Programme Specialist: Global Fund

Background

Organizational Context

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience. UNDP advocates for change, and connects countries to global knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. 

UNDP has supported Kyrgyzstan’s development progress since 1992 and supports the country in charting future pathways towards greater prosperity, resilience, and social cohesion. As an impartial policy advisor and integrator, UNDP works within the UN system and with all stakeholders in government, civil society, and private sector to advance inclusive, fundamentally sound development solutions and reforms in complex settings. Our United Nations identity ensures neutrality and respect for people’s choices. Transparency and accountability in operations makes us a trusted partner for national and international development stakeholders.  

UNDP encourages and enables collective intelligence, collaboration, integration, critical thinking, and thought leadership. We mainstream innovation, digitalization opportunities, gender equity and diversity/inclusion principles in all aspects of our work. Our staff consistently strive for excellence, effectiveness, efficiency and inclusion across all areas of work.

As a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in the effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multi-sectoral health programmes while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions. When requested, UNDP provides support through various implementation modalities, including technical assistance, fund administration, interim Principal Recipient (PR) in these settings, working with national partners and The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (the Global Fund) to improve management, implementation, and oversight, while simultaneously developing national capacity for governments or local entities to be able to assume the PR role over time.

In Kyrgyz Republic, UNDP has been playing the role of Global Fund Principal Recipient since 2011, supporting Ministry of Health and civil society deliver essential HIV, malaria and tuberculosis services while continuously strengthening health and community systems. UNDP Country Office in Kyrgyz Republic has been reconfirmed by the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) as the Principal Recipient for the Global Fund HIV, TB and COVID-19 funding for the next allocation cycle 2024-2026 in January 2023. The PR role consists of ensuring successful implementation of approved work plan and budget, achievement of programme targets, goals and objectives, effective oversight of the grant activities of the subrecipients (SR) and service providers, ensuring programmatic and financial accountability and capacity building of national and regional counterparts. The UNDP is responsible for the management and the coordination of the implementation of the programme and providing oversight and effective and transparent use of the Global Fund resources.

Job Purpose

To manage the HIV, TB and COVID-19 grant, UNDP Kyrgyz Republic has established a Grants Implementation Unit (GIU), which is responsible for implementation of the Global Fund grant. The Unit includes various programme, procurement, finance and M&E staff. Leading this Grants Implementation Unit, under the day-to-day supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative, and under the overall strategic guidance of the Resident Representative, the Programme Manager will be responsible for leading a multi-disciplinary team, achieving a high level of programme performance, coordinating  and building strategic partnerships, providing policy and strategic technical guidance, engaging with partners on strengthening national systems and health institutions, and ensuring coordination and synergies with health and development to leverage the GF portfolio. This will be done in accordance with UNDP rules, policies and procedures and corporate agreements with the Global Fund, and working in close coordination with national stakeholders, the Global Fund (including Local Fund Agent), CCM, technical and UN partners, the UNDP Health Implementation Support Team (HIST) and other UNDP programmes.

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 in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.) Ensures strategic leadership, programme planning and effective management and oversight of the Global Fund programme, focusing on achievement of the following results:

•     Leads on the strategic planning, oversight and management of the programme in compliance with UNDP’s rules, policies and procedures, the grant agreement and corporate agreements with the Global Fund ensuring integration of the functional areas and policy integration and strong focus on sustainable institutional capacity development in government and civil society organizations. 
•     Leads on the coordination, management, supervision and oversight of the GIU across all functional areas to achieve programme goals, provide quality services, ensures programme delivery with full utilization of Global Fund allocation and the achievement of programme targets. 
•     Leads on regular meetings held between the functional areas of the GIU and SR counterparts to review progress on workplan implementation, risk management, and to anticipate on bottlenecks and ensure effective delivery and performance.
•     Leads on assessing the programmatic impact and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the programme and proactively leads on reviews for underperformance, bottlenecks and ensures the accountability for the timely implementation of corrective action(s). 
•     Leads the SR management and monitors the effective implementation of the SRs’ audit recommendations within the timelines set.  
•     Develops and maintains an organizational structure to ensure UNDP is resourced to deliver its commitments, leads on the recruitment of GIU staff, fostering diversity, equity and inclusion and builds the technical, management and leadership capacity of staff for promotion of organizational excellence. 
•     Ensures and oversees the development and implementation of the GIU learning plan, including the mentorship on UNDP and Global Fund policies, rules and standard operating procedures (SOPs).    
•     Ensures strong collaboration with UNDP regional bureau and headquarters, GF/HIST on all areas of strategic planning, management, oversight implementation and donor communication.

2.) Ensures proactive financial, asset and health product management and oversight and controls are met   and proactively performs risk assessments, focusing on achievement of the following results:

•     Leads on preparation of programme documents required by the donor, including work plans, budgets, monitoring and evaluation plans, and procurement and supply management plans and leads the negotiation of corporate agreements, timely reprogramming requests and identification of cost savings. 
•     Ensures UNDP’s financial, asset and health product (including quality control, insurance) management policies, procedures, and SOPs are followed and validated by internal reviews. 
•     Leads on timely preparation and quality submissions of financial and programmatic donor reports and responses to management actions, compliance with grant conditions and revisions to the grant agreement(s). 
•     Leads on performing risk assessments, develops and implements risk management matrix/plan with the GIU staff and implementing partners and ensures adequate oversight and support is provided, with timely incident reporting.
•     Ensures compliance of procedures, systems to ensure safety and security of staff, assets and health products in line with UNDP’s rules, policies and procedures. 
•     Leads on supervising and ensures accountability for SR assessments, contracting, monitoring, with SRs work plan and budgets implemented in compliance with UNDP’s SR grant agreement, and service providers while ensuring quality of the programme and achievement of programme goals. 
•     Leads on programme audits and investigations under the guidance of the Resident Representative and in coordination with the Regional Bureau, Office of Audit and Investigations and GF/HIST and ensures timely follow up on audit recommendations; and
•     Leads on SR audit process and monitoring the timely and effective implementation of the audit recommendations and ensures recommendations.

3.) Ensures creation of strategic partnerships and support the implementation of the resource mobilization, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

•     Leads on the building of partnerships and maintains strong working relationships with the National HIV and TB Programmes, Ministry of Health, and other partners involved in HIV and TB, including WHO and UNICEF, financial and technical partners, and UN Agencies to ensure transparent and effective management and oversight of the programme.
•     Leads the development, implementation, and update of the GIU communication plan, in line with UNDP corporate communications policies.  
•     Supports the national strategic planning processes for the programme based on evidence gained during implementation of the programme. 
•     Leads on advising the Resident Representative on the range of value-added services that UNDP can provide to governments in the implementation of GF programmes and cost-recovery mechanisms including General Management Services (GMS) and Direct Project costs. 
•     Maintains close coordination between the programme and other health initiatives in the country to promote partnership building and avoid duplication of programmatic activities and to exchange critical and technical information and resolve programme implementation issues.
•     Ensures coordination and synergies with health and development to leverage the GF portfolio.
•     Leads on the engagement with the GF Fund Portfolio Manager and the Country Team and develops a strong professional relationship based upon mutual trust and respect, and supports during missions; and 
•     Leads on developing funding requests to complement UNDP’s PR role with other health and development activities and the development of project documents.
•     Supports the RR and DRR in exploring additional partnership potentials which includes IFIs and Government

4.) Ensures provision of strategic policy advice and technical guidance, focusing on achievement of the following results:

•     Ensures harmonization and integration of the programme into the national strategic documents on disease programmes.
•     Provides strategic policy and technical advice to the National TB and HIV Programmes, the Ministry of Health, and implementing partners and supports work on programme adjustments as necessary. 
•     Participates in technical committees of the CCM, as required. 
•     Supports implementation of interventions and policy guidance related to the removal of human rights and gender related barriers to the access to and uptake of HIV and TB services; and 
•     Coordinates planned studies and programme review(s) with the national programme(s), in collaboration with the National HIV and TB Programmes, Ministry of Health, the Global Fund, implementing partners, CSOs, UN agencies, financial and technical partners, and the CCM.

5.) Ensures guidance and capacity building and facilitation of knowledge building and sharing, focusing on  the achievement of the following results:

•     Engages with National HIV and TB Programmes, Ministry of Health, implementing partners, CSOs, UN agencies and financial and technical partners to strengthen national systems and health institutions, across functional areas including, procurement and supply chain management, financial management and oversight, SR management, risk management, project implementation and monitoring.
•     Engages with national partners and oversees the development and the implementation of capacity development strategies and plans to support national entities to implement and assume the PR role over time, ensuring access to appropriate tools and resources and review on an annual basis to recalibrate implementation modalities, including payments to SRs.
•     Leads on developing and implementing an SR training plan in the functional areas in line with UNDP and GF’s rules policies and procedures, the development and implementation of SOPs, including developing a communication strategy with quarterly and semester meetings.
•     Ensures the GIU work closely with the SRs team to improve reporting in line with their grant agreements (e.g., request for payments etc.). 
•     Ensures the GIU prioritize participation in meetings with the CCM, the national disease programmes, technical partners and civil society SRs and the GIU is proactive vis-à-vis the national disease programmes and the national partners and maintains meeting schedules.   
•     Identifies and supports development of communications (print, video) highlighting key programme achievements, best practices, and lessons learnt and contributes to information sharing with the National HIV and TB Programmes, Ministry of Health, implementing partners, CSOs, UN agencies, financial and technical partners, the Global Fund and the CCM; and 
•     Actively participates in UNDP and other relevant external networks to promote the programme and UNDP’s health and development work (conferences, community of practice, Yammer) and represents UNDP in relevant technical meetings, working groups at country, regional and global level.  

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: Manage and supervise Global Fund personnel
Ensures cross-unit cooperation, coordination, teamwork.
Performs all managerial/leadership functions in line with the established UN and UNDP management norms, rules and regulation, ensures highest standards of ethics, integrity and accountability in the personal and professional domains.
Any other duty assigned by the Deputy Resident Representative.

Competencies

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•     Advanced degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Public Health, Epidemiology, International Development, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or related field is required OR 
•     A First level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above fields with 2 additional years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

•     Minimum of 7 years’ (with a Master’s degree) or 9 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressive relevant experience at the national or international level is required.

•    Demonstrated experience in building the capacity of national entities in the context of health and development programmes is required.  
•     Experience in programmatic donor reporting is required. 
•     Demonstrated experience in developing and managing effective partnerships with government and civil society organizations in the context of health and development programmes is desired
•     Knowledge of UN or UNDP’s rules, policies, and procedures is an asset.
•     Knowledge of Global Fund’s rules, policies, and procedures in the management of Global Fund grants is an asset.
•     Experience in the monitoring and evaluation of health programmes is an asset.
•     Experience in the management of communicable disease programmes is an asset.

Language: 

•     Fluency in English and Russian, both written and oral is required.
 

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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