Senior Programme Manager

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

The Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC) was established in 2018 to efficiently deliver grants and manage funds, and to provide quality pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.  The ARHC aims to significantly impact the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goal on good health and well-being by expanding the population benefiting from UNOPS-managed health-related engagements across the Asia Region.

The ARHC portfolio manages the Principal Recipient (PR) Programme of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Asia, currently with grants in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. UNOPS, as a PR, is responsible for delivering the targets set out in the grant agreements in collaboration with selected sub-recipients from the National Programmes, local and international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and United Nations agencies. 

The Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC) is a dedicated UNOPS unit focused on delivering health programmes and procurement across the Asia Pacific region. Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, ARHC operates through a network of personnel in UNOPS country offices, leveraging local support services. ARHC's mission is to improve health outcomes and contribute to SDG 3 by providing tailored solutions and advisory services. Its expertise encompasses programme and fund management, pharmaceuticals and health sector procurement, and technical expertise in the health sector. Since 2011, ARHC has managed over US$1.68 billion in Global Fund grants for HIV, TB, and malaria programmes in the Greater Mekong Subregion, supporting national programmes, NGOs, and multilateral organizations. ARHC also extends its capabilities and services to UNOPS multi-country and country offices in the region, promoting regional collaboration and impact in the health sector.

Serving as the Global Fund Principal Recipient (PR) since 2011, UNOPS manages grants for Myanmar’s HIV, TB, and Malaria programs through its Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC) with full transparency and accountability. UNOPS has also been selected as the PR for the upcoming 2027–2029 HIV, TB, and RAI5E grants.  

Under the supervision of the PR Head of Programme, the Senior Programme Manager (Monitoring and Evaluation) shall oversee monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and data quality assurance for the Global Fund-supported health programmes, and coordinate between PR UNOPS and Sub Recipients.

The Senior Programme Manager (M&E) provides strategic leadership, technical direction and managerial oversight for monitoring, evaluation, reporting, data quality and learning across UNOPS-managed Global Fund-supported programmes. The role establishes and assures a consistent portfolio-wide M&E architecture while enabling fit-to-context arrangements for HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and regional grants.

The incumbent leads and supervises the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists, sets priorities and quality standards, reviews and clears key deliverables, and ensures that programme evidence is timely, credible and used for management decisions. The role advises senior management on programme trajectories, performance risks, grant ratings and corrective actions; maintains effective engagement with the Global Fund, Local Fund Agent, National Programmes, Co-Principal Recipients, Sub-Recipients and technical partners; and promotes responsible adoption of digital health, analytics and interoperable information systems.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Principal Recipient Global Fund Management, the Senior Programme Manager (M&E) is accountable for the strategic direction, management and quality assurance of the M&E function across the assigned grant portfolio. 

The incumbent will perform, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities: 

1. Strategic M&E Leadership and Governance

• Lead the development and periodic revision of portfolio and grant-level M&E strategies, Performance Frameworks, monitoring plans, indicator guidance, reporting protocols and standard operating procedures.

• Contribute to the development and updating of national disease M&E plans, ensuring that UNOPS systems are coherent with national systems and responsive to evolving programme and donor requirements.

• Establish fit-to-context M&E arrangements that reflect grant, disease, geographic, access and implementation realities while maintaining consistent portfolio-wide quality standards.

• Advise senior management on programme performance, grant ratings, data limitations, emerging risks and corrective actions.

• Oversee responsible adoption of digital M&E dashboards, predictive analytics and other technological tools, ensuring appropriate data protection, sustainability and partner ownership.

• Lead the grant negotiations for M&E including submission of quality inputs required to ensure the grant agreement signature.

2. Team Leadership and Quality Assurance

• Lead and supervise M&E Specialists supporting HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and regional grants, ensuring clear accountabilities, coordinated workplans, balanced workloads and effective cross-grant collaboration.

• Set team and individual objectives, provide technical guidance and coaching, review performance and identify professional-development and resourcing needs.

• Review and clear key M&E products, particularly high-risk or externally submitted deliverables, to ensure technical accuracy, consistency, traceability and compliance.

• Foster an inclusive, accountable and learning-oriented team culture that promotes collaboration, innovation and staff wellbeing.

3. Monitoring, Reporting and Performance Management

• Direct the implementation and continuous improvement of monitoring and reporting systems across the portfolio, ensuring timely submission of structured and quality-assured data by National Programmes, Co-PRs, SRs and implementing partners.

• Oversee maintenance of the M&E database and related repositories, ensuring incoming data are validated, securely managed and readily available for authorized analysis and reporting.

• Ensure timely preparation and quality assurance of PUDRs, Pulse Checks, grant performance reports, quarterly, annual and ad hoc progress updates, management reports and presentations.

• Review overall grant and indicator performance against approved targets and cumulative results, identifying trends, variances, implementation gaps and actions required to improve performance.

• Coordinate responses to Global Fund, Local Fund Agent and management queries and maintain a consolidated calendar of reporting obligations, reviews and evaluations.

4. Data Quality, Assurance and Performance Analysis

• Establish and oversee a risk-based assurance framework and M&E workplan covering data-quality assessments, data verification, programmatic spot checks, field monitoring and follow-up of findings.

• Direct or commission data audits, verification exercises and spot checks at national and subnational levels, ensuring that findings and corrective actions are properly documented and tracked.

• Review and validate M&E findings produced by National Programmes and SRs and ensure follow-up of agreed recommendations.

• Oversee reconciliation of programmatic results with financial implementation, procurement and supply data, escalating material discrepancies and recurrent issues.

• Lead portfolio-level qualitative and quantitative analysis, including variance analysis, dashboards, scorecards and predictive approaches, to support management decisions and anticipate implementation bottlenecks.

5. Digital M&E Systems, Data Governance and Advanced Analytics

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the development, integration and continuous improvement of databases, electronic information systems, digital health platforms and other technology-enabled M&E solutions across the grant portfolio.

• Direct the development and use of real-time digital dashboards, automated reporting tools and interactive data visualizations to strengthen portfolio oversight, enable early identification of performance issues and support timely management decisions.

• Promote the use of advanced data analytics, including trend, variance, geospatial and predictive analysis, to assess programme trajectories, anticipate implementation bottlenecks and inform corrective action and resource prioritization.

• Establish and oversee data-governance arrangements covering data quality, ownership, access, security, privacy, retention, documentation and responsible use.

• Promote interoperability, standardized indicators, metadata management, version control and effective information exchange between UNOPS, national and partner systems.

• Review and approve proposed digital tools and system enhancements, ensuring fitness for purpose, compatibility, sustainability, value for money and avoidance of unnecessary duplication.

• Provide strategic oversight and coordination of UNOPS support to relevant Ministry of Health e-health and digital health initiatives, including DHIS/DHIS2, the Master Patient Index and other national platforms, and ensure effective monitoring and reporting of activities financed by the Global Fund.

6. Technical Support, Evaluation and Capacity Strengthening

• Provide high-level technical guidance to National Programmes, Co-PRs, SRs and implementing partners on M&E methodologies, indicators, surveillance, reporting, data management and programme performance.

• Guide M&E inputs to grant-making, grant negotiations, implementation planning, workplan and budget reviews, reprogramming, portfolio optimization, performance assessments and grant closure.

• Lead or coordinate UNOPS participation in technical reviews, programme evaluations, surveys, operational assessments and special studies, ensuring methodological quality and practical use of findings.

• Support the Ministry of Health and National Programmes to strengthen M&E and surveillance systems, including appropriate sentinel surveillance mechanisms for monitoring programme outcomes and impact.

• Set the strategic direction for partner capacity development and approve training, mentoring and digital-upskilling plans, guidance documents and job aids.

• Ensure capacity-strengthening support improves partner reporting, data quality, evidence use, health-service delivery and implementation of approved programme plans.

7. Coordination, Knowledge Management and Learning

• Lead M&E coordination with Programme Management, Finance, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Compliance and other relevant functions to support integrated programme oversight.

• Maintain effective relationships with the Global Fund Country Team, LFA, National Programmes, Co-PRs, SRs, CCM/CDW structures, WHO, UN agencies, civil society and development partners.

• Chair or facilitate programme performance reviews, data-review sessions and M&E coordination forums, ensuring clear decisions, assigned actions and timely follow-up.

• Represent UNOPS in technical and strategic meetings, grant review missions, evaluations and donor discussions, presenting consolidated updates on programme performance, risks and corrective actions.

• Promote an active learning culture and oversee the documentation, storage and dissemination of scientific evidence, technical guidance, lessons learned, good practices and innovations.

• Facilitate cross-grant learning and ensure monitoring and evaluation findings inform programme adaptation, strategic planning and resource prioritization.

8. Compliance, Audit and Risk Management

• Ensure M&E and reporting arrangements comply with Global Fund requirements, UNOPS policies, applicable national guidance, donor standards and relevant data-protection obligations.

• Maintain oversight of portfolio-level M&E risks and ensure that proportionate mitigation measures are implemented and material risks escalated.

• Lead M&E support to internal and external audits, LFA reviews, technical-assistance missions and programme evaluations.

• Ensure recommendations arising from audits, reviews and evaluations are properly documented, assigned, followed up and closed.

• Promote effective document control, evidence retention, data traceability and readiness for assurance reviews.

• Perform other strategic M&E, programme assurance and management functions assigned by the supervisor in support of effective Global Fund grant implementation.

Required

• Master’s degree or equivalent - preferably in Public Health, Epidemiology Statistics, Evaluation, Project Management, or related area is required. OR

• Bachelor’s Degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and 2 additional years experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
  
  

Required

• A minimum of 7 years of monitoring and evaluation experience in health programmes. 

• Successful development and implementation of an M&E system at programme level.

• Familiarity with DHIS2 (District Health Information Software) or similar integrated public health databases and technological tools.

• Prior experience working with donors/ multi-donor funds.

• Willingness to undertake field visits in difficult conditions. 

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Office 2010 and/or newer versions).

Desired

• Previous work in and knowledge of the political, economic and social situation in Myanmar.

• Sound knowledge of UNOPS regulations and rules.

• Ability to analyze large datasets using software such as Stata, SPSS, R, or Python. 

• Familiarity with mobile data collection tools like KoBoToolbox, ODK (Open Data Kit), or CommCare for field-level health data gathering. 

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