Operations Associate

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is among the most pervasive and serious violations of human rights, with inextricable links to broader peace and security. Globally, one in three women have been subjected to violence; the global cost of violence against women has been estimated at approximately US$1.5 trillion.

Against this background, Spotlight Initiative was launched in 2017 as the world’s largest effort to end violence against women and girls. A pooled fund of the United Nations (UN) system, Spotlight Initiative is an SDG Accelerator, a United Nations’ High Impact Initiative to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and a model for localization, unifying communities, civil society, governments, donors, and experts under a common approach rooted in local needs. Spotlight Initiative is also a model for operationalizing the UN Development System reform.

Spotlight Initiative has, over 6 years, delivered proof of concept across 26 countries and 5 regions and will now scale up to greater investment and reach, bringing on board new countries and new partnerships. The Initiative will deepen its “whole-of-society” approach, placing the goal of ending violence against women and girls at the centre of national development priorities. Spotlight Initiative promotes a multi-sectoral approach to the complex issue of violence against women and girls and its variety of root causes. The Initiative’s workstreams include four main pillars: 

• Laws, policies, institutions. 
• Prevention and social norms change. 
• Response and services for survivors and perpetrators’ accountability.
• Support for civil society and women’s movements. 

Under the leadership of the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General and in accordance with the guidance received from the Spotlight Initiative’s Governance Mechanisms, the day-to-day management of the Spotlight Initiative is led by a Secretariat, housed within the Development Coordination Office (DCO) with a reporting line to the Executive Office of the Secretary General and servicing the whole UN System. 

The Secretariat’s core technical responsibilities are to support the design, implementation and monitoring of comprehensive and effective country programmes on EVAWG, to contribute to increased global awareness, knowledge sharing and networking on EVAWG as well as to ensure that the achievements and results of the Spotlight Initiative are expanded and sustained. Specifically, the Secretariat is responsible for the following outputs: 

• Data and research on GBV and various forms of violence at global and regional level is enhanced and disseminated. 
• Technical package in line with the Spotlight Initiative model, and evidence-based strategies, knowledge, and tools on violence against women and girls is consolidated and made available for new programmes and advocacy purposes.
• Global and regional strategic partnerships are expanded to advance efforts on ending gender-based violence, including through communication, behaviour change strategies, events and campaigns.
• Increased expertise at country level to ensure the development and sustainability of comprehensive programmes to end violence against women and girls in line with Spotlight Initiative model.

Position Purpose

Under the supervision of the Spotlight Initiative Global Coordinator, the Operations Associate is responsible for providing operational (procurement, human resources etc.), logistical, travel and administrative support to the Global Coordinator and programme team in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The Operations Associate will support the financial management of the programme (work plans and budgets) and monitor agreements to ensure compliance with guidelines and the contractual set up.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure effective operational support:

• Carry out all day-to-day operations activities, including finance, human resources, procurement, IT, administration, and finance processes liaising with relevant units and troubleshooting compliance/contractual issues.
• Develop procurement, HR, and travel plans and monitor implementation.
• Manage the provision of goods and services for the programme, following corporate policies and procedures.
• Liaise closely with the relevant units to prepare documents, decision documentation, and other background documents required to complete operational processes.
• Process all the necessary logistical arrangements for missions, travel, and event organization.
• Process payments in line with financial procedures, ensuring receipt of all supporting documentation. 
• Support the programme team in liaising with relevant support units for IT and connectivity needs. 
• Maintain the programmer’s shared drive to ensure effective record keeping, information and documentation access.
• Manage and maintain updated contacts database and mailing lists.

Programme and financial management support:

• Manage required processes in Quantum in relation to the work plan and budget implementation.
• Monitor expenditures, and support with preparing budget revisions according to the needs of the programme. 
• Track and prepare funds transfer processing documents, ensuring compliance and record keeping including preparing the fund requests, ensuring accuracy of figures and good cash management planning.
• Support the Programme and Reporting Specialist in maintenance and uploads to the Gateway.
• Work closely with the Programme and Reporting Specialist to provide general programme management support, including assistance with HR, resource/budget management. 
• Generates reports and information on programme implementation status; identifies and escalates issues, contributes to the development of solutions.

Administrative and logistical support:

• Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, and budgets.
• Provide administrative and logistical support for organization of meetings, workshops, events, and missions.
• Prepare and process travel arrangements for the programme team, including travel requests and claims.
• Organizes and prepares agendas and support with minutes of team and/or governance and other general meetings and tracks action points.
• Provide overall administrative and operational support as required by the supervisor.

Support knowledge building and knowledge sharing:

• Compile lessons learned and best practices.
• Provide contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice and digital knowledge platforms.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

• Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.

Think Innovatively:

• Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.

Learn Continuously:

• Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.

Adapt with Agility: 

• Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.

Act with Determination:               

• Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.

Engage and Partner:

• Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical

Business Development: Knowledge Generation 

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Business Management: Communication               

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication.
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Business Management: Customer satisfaction    

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and delivery timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. 
• Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concern.

External relations and advocacy: Project Management  

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals. 

Finance: Budget management   

• Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning processes, drawing and management of team budgets.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Completion of secondary education is required. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in finance, administration, social sciences, project management or related fields will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:        

• A minimum of 7 years (with secondary education) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible finance, administrative or programme management support experience is required. 
• Experience handling operational processes, including human resources, procurement, and/or travel in UNDP and/or other UN Agency is highly desirable.
• Experience with ERP systems is highly desirable (i.e., Oracle Cloud, SAP, Atlas, Quantum or others)
• Experience coordinating and providing logistical support for meetings, workshops and/or events is desirable.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.); advanced knowledge of Excel is an added advantage.

Language:

• Language proficiency: fluency in oral and written English is required.