Operations Manager – Various Country Offices in Asia and the Pacific Region (Roster for P3 and P4 positions)

UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP), with 24 Country Offices covering work in 36 countries and decades of experience in the region, is a trusted adviser and a ‘development partner’ of choice for governments across the region in supporting the localization and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP undergoes regular transformation to make country results more relevant and impactful. Adopting the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, the roll-out of catalytic initiatives to incentivize innovation, supporting SDG acceleration and integration, promoting the use of digital technology, and engaging closer with the private sector have become critical aspects of UNDP’s Next Generation. RBAP proactively supports and, in many instances, is in the avant-garde of these efforts and uses Key Performance Indicators that encompass various areas of performance and zooms in, every quarter, on progress toward set targets.

The function of the Operations Manager in the Country Office has evolved from a traditional support role and in the RBAP COs this function is focused on quality assurance, oversight, and advisory services to be rendered to enhance the quality of the work performed in the COs. To achieve these results, the Regional Bureau provides support, guidance and provides oversight on the CO performance. As part of these efforts, the Bureau is populating the Operations Manager Roster and selected candidates will be placed in a Roster for 36-months and assigned to the Country Offices in the region, when vacancies arise. Rostered candidates will be selected for a specific position by the Resident Representative of the host Office in consultation with the Regional Bureau.

Position Purpose

Under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative (RR) and direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative (DRR), the Operations Manager acts as an advisor to Senior Management on all aspects of CO management and operations. This includes strategic management of financial and human resources, efficient procurement and logistical services, ICT, and common services consistent with UNDP rules and regulations. The Operation Manager’s primary role is to lead, constantly evaluate, and adjust the operations of the Country Office to ensure consistent service delivery and smooth functioning of the CO programmes and projects.  

The Operations Manager leads and guides the CO Operations Team and fosters collaboration within the team with programme staff and other UN Agencies using a client-oriented approach. The Operations Manager collaborates closely with programme and project teams in the CO, Operations staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQ staff, and Government officials to successfully deliver the country programme. The incumbent is expected to liaise closely with the Regional Bureau in performing their functions to ensure management excellence and to enhance the operational quality of services

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.

• Ensure full operations compliance with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies, and the Internal Control Framework (ICF). 
• Implement corporate operational strategies and provide advice on strategies, policies, and plans affecting CO operations. Establish management targets (BSC) and regularly monitor office performance indicators for achievement of results. Take timely corrective actions when required. 
• Establish collaborative arrangements with potential partners and a client management system for appropriate management of partnerships and resource mobilization purposes. 
• Ensure mapping of CO business processes, and establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Finance, Human Resources Management, Procurement, ICT, Logistics, Protocol, Travel and Transportation Management Services. 
• Support senior management in identifying and overseeing risks to ensure dynamic and effective CO management and make more risk-informed and timely decisions. Monitor and analyze the operating environment; undertake risk analysis related to operations for discussion with the DRR and RR, as appropriate; and make a timely readjustment of operations services, considering advice on legal considerations. 
• Ensure systematic adherence to UNDP policies, procedures, and corporate guidance on enterprise risk management in the CO and at the project levels. Participate in the appraisal of projects to provide operational input that includes formulating risk management plans and anticipating the cost of risks during the project design phase. 
• Ensure relevant colleagues and stakeholders from both programme and operations are consulted in identifying, costing, and managing risks for the programme, all projects, and portfolios in the office/unit when applicable. 
• Ensure knowledge building and sharing about management and operations in the CO, including on issues related to AML/CFT and anti-fraud, coordination of staff learning needs, and consolidation of lessons learned and best practices. 
• Provide sound contributions to UNDP knowledge networks and communities of practice.

• Ensure proper planning of CO financial resources, tracking and recording of expenditures in compliance with IPSAS, and audit of financial resources, including extra-budgetary income following UNDP rules and regulations.
• Coordinate CO audits (management and NIM) and ensure implementation of audit recommendations, in close consultation with the RR, DRR, Programme Officers and other oversight units in the CO, as required. 
• Ensure timely completion of corporate exercises such as Annual Representation, Business Continuity Plan, and preparation of IWP of the Institutional Budget component (IB).
• Contribute to CO HACT compliance actions in close collaboration with programme and operations teams.
• Oversee the contributions management business process and accounting for contributions to ensure that the money due to UNDP is properly identified, consistently and uniformly classified, recorded on a timely basis, and received with sufficient supporting documentation. 
• Ensure cost-recovery mechanisms for CO services provided to projects and UN Agencies that include ensuring timely preparation of proforma invoices for UN agencies.
• Perform appropriate delegations in ERP for voucher and Treasury transaction approvals and bank reconciliation. Approve bank reconciliations and pending disbursements as the “third authority” (cheques, bank transfers, EFT). 
• Organize and provide oversight of CO cash management processes, including liquidity management, recommendation of imprest level, risk assessment, bank relationship management, timely accounting and reconciliation of all transactions, and security for cash assets on site.
• Monitor financial exception reports for unusual activities and/or transactions and investigate anomalies or unusual transactions. Ensure appropriate CO and UNDP HQ staff are informed of the investigation results when satisfactory answers are not obtained.
• Serve as member of bank signatory panel.
• Ensure transaction and stop payment approval on Internet banking system.
• Ensure all financial transactions are identified, recorded, and verified in compliance with IPSAS as outlined in the corporate policies and procedures.

3. Ensure strategic human resources management and supervision of the HR team:

• Ensure CO compliance with corporate human resources policies and strategies.
• Advise on optimal staffing of the office and projects.
• Provide oversight for recruitment processes in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations and appropriate use of different contractual modalities, in close liaison with the Global Shared Service Center, Bureau for Management Services of UNDP.
• Establish and maintain proper performance management and staff development systems, ensuring staff access to role-appropriate learning activities.

• Ensure CO compliance with corporate rules and regulations related to procurement and logistics.
• Develop CO procurement strategies, including sourcing, supplier selection and evaluation, quality control, customer relationship management, and supplier performance evaluation system.
• Facilitate the preparation of the CO procurement plan and ensure proper contract management, anticipating potential litigations. 
• Oversee procurement processes and logistical services in compliance with procurement principles and guidelines. 
• Ensure proper management of UNDP assets, facilities, logistical services, and administrative services, including full compliance with IPSAS during purchasing, utilization, and disposal of the CO’s assets

• Ensure ERP functionality is used for improved business results and improved client services.
• Identify opportunities and ways of converting business processes into web-based systems to address the issues of efficiency and full accountability.
• Maintain a secure, reliable infrastructure environment for ICT and adequate planning for disasters and recoveries. Update the ICT Disaster Recovery Plan on a regular basis.
• Identify and promote different systems and applications for optimal content management, knowledge sharing, information provision, and learning including e-registry and web-based office management systems, etc.

6. Ensures proper common services and establishment of strong collaboration with other UN Agencies

• Establish common services and maintain coordinating machinery to ensure integrated activities on common services and implementation of the UN reform.
• Elaborate strategic approach for implementation of common services in line with the latest developments in common services and best practices.
• Ensure proper planning and tracking of the common services budget and of Agencies’ contributions to the common services account.
• Contribute to Operations Management Team (OMT) activities including the area of risk management

Business Direction & Strategy-System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Management-Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment

Business Direction & Strategy-Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges,potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business Management-Resource Management: Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity

Business Management-Customer Satisfaction/Client Management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver 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 concerns
Business Management-Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels. 

Finance-Audit risk management: Ability to address audit issues raised in the course of an audit and propose solutions in order to ensure a true and fair audit opinion is achieved