Operations Specialist (Special Multi-Partner Delivery and Regional Stabilization Facilities)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the worldwide improvement community of the United Nations, connecting nations to information, expertise and assets to assist individuals construct a greater life. UNDP is on the bottom in additional than 170 nations and territories, supporting nations to succeed in their very own improvement targets and internationally agreed improvement objectives, constructing and sharing options within the areas of Sustainable Development, Democratic Governance and Peacebuilding and Climate and Disaster Resilience. UNDP helps the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as they assist form international sustainable improvement for the following decade. UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) is its largest regional bureau, masking 46 nations, starting from excessive middle-income economies to least developed nations, in addition to nations in disaster and post-crisis conditions. UNDP works with its nationwide counterparts within the Africa area to assist them implement nationwide improvement priorities and obtain their nationwide improvement objectives. Its work is guided by international and regional improvement and normative frameworks to which nations in Africa are signatories, together with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.

The Lake Chad Basin (LCB) and Liptako-Gourma (LG) areas are dealing with a multidimensional disaster exacerbated by the rise of extremist actions, political instability, violence, and inside displacement. In response, UNDP has established the Special Multi-Partner Delivery Facility and Regional Stabilization Facility (RSF) in each areas to foster belief between communities and authorities authorities, resulting in alternatives to put the muse for long-term peacebuilding, restoration, and improvement. The RSF initiatives have helped obtain speedy, large-scale interventions aiming at addressing safety, important social companies, and livelihoods challenges.

In the LCB area, important progress has been made in addressing the multidimensional crises, together with the battle in opposition to Boko Haram factions. However, the safety state of affairs stays risky, leaving 2.8 million internally displaced individuals and 257,100 refugees within the area as of March 2024. The structural causes of the crises, such because the weak presence of native authorities, communal tensions, and longstanding marginalization, stay. These components have led to a belief deficit between states and communities. Notably, local weather change impacts are a serious danger multiplier in a area marked by fragility. The complicated challenges that the LCB area faces name for time-bound, localized, and built-in civilian interventions. Active from September 2019 to August 2024, the Regional Stabilization Facility (RSF) has targeted on constructing belief between communities and legit authorities and laying the foundations for restoration, peacebuilding, and improvement within the LCB area. 

Significant achievements embody the return of over 435,000 previously displaced populations since 2020, accounting for round 20 % of all internally displaced individual (IDP) returnees within the LCB, along with roughly 670,000 resettled IDPs in RSF places. Furthermore, 86 % of surveyed people in programme areas reported feeling protected and safe in 2023, a notable enhance from solely 50 % in 2020. Neighboring non-stabilized websites are seeing elevated violence, which is including strain in stabilized communities, as persons are returning and transferring there. 

Due to continued disaster and battle — and to not forego features already made — an extension of the RSF in LCB is proposed for the interval of September 2024 to August 2028. The prolonged section of the present RSF will deal with strengthening and growing stabilization help, with a specific emphasis on authorities possession for sustained influence. Stabilization has confirmed to be a extremely related mannequin within the LCB context, providing a novel worth addition that enhances regional, nationwide, and native initiatives. The proposed RSF programme (2024-2028) builds on RSF’s preliminary successes, classes discovered and evaluative proof, together with that acquired by third-party monitoring. 

The LG area is witnessing a major shift in political, safety and humanitarian context in addition to an evolving geopolitical panorama. Unconstitutional modifications of presidency within the three LG nations (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) have resulted in political tensions, undermining democratic order and governance. Political uncertainty stays, with army rule prolonged till 2029 in Burkina Faso, presidential elections postponed in Mali and no clear pathway in the direction of a transition plan in Niger. The safety state of affairs stays risky, with incidents perpetrated by violent extremist and terrorist teams growing. Meanwhile, the humanitarian disaster reveals no signal of abating, with greater than 2.8 million individuals forcibly displaced and in want of pressing help, together with over 2 million in Burkina Faso. 

The ongoing Liptako-Gourma Stabilisation Facility (LGSF) within the LG area has been investing in infrastructures for primary social companies, livelihoods, group safety and social cohesion, which stay the foundations for returning populations and conflict-affected communities to rebuild their lives. The programme has benefited greater than 300,000 individuals straight and not directly since its launch in 2021. In 2023, over 90,000 internally displaced individuals have returned to focus on websites, thanks to higher safety, improved entry to important social companies, and enhanced livelihood alternatives. 

Urgent efforts are required to mobilise assets whereas guaranteeing well timed and high quality implementation of the continuing programme by December 2024. The method LGSF is dealt with on this transition interval will affect UNDP’s capability to remain and ship in help of susceptible communities, even in politically constrained contexts.

Position Purpose

Under the general steerage of the Hub Manager in Dakar, and direct supervision of the Head of the Special Multi-Partner Delivery Facility   and RSF, the Operations Specialist is chargeable for managing and assuring the efficient and built-in supply of agreed enterprise companies within the areas of General Operations, Finance and Human Resources and for the COs below the Regional Hub portfolio. The Operations Specialist will advise/collaborate/help procurement groups on the Country places of work degree on procurement issues associated to the regional venture implementation. The Operations Specialist can even be accountable for the standard and timeliness of the group’s advisory and help companies rendered to COs in accordance with UNDP rules and guidelines and pursuant to the relevant company efficiency requirements.

UNDP adopts a portfolio strategy to accommodate altering enterprise wants and leverage linkages throughout interventions to attain its strategic objectives. Therefore, UNDP personnel are anticipated to work throughout items, features, groups, and tasks in multidisciplinary groups to reinforce and allow horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Contribute to the strategic course of the Operations of the Special Multi-Partner Delivery and Regional Stabilization Facilities, specializing in achievement of the next outcomes:

• Ensure full compliance of operations with UN/UNDP guidelines, rules, insurance policies, and Internal Control Framework (ICF). 
• Act because the liaison with chosen Country Offices for planning the operational actions in help of the programme portfolio, with deal with key processes to speed up supply. 
• Coordinate the efficient design and administration of a targeted, coherent, cost-effective, and high-impact portfolio of operations companies; create an efficient platform of coordinated supply.
• Support COs’ senior administration in chosen COs in figuring out and overseeing dangers to make sure dynamic and efficient danger administration within the CO and to make extra risk-informed and well timed selections. Monitor and analyze the working setting; undertake danger evaluation associated to operations for dialogue with the DRR, as acceptable; and make well timed readjustment of operations companies, contemplating recommendation on authorized concerns. 
• Advise senior administration on modern approaches and modalities to attain improvement targets together with country-level built-in help platforms, enterprise course of re-engineering, and many others. 
• Define priorities in coordination with senior administration to develop procurement plans, figuring out alternatives for regional/subregional market analysis, with an goal to generate economies of scales.
• Ensure systematic adherence to UNDP insurance policies, procedures, and company steerage on enterprise danger administration within the CO and on the venture degree. Participate within the appraisal of tasks to supply operational enter that features formulating danger administration plans and anticipating price of dangers through the venture design section. 

Manages and oversees efficient, risk-informed, and correct Financial Resources Management, strategic and environment friendly Human Resources, Procurement, Logistical and General Administration Management, specializing in achievement of the next outcomes:    

Financial Management

• Coordinate the right planning of the Regional Facility monetary assets, monitoring and recording of expenditures in compliance with IPSAS, and audit of monetary assets in accordance with UNDP guidelines and rules.
• Oversee the monetary help, with emphasis in correct planning for the annual programme supply goal.
• Prepare the finance workplan of the unit, consolidating the person nation places of work calls for and priorities, defining the KPIs to observe high quality service provision.
• Oversee the effectiveness of inside controls and information places of work on exception administration in direct session with the bureau and OFRM, together with actions for the continual scanning, evaluation, monitoring and evaluation of fraud dangers and the implementation of measures to detect, forestall and mitigate such dangers. 
• Ensure all monetary transactions are recognized, recorded, and verified in compliance with IPSAS as outlined within the company insurance policies and procedures.

Human Resources Management

• Ensure that HR actions are in compliance with company human assets insurance policies and methods.
• Advise on optimum staffing of the Facility and the nation home windows.
• Coordinate the HR provision of companies in session with the Regional HR Business Partner and the Global Shared Service Unit (GSSU). 

Procurement, Logistical and General Administration Services

• Contribute to the consolidation of the sub-regional procurement plan and associated methods in help of programme supply targets.
• Support COs on the complete compliance of procurement and administrative actions with UN/UNDP rules, guidelines, insurance policies, and methods.
• Advise on the perfect supply methods to attain efficient outcomes, together with economies of scale, contemplating accelerated supply measures.
• Ensure correct administration of venture belongings, services, logistical companies, and administrative companies, together with full compliance with IPSAS throughout buying, utilization, and disposal of the regional venture belongings. 
• In normal, develop methods, long run agreements and modern mechanisms to determine deficiencies, meet and foresee COs wants/calls for primarily based on a continued evaluation of nation and region-wide mixture outcomes and evolving priorities with client-orientation.

Contributes to the partnership constructing on operational points with deal with attaining the next outcomes: 

• Participate in related administration insurance policies discussions, organizational change administration initiatives together with interplay with CO’s, Regional Teams, HQ items and different Bureaux. (primarily based on delegation of authority)
• Build constructive relationships with CO’s and different groups, together with Agencies, donors, and authorities officers to faucet into modern approaches and finest practices.

Facilitate information sharing:

• Contribute to organizational efficiency supply within the Region with deal with more practical information administration and studying, in addition to the efficient use of enabling applied sciences for innovation and studying in operations administration associated points.
• Promote the lively use of instruments and techniques to enhance organizational efficiency, by disseminating and encouraging capability constructing and information sharing.
• Organize trainings for the operations/tasks workers on all operational areas.

The incumbent performs different duties inside their useful profile as deemed essential for the environment friendly functioning of the Office and the Organization

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: 

• Supervision and efficiency administration of Finance Specialist, HR Specialist and Administrative & Operation Associate and secondary supervision of Procurement companies.

Competencies

Core:

Achieve Results

• Set and align difficult, achievable targets for a number of tasks, have lasting influence. 

Think Innovatively

• Proactively mitigate potential dangers, develop new concepts to unravel complicated issues.

Learn Continuously

• Create and act on alternatives to develop horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility 

• Proactively provoke and champion change, handle a number of competing calls for. 

Act with Determination                

• Think past instant process/obstacles and take motion to attain better outcomes.

Engage and Partner

• Political savvy, navigate complicated panorama, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

• Appreciate advantages of various workforce and champion inclusivity.

People Management:

UNDP People Management Competencies will be discovered within the devoted site. 

Cross-Functional & Technical:

Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking

• Develop efficient methods and prioritised plans according to UNDP’s mission and targets, primarily based on the systemic evaluation of challenges, alternatives and potential dangers; hyperlink the final imaginative and prescient to actuality on the bottom to create tangible focused options; study from a wide range of sources to anticipate and successfully reply to each present and future developments; display foresight.

Business Management: Partnerships Management         

• Build and keep partnerships with extensive networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and personal sector companions, consultants, and others according to UNDP technique and insurance policies. 

Business Direction and Strategy: System Thinking            

• Ability to make use of goal downside evaluation and judgement to know how interrelated components coexist inside an total course of or system, and to think about how altering one factor can influence on different elements of the system.

Business Management: Portfolio Management 

• Ability to pick, prioritise and management the group’s programmes and tasks according to its strategic targets and capability.
• Ability to stability the implementation of change initiatives with common actions for optimum return on funding. 
• Knowledge and understanding of key ideas of venture, programme, and portfolio administration. 

Finance : Accounting (General)  

• Knowledge of accounting ideas, ideas, frameworks, requirements, rules, insurance policies and developments, and capability to apply this to strategic and/or sensible conditions. 

HR – People technique and planning: Business Partnering 

• Strategic considering and improvement of long-term plans for the group’s human assets wants whereas analyzing the present setting and creating methods to attain long-term targets. 

Procurement: Procurement administration            

• The capability to accumulate items, companies or works from an outdoor exterior supply.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced college diploma (grasp’ s diploma or equal)) in International Development, Public Administration, Business Administration, Public Policy, Economics, or a associated space is required. OR
• A primary-level college diploma (bachelor’s diploma) within the areas acknowledged above, together with an extra two years of qualifying expertise might be given due consideration in lieu of the superior college diploma.

 Experience:

• A minimal of seven years (with grasp’s diploma) or 9 years (with bachelor’s diploma) {of professional} work expertise and leads to the event sector in a governmental, multilateral, or civil society group in a multi-cultural setting is required. 
• At least 1 12 months of administration degree obligations of comparable dimension and complexity, expertise in disaster setting is required. 
• Experience of accrual accounting, IPSAS or IFRS is fascinating. 
• Demonstrated expertise within the areas of Operations together with Finance, HR, Procurement, General Admin is very fascinating.
• Demonstrated information of UNDP programme and venture administration insurance policies and procedures is fascinating.
• Experience within the utilization of computer systems and workplace software program packages, in addition to expertise in dealing with web-based administration techniques and Oracle Cloud, is desired.

Language:

• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Working information of one other UN language is an asset.