Fund Manager

Strengthening Humanitarian Preparedness and Response Programme (SHPR)

DFID–Bangladesh (DfID-B) Strengthening Humanitarian Preparedness and Response (SHPR) programme aims to provide more effective, timely and predictable humanitarian support to refugees in Bangladesh and to vulnerable communities following disasters. It also aims to strengthen the ability of the Government of Bangladesh to effectively meet the needs of these groups, and to reduce the scale of impact of disasters when they occur.

The principle objectives of the SHPR are articulated around three Pillars.

Pillar 1: Augment disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction including for large‐ scale catastrophic emergencies and recurrent, predictable events;

Pillar 2: Respond to the impact of disaster events through the provision of predictable, timely and high quality humanitarian support;

Pillar 3: Deliver urgent humanitarian support to Rohingya refugees and needy host communities as well as creating an enabling environment for Rohingya related relief agencies through support to coordination fora.

The SHPR has initially been established as a facility to support DFID funding only. Depending on the  successful implementation of the fund, and interest from other donors to coordinate their humanitarian funding through a joint platform, the Programme may be upgraded to a multi donor programme at a later stage.

DFID has engaged UNOPS to provide fund management services to programmes under Pillar 1 and 3, whilst DFID will manage Pillar 2. Programmes under Pillars 1 and 3 include a Joint Needs Assessment programme by CARE, a joint-UN disaster preparedness programme via UNICEF, support to Mission Aviation Fellowship, IOM’s support to the Government of Bangladesh’ Rohingya Strategy and a Coordinated iNGO programme via ACF. The Bangladesh National Resilience Programme under Pillar 1 will have a different modality for UNOPS, where it will be an Administrative Agent rather than a Fund Manager.

As the Fund Manager, UNOPS is responsible for multiple functions vis-à-vis the SHPR Programme including, design of an early recovery/emergency response facility, fiduciary management, legal and technical oversight, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, quality assurance and communication. UNOPS will also be required to support DFID in its humanitarian agenda from the onset of this project.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

UNOPS seeks an experienced professional to lead UNOPS team that will deliver Fund Management Services to the SHPR.

The Fund Manager will have overall responsibility of implementing the Agreement on behalf of UNOPS and have a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners / stakeholders to ensure the SHPR programme is capable of meeting the business cases of both UNOPS and DFID.

The incumbent will have substantial experience in the preparedness, humanitarian and disaster response themes. Responsibilities will include inter alia, overall project management, stakeholder management, some technical oversight functions and leadership in designing of the Emergency Response Facility. S/he will also take the lead in providing advisory support to DFID humanitarian agenda during the project.

Stakeholder Management:

• Establish solid working relationship with the SHPR Management Committee , DFID focal point(s),SHPR implementing partners, UN RC Office Humanitarian Adviser, and other key stakeholders
• Manage communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of SHPR activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover of SHPR deliverables
• Advise DFID on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes
• Manage the information flows between the Management Committee / UNOPS Bangladesh Country Manager and the UNOPS team dedicated to the SHPR Programme

• Provide direction and leadership to the UNOPS Team responsible for the SHPR Fund Management
• Coach/mentor team members where applicable
• Issue and conflict resolution within the team and between the UNOPS team and stakeholders

Delivery and Performance:

• Lead the design of the early recovery/emergency response facility of the SHPR
• Lead the design and deploy a Beneficiary Accountability Mechanism (BAM) that would provide a platform for beneficiaries to report on respective programmes under the SHPR
• Advise and support DFID on their humanitarian agenda
• Implement approved programme plans (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the Management Committee
• Manage delivery of the programme’s outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary
• Authorize, monitor and control work packages to be delivered by the UNOPS team or by implementing partners
• Advise the Management Committee of deviations that have or will exceed set tolerances as approved in the programme plan
• Identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to client and stakeholders is achieved
• Monitor and evaluate performance of implementing partners from a fiduciary and contract management perspective
• Control risks to UNOPS internal business case and take corrective action
• Represent UNOPS at Management Committee meetings on a periodic basis in order to discuss key issues and propose solutions to fiduciary and operational challenges that arise
• Ensure that SHPR Programme activities are carried out in a timely fashion and the delineation of responsibilities remains clear
• Monitor progress of the programme at a strategic level and ensure periodic progress and updates are made to the Management Committee

Procedures:

• Follow the Project Management Cycle and ensure that UNOPS organizational policy is complied with (Organizational Directives and Administrative Instructions)
• On behalf of UNOPS, contribute to the development of the following plans for approval by the Management Committee:

1. SHPR Programme Plan
2. Subsequent Stage Plans

• As well as being responsible for the reporting as stipulated in the agreement the Fund Manager  and his / her team shall prepare the following reports:

1. Highlight Reports
2. End Stage Reports
3. Operational Closure Checklist
4. Handover Report

• Maintain critical programme records / documents via the Electronic Blue File (online audit / record retention folder)
• Ensure that all Programme activities comply with UNOPS Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR).
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors, grantees/ implementing partners and personnel are received on time.
• Understand and manage UNOPS pricing policy and related corporate charges as they apply to the Fund
• Ensure implementing partner capacity is commensurate with funding requirements
• Understand the structure and approaches of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel
• Manage and remain accountable for expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports)
• Participate as a member of the UNOPS Bangladesh Senior Management Team
• Ensure appropriate measures have been documented in a Closure Plan to facilitate the transition of operations in the final stage of delivery

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in relevant UNOPS Communities of Practice
• Actively interact with the PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice
• Provide feedback to Practice Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
• Complete lessons learned as per reporting format
• Contribute to the regional Centre of Excellence for Program/Fund Management

Core Values:

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity
• Harmonization within the UN and beyond
• Service to others
• Accountability for results and the use of resources
• Excellent facilitation, diplomatic, communication and networking skills and proven ability to perform in a sensitive working environment

Further duties may be identified throughout the implementation period

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The Fund Manager will report to the UNOPS Country Manager and Representative and make contributions as per this TOR. A work plan will be formulated and agreed between the Fund Manager, UNOPS and the SHPR Management Committee, with clearly defined outputs, milestones and reporting requirements.

The candidate should have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of fiduciary and contract management matters as well as the knowledge on UN rules and procedures for programme management. Experience in Fund Management in the context of preparedness, humanitarian and disaster response themes is required.

Education

• Master’s Degree in International Relations, Political / Development Studies, Business / Public Administration or other relevant discipline is required
• A Bachelor's degree in these areas with additional 2 years of relevant experience is considered as equivalent. A relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education

Work Experience

• A minimum of 10 years (or more based on academic credentials) progressively responsible programme implementation and management with increasing independence and decision-making authority. Experience of managing government and donor relations while working for an international organizations or related experience
• Demonstrable project management and fiduciary management skills are required.
• Experience in the context of preparedness, humanitarian and disaster response themes is required.
• Experience in fund management, grant management is required
• Regional experience (i.e. Asia) is an advantage; experience in Bangladesh would be considered as a strong asset
• Leadership experience with strong communication and interpersonal skills are required.
• Prior experience in supporting or managing implementation of multi-donor fund supported projects would be a strong asset
• Prior related experience in the UN system is an asset
• Experience in the usage of computers and in office software packages (MS Office 2010 and/or newer versions) is required

• Fluency in English is essential (must be able to effectively communicate in both oral and written form). 

• PRINCE2® Foundation or similar is required
• PM Certification such as PRINCE2® Practitioner or PMP® is desired

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.