| Posting Title: | PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT OFFICER, ADMINISTRATION, P4 |
| Job Code Title: | Programme Management Officer, Administration |
| Department/Office: | United Nations Office at Nairobi |
| Duty Station: | NAIROBI |
| Posting Period: | 21 August 2023 – 04 October 2023 |
| Job Opening Number: | 23-Administration-UNON-213010-R-Nairobi (X) |
| Staffing Exercise | N/A |
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
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Org. Setting and Reporting
Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships: United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. UNON supports programme implementation of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Resident Coordinators System globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org)
The post is located in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) in Kenya. The incumbent will report to the Resident Coordinator as Chair of the Common Services Board once the Common Back Office is implemented in January 2024. In the transition period prior to the implementation of the CBO Unit, the incumbent will be collocated in the Office of the Director of Administration (ODA), UNON. The incumbent is to manage the delivery of CBO services to client entities on a daily basis. This role includes identifying UN Entities’ requirements for services being delivered, including quality and timeliness of services.
The incumbent will also liaise with the Common Services Management Team (CSMT) Chair and support the coordination of meetings and initiatives that have a common interest for UN agencies, funds and programmes. The CSMT will provide the advisory role for the Executive Committee.
Background on the Common Back Office: The Common Back Office (CBO) initiative proposes to streamline key operational areas of participating agencies in specific countries by consolidating support services into one entity at the country level. The CBO service provider will provide agreed common services in the areas of procurement, logistics, human resources, ICT, finance and administration (including facility management) to participating United Nations entities. Additional services can also be provided as agreed between the participating entities and the CBO service provider.
Governance of CBO operations and reporting is assigned to a Common Services Board and a subsidiary Executive Committee. Coordination of these governance arrangements is the responsibility of the CBO Coordination Team. Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, the CSB, with the support of the Executive Committee, is the most senior client engagement mechanism responsible for overseeing the service performance of the CBO service providers. The CBO has its own annual budget and staff dedicated to the management and delivery of services to its clients. The CBO Programme Management Officer is responsible for coordination of the governance arrangements and serving as a Secretary of the Executive Committee, monitoring on a daily basis the delivery of CBO services to client entities. The incumbent will work closely with the Office of the Director of Administration (ODA), UNON including the Senior Coordination Officer in charge of Shared Services as well as UNICEF and WFP as CBO Service Providers.
Responsibilities
A. Coordination of the governance arrangements:
• Support establishment and consolidation of the CBO in Kenya as an integrated center of services meeting with efficiency operational needs of its clients, based on UNSDG Client Satisfaction and Costing & Pricing principles.
• Serve as Secretary of the CSB, Executive Committee and the CSMT. The Secretary shall coordinate the organization of the meetings and prepare a draft agenda for each meeting. The agenda and relevant documentation should be distributed to the members in advance of the meeting. The Secretary shall also prepare reports and any correspondence, as well as maintain a record of decisions, documentation and reports.
• Develop a permanent working communication with CSB, through the ExCom, aiming at the production of timely solutions and the consolidation of the new flows.
• Provide regular reports to CSB, through the ExCom, on all aspects of CBO activities, including periodic review of the status of implementation of the annual work plans and of the CBO financial statements, with the service providers.
B. Supporting financial results and performance:
• Monitor the established SLAs and KPIs with CBO client entities for the provision of high quality and timely services and efficient channeling of service feedback in the six functional areas (Procurement, Human Resources, ICT, Administration [including Facility Management], Finance, and Logistics). For Logistics services and Finance services, the SLAs shall be established by WFP and UNICEF, respectively. For the mandatory services and for optional services falling under the provision of UNON the SLAs shall be established by UNON.
• Responsible for facilitating/initiating the drafting and suggesting amendment to SLAs and KPIs.
• Liaise with the service providers to support the presentation of the budget, service rates and billing mechanism to the Executive Committee.
• The CBO Coordinator shall produce an annual report on service delivery for participating Entities, which shall include financial reports provided by the hosting entity and/or service provider. This report shall include aspects related to high quality and timely services including efficient channeling of feedback and the report shall be presented to the Executive Committee before the month of March of the following year, covering the services rendered during the previous year of operations, for initial consideration prior to its submission to the CSB.
• Coordinate the periodic review of the status of implementation of the annual work plans and of the CBO financial statements, with the service providers and with UNON as applicable.
• Develop work plans and budgets for the CBO Coordination unit and monitor CBO day-to-day operations and decisions.
• Provide guidance to staff during the phases of implementation and further adjustments of CBO through overall direction, active coaching and efficient organization of work.
• Provide supervision to the CBO Programme Management Assistant. Develop motivation, team spirit and client-oriented culture. Ensure the continued development and training of the staff.
• Develop appropriate mechanisms of coordination with program staff in the UN Entities.
• Establish appropriated and efficient mechanisms to receive continuous feedback from client entities with particular focus on timely and high-quality services.
• Document the CBO Kenya experience through identification of challenges, best practices and lessons learned.
• Perform other related duties as designated by the Resident Coordinator in support of the CBO activities.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge relevant to the United Nations Efficiency Agenda and development reforms. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
Education
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, management, economics or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage.
Work Experience
- A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, administration or related area is required.
- Experience in the UN inter-agency collaboration and development cooperation is required.
- Knowledge of Business Operations Strategy and common back-office operations is required.
- Experience in operations management is desirable.
- Experience in the UN system or a comparable international organization is desirable.
- Experience working at the headquarters or regional office of a development cooperation
- organization is desirable.
Languages
- English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in (oral and written) English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.
- NOTE: ‘Fluency’ equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write and understand) and ‘Knowledge of’ equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.
Assessment
- Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
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