Senior Programme Manager, Multiple positions

The Joint Peace Fund (JPF) is a multi-donor fund, established by international donors in 2015 to support Myanmar on the path to sustainable peace. The purpose of the JPF was to support national efforts to achieve a final and lasting settlement of ethnic armed conflict in Myanmar. Activities were focused on making the peace process itself more effective, supporting a more inclusive process, and paving the way to long-term peace by supporting political solutions to resolve decades of conflict.  This holistic focus – supporting a broad range of actors in the peace process from the negotiation of the top level leadership to community leaders working in villages in remote parts of the country - made it a unique project in terms of global peace support. With ten donors – Australia, Canada, European Union, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, UK and the United States, it represents a strong commitment to a peaceful future for all the many peoples of Myanmar.

The Myanmar peace process has been severely affected by the military coup of February 2021 and its aftermath, which saw an ever-increasing spiral of violence descending upon the country, the appearance of numerous new armed actors, and a generalised civilian resistance to the military. 

The JPF is adapting to these evolving circumstances and will implement a revised strategy that will guide our work over the next few years.

*** This vacancy seeks to fill two positions based in Yangon, Myanmar or Bangkok, Thailand.***

The JPF is now seeking to hire an experienced Senior Programme Manager who will manage and guide the implementation of a set of grants to key partners under the revised JPF Strategy from 2023. 

The Senior Programme Manager post is integral to shaping and overseeing the delivery of a portfolio of JPF grants in an extremely complex and challenging context, ensuring their contribution to  the JPF’s Strategic Objectives and its cross-cutting commitment on gender, inclusion and women’s leadership. 

The Senior Programme Manager will supervise a small programme team whilst working in close coordination with wider JPF colleagues and senior management as well as all implementing partners whose grants fall under their remit (which will include projects and activities that fall under both Strategic Objectives and the cross-cutting theme noted above). 

The Senior Programme Manager will report directly to the JPF Deputy Fund Director on their four main areas of responsibility:

1. Ensure sound, on-going JPF relations of mutual trust and confidence with implementing partners, peace stakeholder actors and other organisations; 

2. Ensure the portfolio of projects under their team is based on systematic, rigorous analysis of the context and the problems being addressed, using appropriate diagnostic tools and planning processes;

3. Oversee and report on the development and implementation of their project portfolio, applying the requisite political and conflict sensitivity understanding to ensure a balanced portfolio and in order to mitigate risks.

4. In conjunction with the Deputy Fund Director and other colleagues, produce regular (brief) reports/analytical pieces for the Fund Board on developments and initiatives relevant to the work of the JPF. 

• Maintain a relationship as trusted partner with the stakeholder parties, implementing partners, and others, including women’s organisations and other inclusion actors.
• Provide direct technical support to stakeholders on conflict management related issues including:

• Generate and support discussions for innovative conflict management and civilian protection and dialogue strategies;

• Increase compliance with codes of conduct and international norms and standards;

• Identify and scope out opportunities for potential synergies between different peace initiatives;

• Prioritise the Gender, Women, Peace & Security (GWPS) Agenda - and progress gender-sensitive conflict analysis, monitoring and management (protection, participation, leadership) including on gender-based and sexual violence against combatants and civilians.

• Maintain relationships with wider peace advisors and other thematic experts for direct technical advice to relevant stakeholders and partners. 

• Oversee studies and assessments to support project formulation, advisory support, and sub/strategy formulation. Such analysis should build significantly on the trusted relationship built with parties to the process, implementing partners, and other stakeholders (cf. 1.1.)
• Identify opportunities for the JPF to undertake or commission GWPS specific analyses (e.g. gender-specific impact of conflict; conflict-related sexual violence).
• Contribute to mid-year and annual reports and other periodic or ad hoc reporting as may be required.
• Support the Conflict Analyst in producing fit for purpose conflict monitoring and analysis updates and reporting.
• Provide the Fund Director, Deputy Fund Director, Fund Board, and Fund Board Working Group with project information, analysis, and guidance as needed including for programme opportunities and the associated risks.

• Oversee the design, development, and implementation of a portfolio of projects that successfully delivers the outputs articulated in the JPF strategy. 
• Assure gender-mainstreaming across the portfolio, and the development of gender-specific projects. The Team Leader should coordinate closely with the GWPS international advisor for the purpose of including international good practice and lessons learnt.
• Manage team members so that their work maintains constructive, productive relationships with stakeholders and contributes effectively to obtaining the JPF strategic outputs and outcome. Integrate JPF principles into daily behaviour and actions of all team members and JPF staff. Maintain duty of care for staff and organisational safeguards.
• Lead the monitoring of project implementation and produce timely reporting, assisted by the M&E unit, to effectively articulate how JPF partners are contributing to the achievement of strategic outputs and outcomes and – in instances where this is not the case – document the reasons why. 
• Contribute to periodic updates of the strategy, including reviews of the JPF theories of change, outcome, harvesting reflections, and other relevant reviews and planning exercises.

4. Produce regular, relevant reports and analytical pieces for the Fund Board and Fund Board Working Group. 

• Working with the Deputy Director and other colleagues, contribute to the regular (monthly) production of short information analysis think pieces that enable understanding of issues, initiatives and events that are material considerations for the JPF Strategy and its Board members.

Education:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Politics, Law, Peace and Conflict Studies, or a related subject is required.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in peace and conflict working for international organisations, donor agencies and/or INGOs is required.

• Within these 7 years, minimum 3 years of specific experience in a transitional environment and demonstrated ability to work within a conflict environment is required.

• Experience of peacebuilding initiatives, particularly as they relate to supporting an inclusive and nationally derived peace process is required.

• Demonstrated experience in liaising and working with a range of national and international stakeholders is required.

• Demonstrably strong programme, project technical, financial management and oversight experience,  including responding to donor requirements is required.

• Work on Myanmar’s peace process and knowledge of the Myanmar context is a strong advantage.

• Experience in building and maintaining relationships across a range of stakeholders in a complex, contested context is desirable.

Language:

• Written and spoken fluency in English is essential.

• Fluency in another UN language is an asset.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Award (ICA)
Contract level: International ICA Level 3, IICA, ICS11
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• 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.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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. For more information on a retainer contract 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.