional advice to the donor about the capacity of recipients to effectively manage and implement the donor grant funds;
• Assist the donor in grant negotiations;
• Assist the donor in grant closure activities;
• Verify quarterly financial and programmatic reports and disbursement request to make recommendations to the donor concerning periodic disbursement of grant funds;
• Organize and lead on-site data verifications, financial spot checks and other exercises including travel to monitor status of grant implementation;
• Lead the preparation of coherent reports which reflect the professional excellence of UNOPS; including organizing joint team reviews of all major reports prior to submission for external QA;
• Undertake preliminary quality assurance of all deliverables to be submitted to the donor, to ensure that these are in line with contemporary professional standards;
• Perform other duties as per the donor manual and/or as assigned/ required.
Competencies
Management experience.
Supervisory experience.
Health sector experience.
Decision making.
Ability to analyse.
Organizing and quality orientation.
Communication skills.
Client focus.
Leadership experience.
Strong project management and team management skills.Ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines in complex environment.
In-depth knowledge of issues relating to project management in developing countries.
Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior-level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds;
Strong professional oral communication, writing and analytical skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents.
Must be skilled in at least one of the following technical areas: financial management, health program management, procurement and supply chain management, and monitoring and evaluation.
Experience with larger donors in the area of health is an advantage.
Education
A University graduate degree in:
· Public Health; or
· Finance/Accounting; or
· Public Administration; or
· Business Administration; or
· Social Science; or
Other relevant discipline.
Experience
10 years of management experience, preferably in the health, social or financial sector, with
(i) strong project management and team management skills, ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines in complex environment;
(ii) an in-depth knowledge of issues relating to project management in developing countries;
(iii) strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior-level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds; and
Strong professional oral communication, writing and analytical skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents.
Languages
Additional Considerations
For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the job.
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
Based on organizational needs at the time of recruitment, applicants accepted into this UNOPS roster pool may be considered for job at the advertised job level or its equivalent. The successful candidate(s) may be offered a contract governed by the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules or UNOPS individual contractor agreement.
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