Senior Operations Manager (P5), FT WCARO, Dakar Senegal #103608

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Hope

The Operations function is a strategic Business Partner role within the senior Management team, assuring the best use of UNICEF assets in alignment with sound management practices, office priorities and goals to deliver results for children. The Senior Operations Manager, at the P-5 level, is reporting to the Deputy Regional Director, D-1 in the Regional Office.

How can you make a difference? 

Valuing People: Lead, manage and develop people resources to promote technical competence and foster career progression and retention of a “fit for purpose”/ agile workforce

• Champion an environment of management excellence and staff well-being through implementation of HR strategy, policies, regulations and rules.
• Provide proactive solutions and regional expert advice to the RMT on operations staff management and office culture.
• Define and foster operations behaviors that focus on delivering results for children, whilst balancing risk informed decisions, policy compliance and flexibility through which partners’ needs are reliably addressed, to create an avenue for the greatest results.
• Implement training strategies and requisite plans to bring about changes in knowledge, skills, abilities and mind sets for Operations staff across functions and offices.
• Keep abreast of industry standards in management and finance. Institutionalize and share best practices and knowledge learned with global colleagues to contribute to organizational development initiatives to strengthen management and operations.
• Promote and support Excellence in Operations by refining the evolving profession in UNICEF derived from the five strategic pillars.

Valuing Money: Champion strategic resources to achieve organizational goals and ensure Value for Money (VfM)

• Execute regional strategies to optimize use of resources across Value for Money (VfM) areas, including eco-efficiency and inclusivity, common premises, costing, results-based budgeting financial monitoring, etc.
• Advise and enhance knowledge of Business Units and senior leadership on their role in generating VfM with the goal of strategically expanding its use to major UNICEF functions.
• Lead the financial oversight, monitoring and reporting of regional programme budgets – and where applicable private sector fundraising budgets; make analysis and
• recommendations for Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director to take risk informed decisions.
• Advise and lead in the valuing of resources through programme financing modalities such as budgeting and pre-financing modalities for supplies, cash-based transfer, etc. along with key government counterparts.

Valuing Risk Management: Enhance Risk Management to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control

• Ensure the region is equipped with the right skills and up-to-date information to make operational and programme risk informed decisions and improve performance, with the support of the enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) platform.
• Maintain and protect UNICEF organizational resilience and enhance staff safety and security by ensuring operational disaster risks address threats through well-formulated and tested business continuity plans and Emergency Preparedness and Response to humanitarian situations
• Provide feedback on new policy, procedures and internal controls to Policy owners in HQ Divisions as appropriate.
• Review internal controls and policies/guidance included in the Regulatory Framework, provide oversight of appropriate implementation of policies and procedures and work with DFAM to formulate policy and internal controls change propositions as appropriate.
• Identify and implement mandatory anti-fraud systems, processes and actions, and share anti-fraud achievements within the regional and country offices.
• Advise on mitigation of risks of engagement with external partners via appropriate, risk-informed due diligence (where appropriate)

Valuing Systems and Structures: Ensure further operational centralization and optimization for maximized efficiency gains

• Provide technical advice and support in contributing to making decisions on budgets and operational issues during the deliberations at corporate committees (PBR, RMTs, etc) and ensure timely submission of all required consolidated budget documentation.
• Analyze and review key business processes to minimize cost, simplify and reduce duplication of work and maximize efficiencies while creating an environment of smart controls, to render the organization agile, resilient and ready to respond to programme needs.
• Connect the Operations community and identify/implement ways to develop staff with the skills to optimize systems, explore new ways of working – including in the context of SG Reform – and continuously improve IT-enabled business processes to increase productivity and collaboration, better knowledge management, and ensure effective use of UNICEF assets.

Valuing Partners: Strengthening internal and external-facing partnerships and leveraging UNICEF’s oversight and understanding of programmatic financial management.

• Advise on establishment and maintenance of effective government counterpart relations. Coordinates and advises to resolve issues pertaining to conditions of service, operational facilities and privileges within the context of the Basic Cooperation Agreement.
• Promote capacity building of government counterparts to ensure adherence to financial regulations and rules pertaining to Cash Assistance.
• Explore proactively opportunities to engage private sector partnerships in the region and foster a positive and enabling operations environment that supports private sector fundraising and solution-focused engagement (where applicable).
• Engage as effective stakeholders in the UN Reform, supporting country offices achievements in Business Operating Services (BOS) and proactively paving the way for a potential “one back office” in country offices.

Impact of Results

The ability of the Senior Operations Manager to effectively lead, and oversee the operations functions across a region for the efficient delivery of related services, directly impact on program performance resource mobilization and delivery of results for children. This in turn contributes to maintaining/enhancing the credibility of UNICEF as an effective and responsible manager of funds entrusted to the organization and to furthering UNICEF’s image as a competent organization for delivering cost effective and sustainable program results in regular and emergency settings.

The ability of the Senior Operations Manager to comprehensively and timely identify, assess, mitigate, monitor, review and report on the most significant risks that could potentially harm the organization, is a critical element of UNICEF’s risk and internal control performance management framework. Risk management skills are necessary to safeguard UNICEF’s resources, continuity of operations and reputation to fulfill our primary mission to save and protect children, globally.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An Advanced University Degree (Master’s and above) in one of the following areas is required: Business management; Financial management; Accounting; Public Finance; and related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Project management, etc.).
• Work Experience: A minimum of 10 years of professional experience, at the national and international level, is required, specifically in advocating and implementing strategic organizational initiatives in one or more operations management area including budget; financial management and reporting; facilities management; administration; supply and logistics management; information and communication technology; human resources.
• Additional experience in one or more of the following areas, would be desired:

• • Audit and investigations
  • Safety and security
  • Grant Management
  • Enterprise Risk Management

• Experience in a UN system agency, large private or public company, or experience working in a developing country and/or humanitarian/ emergency context is an asset.
• Experience in working with corporate ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) and IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) is highly desirable.
• Experience in Results Based Management is a requirement.
• Experience in managing successful client-oriented work units is an asset.
• Experience in co-creating policy is desirable.
• Prior experience working with diverse and executive level stakeholder groups or multi-stakeholder partnerships is highly desirable.
• Previous hands on experience in strategic and managerial leadership, preferably in a multi-office context, is required.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications is required.

• Language Requirements: Fluency in French and English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable Female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Special Notice on UNICEF office relocation:

UNICEF and other UN Agencies will be moving soon to the new United Nations House in Diamniadio, 30 kilometers from downtown Dakar. The name of the duty station for this position will remain Dakar, Senegal.