The Program Management Senior Officer will be an integral part of the Health Equity Initiative (HEI), which is set up to address critical health needs which impact global health security. HEI aims to help poor and vulnerable people, especially from conflict-affected areas by improving access to quality health services.

Ethnic health providers are essential structures for governing, guiding, planning, regulating, financing and delivering health services. While HEI understands the importance of essential service delivery during a time of crisis/conflict, the initiative seeks to support longer-term plans for Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) in conflict-affected areas. This position will seek specifically to support partnerships for HSS, provide technical support to health providers for co-creation of sustainable HSS and manage grants for HSS.

This role requires previous experience applying a conflict-sensitive programme management approach and engaging with key stakeholders in a manner that builds trust and confidence. The role requires strong technical competence in overall health systems strengthening, and specific knowledge of one or more of the HSS pillars will be a strong asset (eg. human resources for health, leadership and governance, information systems, supply chain management, service delivery). The role requires competence in training and mentoring.

This is a home-based contract. The successful candidate shall be offered either local ICA or international ICA based on their home-base country (duty station).

Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Technical Support:

• Provide technical support to the team and health providers in conflict-sensitive ways as a means to support and guide these organizations to analyse existing health systems, gaps and priorities.
• Support health providers to select a few key champions that will drive the analysis of their health systems, the identification of gaps and priorities.
• With the necessary technical assistance from HSS experts, jointly develop, translate and deliver a curriculum on HSS to these champions. Develop and deliver any supplementary training materials that are required, including in the cross cutting themes of gender, disability inclusion and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Support champions in analysing their collected information/assessment of their HSS as a means to co-create an analysis of gaps and identify areas of priority as well as work plans to address these priorities. Support the selected champions to find space for advocacy within their own organizations to facilitate effective change.
• Provide appropriate technical support for champions and their organizations, demonstrating a strong understanding of the local context and unique local challenges.
• Develop and host quarterly refresher courses to discuss work plans for the current quarter, results and work plans for the next quarter.
• With the support of necessary technical assistance from HSS experts, provide on-job support and coaching via telecommunication with selected champions. Work closely with champions within a framework of trust to address challenges and solve problems.
• Conflict sensitively facilitate cross-fertilisation of learning between health providers selected for HSS support.
• In collaboration with the M&E colleagues, provide technical contributions in designing and choosing appropriate indicators for health systems strengthening (HSS).

Grant Making for HSS:

• Contribute to the efficient and effective selection of HSS grant recipients either via direct selection or solicitation of calls for proposals hereunder evaluate proposals received and the final selection of implementing partners.
• In collaboration with the Programme Management Specialist, support in grant negotiations with implementing partners.
• Map out other HSS funding sources to avoid duplication and overlapping.
• Coordinate with the Grant Support Officer for finalising HSS grants-making process and documentation in line with standard compliance procedures of UNOPS.
• Flag issues to the Programme Management Specialist related to the entire process to resolve issues or improve processes, and provide inputs to the larger HEI team as necessary.
• Support implementing partners with establishing technical systems for grant management.

Grant Management for HSS:

• Provide inputs on assigned grants for HSS through budget revisions, report clearances, regular meetings and monitoring visits.
• Support implementing partners to ensure that grants are implemented in line with agreed log frames and HEI priorities as they relate to HSS.
• Work together with the Grant Support Officer to ensure timely disbursement to HSS grantees and follow up project audit recommendations.
• Together with the Gender and PSEA Unit, support implementing partners in for implementing cross-cutting issues, ensuring that activities are gender sensitive, inclusive and responsive to the community needs.
• Provide technical support for tracking of asset management of IPs, prevention of fraud, PSEA and overall cross cutting issues.
• Coordinate with finance team tracking expenditures, cash forecasting, and seek advice for foreseeable audit issues when reviewing financial reports.
• Ensure consistent and a clear understanding of grant outcomes across the team, in particular as they relate to the strengthening of health systems to improve the health situation of vulnerable populations in conflict affected areas.
• Conduct report preparation of annual report and progress report focusing on HSS.
• Actively track and manage risks at grant level as they relate to HSS, seeking and implementing. effective mitigation strategies

Knowledge Management related to HSS:

• Provide hands-on support in promoting information sharing on all aspects related to HSS.
• Support implementing partners to understand the context and share information with the HEI team on developments that may impact grant performance.
• Develop learning briefs with the support of communication and other colleagues related to HSS to document lessons learned, challenges and successes.
• Maintain and update a repository of HSS data to understand the status of different health systems.

Education:

• A Master’s degree, preferably in public health, health systems strengthening, health policy, health economics, international development, public administration, public policy or related fields with a minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience. Preference is given to medical background.
• A Bachelor’s degree with an additional two (2) years of relevant experience is considered as equivalent.

Experience:

• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in managing grants or projects is required.
• Minimum of two (2) years of working experience in the health sector is required.
• Demonstrated experience working with Myanmar organisations, in particular in the health sector, such as health providers and community-based organizations under a conflict-sensitive programme management approach is an asset.
• Proven experience in supporting local organizations and health providers for health systems strengthening and capacity development is strongly preferred.
• The role requires strong technical competence in overall health systems strengthening, and specific knowledge of one or more of the HSS pillars will be a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience in providing training, coaching and mentoring, including in the Myanmar context, is an asset.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills including drafting policy and programme reports is desirable.
• Experience in working sensitively and effectively in a culturally diverse setting is an asset.
• Understanding of development aid and humanitarian aid architecture is an asset.
• Competency in the usage of computers and office software packages is required with strong competence in digital security.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in written and spoken Myanmar and other ethnic languages in Myanmar is an asset.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA) or Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: IICA-1 / LICA-9
Contract duration: Retainer with a maximum of 200 working days per year.

This is a home-based contract. The successful candidate shall be offered either local ICA or international ICA based on their home-base country (duty station).

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.