Regional Management and Oversight Advisor

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources. UNOPS is the legal and administrative host of the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund, with hosting arrangements managed by the Geneva Office. 

Working with Us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines. 

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce - a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage the recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, the UNOPS Office of the Regional Director (ORD) forAfrica provides strategic leadership, oversight, and operational support to UNOPS multi-country offices across the continent. The office guides portfolio management, partnership development, and risk management, helping ensure alignment with organizational goals and regional priorities. By promoting high standards in project delivery, the regional office plays a critical role in enhancing efficiency, accountability, and impact. It serves as a hub for knowledge sharing, enabling the exchange of best practices and lessons learned across diverse contexts. This coordinated approach strengthens UNOPS’ ability to deliver sustainable, high-quality solutions that support national development efforts and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) throughout Africa.

The Regional Management and Oversight Senior Advisor (RMOA) reports to the Regional Director (RD) who provides broad supervision and guidance. The role is responsible for providing strategic advice to the Regional Director, with particular focus on business performance, portfolio analysis and corporate results reporting.

The role acts as Officer in Charge in the case of absence the Regional Director.

The role is responsible for, amongst others:

• Providing strategic advice to the RD, with particular focus on financial stewardship, operational excellence, effective and productive workforce management and delivery of results across the region;

• Providing advice to the RD related to regional performance improvement and knowledge sharing across the region;

• Coordinating and monitoring of implementation progress for the strategic corporate initiatives across the region;

• Supporting the RD to monitor and update the regional business plan;

• Leading the regional operations management group and 

• Coordinating improvement and knowledge sharing initiatives and overseeing their implementation.

1. Strategic advisory

2. Operational performance oversight and coordination

3. Performance improvement

4. Knowledge management and innovation

The incumbent advises and supports the RD with respect to the following responsibilities and activities:

1. Strategic advisory

• Facilitate the development of regional strategies and policies through advice to the RD and senior management, including advising on current and future business operations and strategy development and planning.

• With the RD and in collaboration with the team and partners, develop the multi-year strategic plan for the Region and the annual business plan for the Region, including proposing targets, standards and results expected to ensure timely and partner oriented services.

• Evaluate overall regional activities/initiatives to ensure alignment with organisational strategic plans, framework and standards of accountability, ethics and integrity and to ensure that portfolio delivery and business development are mutually reinforcing. sustainable development.

• Keep abreast of organisational changes to make recommendations on regional strategy and approaches to business development, management of regional project portfolio and delivery of sustainable results.

2. Operational performance oversight and coordination

• Review and endorse proposed regional and country targets in terms of process excellence, workforce management excellence and financial stewardship.

• Monitor and oversee the performance across the region; provide guidance and support in relation to actions required to achieve targets.

• Monitor and oversee the internal controls across the region; provide guidance and support in relation to actions required to achieve sufficient levels of controls.

• Oversee the regional performance and execute appropriate controls, with particular focus on cost recovery and attribution of costs, and other high operational risks.

• Coordinate with relevant UNOPS HQ units, to ensure prioritisation, alignment and coherent interactions with the region; actively engage with internal stakeholders and HQ units to make sure that country and regional perspectives are reflected in HQ-led initiatives.

• On behalf of the RD, participate in and report on the relevant coordination meetings, working groups, task-forces, etc.

• Coordinate and maintain regular communication with all countries in the region on their needs and requests for support.

• Coordinate preparation of substantive briefs for the RD on regional opportunities and challenges.

• Act as the secondary supervisor for the Heads of Support Services (HOSSs) in the region.

3. Performance improvement

• Drive and support world-class performance, organizational excellence and continuous improvement, as well as nurture a high-performance management culture.

• Make recommendations to the RD on matters related to performance and efficacy of regional operations.

• Recommend to the RD, changes to structural arrangements within and between entities in the regional structure, including cross-functional integration and coordination within the region,in accordance to UNOPS standards on organisational structures.

• Develop and implement a performance monitoring system to provide oversight of the regional performance measures and tracking of improvement initiatives.

4. Knowledge management and innovation

• Actively engage with UNOPS’ Implementation Practices and Standards unit as well as the regional portfolios, to capture and provide a synthesis of best practice, lessons learned and ensure harmonisation of practices across the region.

• Facilitate and encourage the sharing of information, knowledge and best practices across the region.

• Contribute to the planning, implementation and organisation of strategic capacity building of personnel, partners and stakeholders for strategic business development and engagement.

• Act as the learning focal point for the region.

Impact of Results

The effective and successful achievement of results by the incumbent directly contributes to the visibility and image of the UNOPS brand, as an effective service provider in project services and management and consequently strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

Required:

• An Advanced University Degree (Master's or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Political Science, International Relations, International Development, Social Sciences or a related discipline with 10 years of experience is required;

• A First-Level University Degree (Bachelor's) in combination with 2 additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Desired:

• CA or CPA or equivalent is desirable.

Required

• A minimum of 10 years experience working in project and programme management, international development, post-disaster and/or emergency contexts is required.

• Field work experience. 

• Proven ability to collaborate with and oversee diverse and senior teams

Desired

• Experience in an international organization is an asset.

• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning and change management is desirable.

• Demonstrated understanding of development issues and current donor and sectoral trends is an asset.

• Prior work experience in Africa is an asset.

• Strategic planning experience is an asset.

• PRINCE2® Foundation and/or Practitioner Certification or equivalent is desirable.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.