Background Information - UNOPS
'UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peacebuilding, 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
UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.
Working in some of the world's most challenging environments, UNOPS vision 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 more than 6000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries.
UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.
Background Information - MAC
Mine Action Cluster
Based in New York, the UNOPS Mine Action Cluster provides a range of mine action services in emergency and post-conflict settings, on behalf of the United Nations, governments and other partners. Established in 1997 and part of the UNOPS Global Partner Services Office, the Mine Action Cluster has helped partners significantly improve the lives of people in more than 30 countries around the world.
It delivers fast and efficient procurement, recruitment and management services to facilitate humanitarian aid and launch emergency mine clearance. The cluster is also responsible for the administrative oversight of its field offices, in line with partner requirements and UNOPS rules and regulations.
One of the objectives of the Mine Action Cluster is to rapidly deploy mine action personnel to the field. To accomplish this, the cluster has established a Pool of Experts for the above mentioned position, from which it can deploy and re-deploy personnel in order to meet partner demands. Through the Global Personnel Recruitment System, the Mine Action Cluster completes the time-consuming aspects of the recruitment process in advance, and thereafter manages and maintains a pool of pre-approved personnel that can be deployed much more efficiently to Fixed Term Appointment (FTA), Temporary Appointment (TA) or Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) positions in the field.
Functional Responsibilities
Under the guidance of the Portfolio Manager in the UNOPS NAO Mine Action Cluster, and direct supervision of the Programme Manager (or person at the Field Office level designated by the Programme Manager), the Contracts Management Officer will be responsible for effective and timely delivery of UNOPS' contracts management services, in full compliance with the UNOPS financial rules and regulations and donor requirements. S/he will analyze and interpret the financial rules and regulations, analyze operational effectiveness reports, design monitoring tools and develop systems with the assistance of the programme manager. S/he will implement a quality plan for each contract and will engage in daily consultation with senior managers across the spectrum of activities covered by the contracts that they are managing. They will alert the Programme Manager and Portfolio Manager of any financial or operational irregularities such as contractors failing to meet the targets of contract work plans and propose a course of action to remedy this. They will provide solutions to a wide spectrum of complex issues related to procurement of services and contract management. They will travel to the field and visit sites being worked on by contractors and offices used.
Tasks will include:
- Represent UNOPS Portfolio Managers in the field vis-à-vis subcontractors, clients, national authorities and other external parties to the programme with regards to UNOPS implemented projects.
- Under the guidance of the Programme Manager act as negotiator of Mine Action projects in country on behalf of UNOPS. Prepare Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), Statement of Works (SoW), Contracts and other documents required for project implementation in cooperation with UNOPS legal specialists and portfolio Managers as needed.
- Assist in international bidding processes.
- Under the direction of UNOPS NAO MAC manage the pre-qualification and short-listing of bidders, preparations of bids, issuance of bids, pre-bid conference, receipt and opening of bids, bid evaluation, submission to UNOPS HQCPC (Headquarters Contracts and Property Committee) for recommendation of award, contracts negotiations, contract finalization and issuance.
- Develop a management plan for all UNOPS mine action contracts in country including, but not limited to, verification of insurance and goods procured, evaluation of subcontractor's personnel qualifications, monitoring delivery of contractual terms, certification of reports and payments, and issue of contract amendments, verification of services delivered against contractual requirements, alignment of specifications and standards. Provide objective oversight over various contract management processes and ensure their transparency.
- Develop and implement systems for internal control that would ensure compliance with contractual terms and conditions, in collaboration with the operations team.
- Make recommendations to the portfolio Manager for payments upon review of reports and comments from the Operations.
- Monitor and analyze contract performance against agreed benchmarks and through agreed reporting mechanism. Advise senior management on any potential issues and recommend remedial actions or solutions.
- Negotiate, within the terms and conditions of the contract, solutions to conflicts/problems arising in case of poor performance or non-compliance with contractual obligations.
- Frequently convene meetings with contractors to allow ample opportunity for the identification and early resolution of potential disputes.
- Coordinate with staff conducting activities required by the contract including logistical support, accreditation, licensing, verification of goods, monitoring of activities and performance of the subcontractors.
- Ensure full compliance of procurement /contracting activities within UN/UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies – and manage under the direction of Portfolio Manager in Mine Action Unit the implementation of harmonized procurement, contracting services and elaboration of Statement of Works developed in conjunction with Operations and Support Services Departments.
- Conduct UNOPS procurement/contracting business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal Standards Works Procedures (SWPs) on procurement of services and contract management.
- Realize syntheses of lessons learnt and best practices in procurement /contract management.
- Ensure key meetings and work procedures are properly documented and institutionalized.
- Develop appropriate contract management tools, guidelines and manuals for standardization and knowledge sharing purposes.
- Engage and involve government counterparts as appropriate, to facilitate contract management as well as to contribute to the capacity building plan.
- Depending on a role this position will be assigned to within the project administration setup in a specific country/programme (i.e. office structure, DOAs, ATLAS functions, segregation of duties, etc.), the incumbent will have responsibilities determined by UNOPS rules and regulations embodied in its regulatory framework - Organizational Directives, Administrative Instructions and other documents as periodically issued and updated by UNOPS. Reporting lines with regards to compliance with UNOPS rules and regulations are ultimately to UNOPS Chief Mine Action Cluster through Portfolio Manager. In addition, division of responsibilities when it comes to administrative processes in support of the programme objectives will be as determined for each country office and confirmed in writing by UNOPS Chief of Mine Action Cluster.
- Implement any other tasks requested by the Programme Manager and Portfolio Manager of UNOPS.
Competencies
- Teamwork Skills – Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
- Organising and Quality Orientation – Ability to manage, organize, plan and implement work assignments, juggle competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
- Decision Making – Demonstrated ability to apply good judgment and decision making skills.
- Communication Skill – Strong spoken and written communication skills.
- Creativity and Innovation – Strong analytical and problem solving skills and ability to handle a range of management and coordination issues.
- Ability to Learn – Willingness to keep abreast of new developments.
- Lives and Breathes UNOPS Values – Takes ownership for all responsibilities and honours commitments.
Education/Experience/Language requirements
- Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in a related field with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; or a first level University degree (Bachelors Degree or equivalent) in a related field with an additional 2 years of relevant experience (minimum of 7 years in total) may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
- Minimum of 5 years relevant experience with a minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible professional experience in contracts management matters;
- Thorough knowledge of UN financial rules and regulations is highly desirable;
- Experience in project management is highly desirable;
- Knowledge of Mine Action highly desirable;
- Ability to effectively work in a multicultural environment is required;
- Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is highly desirable;
- Fluency in written and oral English; knowledge of a second official UN language is an advantage;
- Flexibility and adaptability to work under pressure and meet specific deadlines;
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment;
- Computer literacy.
Contract type, level and duration
Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) / Temporary Appointment (TA) / International Individual Contractor Agreement (I-ICA)
Contract level: ICS-10: P3 FTA / P3 TA / I-ICA 2
Contract duration: Length of contract will depend on contract modality and funding availability.
For more details about United Nations staff contracts, please follow this link:
http://www.unops.org/english/whoweneed/contract-types/Pages/United-Nations-staff-contracts.aspx
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx
Additional Considerations
UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below 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.
