Governance Officer

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

RBM Partnership to End Malaria

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the largest global platform for coordinated action towards a world free from malaria. It is comprised of over 500 partners - from community health worker groups and researchers developing new tools, to malaria-affected and donor countries, businesses and international organisations. 

Since its inception in 1998, the RBM Partnership has played a critical role in global efforts that reduced malaria deaths by half and saved 10.6 million lives. The Partnership is now committed to building on these significant gains and ending malaria for good.

Expansions in financing, strong political commitments, novel diagnostic and preventative measures, and multi-sectoral coordination have facilitated this progress. The RBM Partnership is central to the global fight against malaria and has played an essential role in mobilising political will and financial resources, as well as scaling up innovative interventions to put the world on a path to eliminating malaria.

Despite these gains, malaria still poses a significant threat to public health and sustainable development. Malaria continues to affect the poorest and most marginalised disproportionately and restricts human development and poverty alleviation. The African continent accounts for over 90% of the global malaria burden and therefore stands to gain the most from malaria elimination.

Malaria is a smart investment that contributes to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, including ending poverty and ensuring quality education. 

RBM's Vision is a world free from the burden of malaria.

The RBM Partnership is a global health initiative created to implement coordinated action against malaria. It mobilizes for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership is composed of a multitude of partners, including malaria endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. The partners join the RBM Partnership on a voluntary basis through their commitment to a malaria-free world.

The incumbent will work under the guidance and supervision of the RBM Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and in close collaboration with the Office of the CEO, Board Leadership group and the Board. 

Support the RBM Board and Board Committees

• Coordinate and facilitate governance related meetings per applicable governance policies, including drafting and seeking consensus on agenda topics, identifying the relevant participants, and preparing/partaking, where possible, in the drafting of pre-reads and slides, in collaboration with the Office of the CEO and technical teams, as necessary.

• Proofread, edit, and revise the Board meeting documents to ensure high quality and compliance with the RBM branding guidelines.

• Provide scheduling support for Board, Leadership, and Committee meetings.

• Serve as rapporteur at Board, Board Leadership, Board Committee meetings, and other events involving the participation of the Board, as needed.

• Support the Decision Point Drafting Committee at Board meetings.

• Support all Board Committees in Board related matters (Committees meetings, committees reports and documentations, etc).

• Support the work of the ongoing governance review in collaboration with all stakeholders.

• Draft and ensure response to all Board Affairs correspondence.

• Update the Board Affairs content on the RBM website (Board biographies, web news, unrestricted Board meeting reports, unrestricted Board meeting e-decisions, policies, Board meeting dates, etc. in collaboration with Finance and Administration Unit/Communications Teams.

• Maintain up-to-date Board Affairs contacts records and email mailing lists.

• Guide the work of the Finance and Administration Team to handle the procurement needs related to Board meetings/events.

• Liaise with the translation agency for translations into French; obtaining quotes and financial approvals to proceed from the Finance and Administration Team. Updating the translations tracker, checking incoming invoices, and submitting them to the Finance and Administration Team for processing together with required supporting documentation.

• Serve as the primary monitor of the Board Affairs mailbox.

• Make travel arrangements for Board Members (quotes, liaison with Board Members on the preferred/possible route, liaison with finance for approval to proceed, liaison with the UNOPS travel unit, security & health and safety clearances, processing of expense claims, visa applications, arranging of accommodation, transfers as need be, processing any changes.

• Liaise and engage with Board Members and external parties to fulfil requests for information related to Board Affairs / Governance matters.  

• Maintain a record of Board decisions and how they have been implemented to provide recommendations to improve decision making and make it relevant to the programmatic mission. 

• Act as a liaison to facilitate the flow of pertinent information between the Board, the RBM CEO, and the Secretariat.
  
  

Governance support

• Support in developing, revising, and implementing governance-related policies, processes, and procedures to ensure that the RBM Partnership has fit-for-purpose framework in collaboration with legal experts, as necessary.

• Provide appropriate technical advice related to governance policies, including reviewing, and analysing issues and trends and prepare related reports to the Board. 

• Prepare strategic summaries of information gathered from diverse sources to be assessed and used by the Board, Board Leadership, Secretariat/UNOPS Senior Management, and other stakeholders.

• Manage Board votes.

• Support the rotation and election processes for Board members, Partner Committee/Working Group Co-chairs, in close collaboration with Partner Committee/Working Group Co-chairs and Managers, in line with the related policy provisions.

• Provide timely, high quality, strategic, and governance advice and support.

• Support any additional Board projects as needed.

Support to the RBM Board Chair / Board

• Ensure the effective and efficient management of the Board Chair function through governance relations, outreach, diplomacy, and communication.

• Ensure compliance of the RBM Board Chair, all Board Members, and all Board participants and observers with the RBM Bye-Laws and any other related governance provisions.

• Constantly ensure that the RBM Board strive for greater efficiency, transparency, independence, representativeness, security, and quality in the exercise of its functions

• Ensure that the Board undertakes ethics and compliance to existing laws and regulations as fundamental pillars

• Organise, coordinate and oversee Board Chair’s and Board Members’ representative activities on behalf of the RBM Board in collaboration with technical units.

• Provide any additional support as needed.

Support to the Secretariat

• Provide backstopping support for other colleagues during leave or as needed. 

Knowledge management and innovation

• Contribute to innovation development to ensure that RBM continually incorporates best practice governance approaches.

• Keep in copy the Board Affairs email account for proper record keeping and preservation of knowledge management.

• Serve as primary guardian and manager of all Board Affairs and Governance records.

• Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Governance, Public Affairs, International Relations, or any related fields is required.

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline in combination with additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in place of an advanced university degree.

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience at the national or international levels with responsibility for governance and/or Board Affairs or related areas in international organisations.

• Previous experience with and/or a good knowledge of the development and humanitarian sector/working with the UN, Donors, and NGOs is an advantage.

• Solid computer skills are required. Experience with Google Suite is preferred.

• Excellent writing skills is required

• Full working knowledge of English is essential. 
• Working knowledge of French language is an asset.

• 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.

• Geneva, Switzerland is a family duty station.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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.