Coordinator- Program Monitoring and Assurance

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners by providing quality servces, integrated solutions and management support through strategic, cost-effective and results-oriented approches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

UNOPS GVA aims to strengthen its Portfolio Management Office (PMO) capabilities by embedding specialized Program Monitoring and Assurance (PMA) provisions, specifically designed to help programs mitigate downstream grant implementation risks.

By including PMA services to its PMO, UNOPS GVA aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Strengthening the programmes’ capacity to effectively undertake efficient and high-quality assurance and monitoring activities during the implementation phase (e.g. IP capacity assessments, spot checks, monitoring of IP capacity improvement plans, and any other monitoring and quality control activities) required to comply with the UNOPS grants management policy as well as the programmes’ respective standards and procedures;
2. Offering access to a large number of technical experts and to an efficient mechanism able to manage constraints and challenges linked to assurance and monitoring activities:
3. Promoting and supporting a standardized and consistent approach in assurance and monitoring activities, in line with UNOPS grants management policy and other operational framework such as HACT;
4. Offering all the required planning, coordination and quality control activities/processes necessary for the implementation of these specific services; 
5. Taking advantage of the portfolio grants high-volume and geographical diversity to reach economies of scales that will directly benefit the programmes financial performances; and
6. Assuring independence, segregation of roles between the programme management teams and the assurance activities, in line with UNOPS policy; and
7. Strengthening donors/stakeholders confidence in UNOPS GVA programmes capacity to provide independent, cost effective and high-standards assurance and monitoring activities.

The main services to be offered will cover the following activities:

• Capacity assessment 
• PSEA assessment
• Spot checks on delivery performance
• Capacity improvement plan definition, and implementation monitoring
• Downstream grant risks management strategies 
• Strategic Coordination of Annual Program Audits 
• Any other activities identified through consultation with the programs

Reporting directly to the UNOPS GVA Head of Programme,  Coordinator- Program Monitoring and Assurance will lead the structuring and launching phase of the PMA services . The responsibilities, once the set-up phase completed, will include the overall management, coordination, and quality control of the PMA services including,  with the collaboration of UNOPS GVA HR unit, the management of the consultants rosters, and with the collaboration of UNOPS GVA procurement unit, the management of Long Term Agreements (LTAs) for the delivery of services

Note: Should the selected candidate be a permanent resident or national of the duty station, they will be offered the local equivalent of the contract.

Leads the strategic design, implementation, and management of Program Monitoring and Assurance (PMA) services across the UNOPS GVA portfolio. Serving as a technical authority, this role adapts operational policies and best practices to emerging program requirements, provides high-level risk guidance, and oversees specialized service delivery to proactively mitigate downstream grant implementation risks.

Note: Should the selected candidate be a permanent resident or national of the duty station, they will be offered the local equivalent of the contract.

Summary of functions:

• Lead the consolidation and development of the PMA services.
• Lead the delivery of the PMA services.
• Support capacity building activities across the GVA portfolio

1. Lead the consolidation and development of the PMA service

• Take the lead in identification and deployment of potential new dedicated PMA services for UNOPS GVA programmes;
• Develop the appropriate SoPs and ToRs required to effectively carry out the defined services;
• This will include the review of existing tools, processes within the GVA portfolio and other known best practices within the UN, INGOs, and IFIs;
• Together with the finance unit, develop the cost-recovery mechanism of this dedicated unit;
• Together with the HR department, develop and maintain rosters of expert consultants that can provide timely support to UNOPS GVA programs in diverse areas of expertise and geographical implementation;
• Together with the procurement department, establish LTAs with services provided at country and/or regional levels;
• Maintain oversight of the cost allocation and recovery mechanism in coordination with the finance units to ensure accurate financial charging, resource optimisation, and long-term financial self- sustainability

2. Lead the delivery of the PMA service.

• Take the full lead in the promotion, planning, coordination, delivery, and quality control of the PMA services.
• Assist and advise the programmes on the good practices and activities to be implemented based on their needs and UNOPS compliance requirements;
• Develop technical and financial proposals according to the UNOPS financial rules and regulations and related program/project policies;
• Work with the global programs in the planning, coordination and quality control of the advisory services to be performed in support of the implementation of their respective annual work plans;
• Working with programmes/projects, to ensure that pipeline activities are communicated to expert resources to keep the market engaged and informed;
• Monitor across the UNOPS GVA programmes/projects portfolio delivery progress against the work orders, advising and guiding respective programmes/projects on assignment progress and deliverables;
• Ensure the quality-control framework of all PMA assignments by conducting systematic technical reviews of deliverables to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery, as well as verification of outputs, outcomes, and results
• Effectively manage and categorise the pool of experts and service providers under LTAs by agreed criteria (location, technical expertise etc);
• Maintain proactive communications with projects and programmes to forecast pipeline activities, delivery progress against the work orders, advising and guiding respective programmes/projects on assignment progress and deliverables, keeping the programme and retainers actively engaged, informed, and aligned with upcoming needs.

3. Support capacity building activities across the GVA portfolio

• Support the ongoing digitalization process and knowledge management as applied to grant management capacity assessment and PSEA monitoring;
• Keep abreast of changes to the programmes guidelines and/or UNOPS grants management policies, to adjust the modalities for service delivery and reporting on an ongoing basis, as may be required;
• Drive portfolio-wide adoption of lessons learned, actively engaging with and contributing to the established UNOPS communities of practice (COP) on grants, M&E, and other relevant COPs;
• Promote and engage in the optimum use of the UN-Partner Portal to ease capacity constraints and support fulfillment of policy requirements;
• Support the preparation of success stories and good practices for inclusion in internal and external communication products;

Required

• A Master’s Degree in Development Studies, Business Administration, or related fields is required. 

• A combination of a Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above. 

Desired

• PRINCE2 Certification, Project Management Professional (PMP) or related certification.

  
  

Required:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, grant management, financial management, or risk management.
• Experience in coordinating program monitoring and quality assurance services.
• Experience in directly managing experts, including recruiting and retaining talent.

Desirable:

• Demonstrated experience with international procurement, especially in the health sector.
• Demonstrated experience in working and building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Chartered Institute of Supply and Management (CIPS) or similar international professional body is an asset

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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.