Background

Regional Bureau for the Asia Pacific (RBAP) seeks to strengthen its capacity to boost programme delivery and enhance operations effectiveness and efficiency in the Country Offices. This aspect is critical as UNDP takes on a more substantial role in supporting country-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) integration and serving as the operational backbone for the UN system at the country level. To achieve this, UNDP requires Operations Managers (OM) to deliver on the programmatic priorities of UNDP at the country level and enhance the management performance of country portfolios. With that in mind, the Bureau is replenishing the OM Roster.

Candidates selected for inclusion in the Roster must be available to serve in any of the 24 country offices in the region or Regional Bureau positions. The grade determination (P-3 or P-4) depends on the office portfolio complexity, business operations, and organizational requirements. The selection panel will recommend grade level for the appointments from the Roster.

Operations Managers are part of the Country Office Management Teams and will have senior-level functional responsibilities that vary from Office to Office. They coordinate comprehensive operations and implementation support workstreams, emphasizing accelerating speed and improving the quality of client-oriented services by analyzing gaps and bottlenecks and devising new and better ways of working. To perform the assigned tasks, they must leverage UNDP’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, performance tracking tools, and global service centers. For this, they will also link to Bureau’s Regional Hub and other HQ units to ensure optimal positioning of the management capacities of their country office.

OMs support senior managers in providing overall direction to their country office. They help drive the integration of UNDP’s work at all levels through the management lens, from strategic direction setting to ideas generation, programme/project design, quality assurance, implementation, and oversight – and further to reporting partnerships and communication. 

Incumbents must have a broad operational knowledge base, results-based management aptitude, and strong programme support credentials, including advanced project and risk management and analytical skills. They should have strong team building, interpersonal and communication skills, be client-oriented, and can look at issues from different angles and find creative solutions.

The selection process will include multiple levels of technical and psychometric assessments and interviews. Only candidates selected for these sequential steps will be contacted further to their application.

This job site can only accept one document upload. Applicants must include a cover note explaining their skills and experiences relevant to this post’s described functions and a signed P-11 form (download link). Once completed, these documents must be combined as one Portable Document Format (PDF) file and uploaded.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead operational implementation of programmes and projects for optimization of delivery:

• Leads and ensures that the Operations Team is an efficient and client-oriented “go-to” resource for programme and project implementation activities.
• Provides authoritative advisory services on procurement, human resources, finance, and enterprise risk management in consultation with relevant RBAP and Bureau of Management Services (BMS) staff based in the Bangkok Regional Hub.
• Contributes to resource management support, including programme delivery management, resource allocation, and consolidated pipeline management in collaboration with country office senior management and programme teams.
• As a Country Office management team member provides advice on office financial sustainability, cost recovery, and inter-agency operational issues.
• Ensures high-quality advice on resource management, focusing on delivery enabling services and revenue management.
• Ensures compliance with project and programme management actions to ensure that they are performed consistently and per corporate standards.
• Responsible for office business processes mapping and development of crucial SOPs; identifies opportunities for converting business processes into web-based systems to enhance efficiency and accountability.
• Performs data analysis of programme/project implementation to support country office/programme positioning in collaboration with other relevant team leaders.
• Develops, implements, and monitors the management of partner agreements in close cooperation with relevant colleagues and to elaborate partnership frameworks and conditions of contributions within the country office’s resources mobilization efforts.
• Follows up on DIM/NIM and CO Audit recommendations, timely reporting of all exceptions, and oversees processes to manage project-level cash advances to IP/RPs. 
• Performs the function of Audit focal point and coordinates action across various audit-mandated and compliance tasks, as required.
• Performs delegated tasks and back-stopping support as requested by senior management.

Oversees effective and accurate financial resource management, efficient procurement management, and strategic human resources management 

• Performs the function of Senior Manager in Atlas and works closely with the Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Kuala Lumpur;
• Responsible for the country office integrated work planning and budgeting process as it relates to financial and human resources functions, including monitoring and reporting in partnership with other relevant teams in the country office;
• Responsible for the Direct Project Costing and cost-recovery systems for the services provided to projects and other UN Agencies, including accurate forecasting, planning, and reporting of extra-budgetary income;
• Oversees proper management of the contributions management business process and accounting for contributions to ensure that the money due to UNDP is
• identified, consistently and uniformly classified, recorded on a timely basis, and received with sufficient supporting documentation;
• Oversees cash management processes, timely accounting, and reconciliation of all transactions, security for cash assets on site, in coordination with the GSSC;
• Oversees country office compliance with corporate rules and regulations in the field and establishment and management of the CO procurement and contract management strategies;
• Oversees management of UNDP assets, facilities, and logistical services;
• Oversees country office compliance with corporate human resources policies and plans; supports senior management in ensuring optimal staffing of the Office and projects in close collaboration with the GSSC through its locations;
• Liaise with Global Shared Services Center in Copenhagen and Istanbul to ensure offshored human resources services are provided without interruption to the Office, including recruitment, contracting, and related tasks;
• Facilitates knowledge building and management, documentation of lessons learned and good practices, and innovation and knowledge transfer in the country office, region, and globally;
• Leads processes to facilitate and promote staff learning and engagement;
• Responsible for business continuity actions, including adequately planning for disasters and recovery

Efficient provision of UN common services, back-office support, security, and transactional services to clients

• Coordinate and/or lead UNDP actions in the UN inter-agency Operations Management Team (OMT); 
• Oversees efficient provision of client-oriented transactional services in human resources, procurement, finance, and administration to UN agencies and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, when requested; 
• Elaborates strategic approaches to implementation of common services in line with the UN Development System reform, the latest developments in common services, and relevant best practices;
• Acts as UNDP lead on common services and is responsible for coordinated action to ensure integrated activities on common services and implementation of the UN reform;
• Leads and supports inter-agency efforts towards or management of common premises and common back-office plans, as relevant;
• Ensures the implementation of appropriate cost recovery measures for the provision of common services and other support to UN entities, as applicable; oversees common services budget and monitors Agencies’ contributions to the common services account, as appropriate;
• Serves as Country Security Focal Point for UNDP and supports office management in ensuring the safety and security of the staff and premises in coordination with UNDSS and UN partners;
• Responsible for efficiently implementing security measures mandated in the overall Security Plan and/or agreed upon in the Security Management Team.

Team Building and Management 

• Facilitates day-to-day functioning of the country office’s Operations Team and any other teams reporting to them, as relevant. Manages human and financial resources for achieving results;
• Guides and ensures effective recruitment, performance management, and staff learning to motivate and promote organizational excellence in their teams.

Competencies

Core

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects and have a lasting impact. 
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, and develop new ideas to solve complex problems 
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve more significant results.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigating the complex landscape, championing inter-agency collaboration.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate the benefits of a diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

People Management

Manage Performance and Ensure Accountability: 

• Ensure regular conversations with people about work
• Provide positive and constructive feedback
• Discuss poor performance on time
• Provide praise and recognition, as well as ensure accountability 

Motivate and Direct

• Create and communicate a compelling vision and purpose 
• Align people and resources with organizational vision, strategy, and objectives 
• Understand and proactively builds the team/organization culture

Show Managerial Courage 

• Face up to organizational and people problems
• Not be afraid to take decisions and act when and as needed
• Not hold back anything that needs to be said, respectfully and diplomatically
• Address conflict on time, not allow conflicts in teams to linger
• Help others through emotional or tense situations, tactfully bring disagreements into the open, and find solutions all can endorse.

Cross-functional and technical competencies

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans aligned 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 to model what future developments and ways forward look like for UNDP
• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
• Internal Reporting and Accountability 
• Ability to create internal reporting and accountability processes and standards
• Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP's long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing, and reporting
• Ensure financial resilience through proactive risk assessment, implementation, and mitigating action.
• Understands risk and reward with collaborative and commercial projects.
• Ensures a culture of positive risk management.
• Ability to develop integrated HR strategies, governance structures, policies, and procedures
• Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles, and methods, and the ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations
• Ability to effectively plan, organize and oversee the organization's business processes to efficiently convert its assets into the best results. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms
• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals

Required Skills and Experience

Educational qualifications

• A Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field is required. 
• Professional Certifications in Finance, Procurement, and Human Resources are an advantage.

Experience requirements

• For P-4 positions, a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in one or more operations functions (financial management, human resources, procurement) is required. 
• For P-3 positions, a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in one or more operations functions (financial management, human resources, procurement) is required. 
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills are required.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English is required.
• Managerial level experience in finance, human resources, procurement, and operations is required.
• Demonstrated ability in people management and working with diverse teams is an advantage.
• Proven ability to deliver under pressure and in short timeframes.
• Knowledge of ERP platforms (such as Oracle Cloud) is advantageous.
• Staff members serving as operations managers or equivalent positions in the United Nations Agencies or with UNDP will have a distinct advantage.