Project Management Support Associate (Grants Monitoring and Reporting)

Background Information - Job-specific

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

In 2024, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 80 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

Background Information – Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants and project management to advance the justice reform agenda of the government of the Philippines through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. With funding from the European Union, UNOPS also supports the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, working with the Government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to strengthen capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition. Supporting the Department of Health under a World Bank in the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Program, UNOPS has provided nutritional commodities and services for expecting mothers and young children from 2023 to 2025.

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law, and governance sectors.

Project Background – European Union Governance in Justice III (EU-GOJUST III) or the “Enabling Justice and Rule of Law in the Philippines” Project.

Building on the gains of GOJUST I and II, the European Union, in partnership with UNOPS and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), supports the third phase of the Enabling Justice and the Rule of Law Programme, otherwise known as the “EU-GOJUST III”). This new action seeks to strengthen the rule of law in the Philippines through more coordinated, efficient, and people-centred justice services, while enhancing access to justice for all, especially women and vulnerable populations.

EU-GOJUST III continues the momentum from previous EU-funded justice programmes, including GoJUST I, GOJUST II, and the EU-Philippines Justice Support Programme (EPJUST II). While GOJUST I focused on strengthening national-level institutions, and GOJUST II deepened engagement with civil society and local justice mechanisms, the EU-GOJUST III places greater emphasis on localized implementation and institutional sustainability. This new program will address access to justice by supporting legal aid services, enhancing the capacity of local governments as entry points into the justice system, increasing rights awareness, and building the capacity of justice actors to respond to the needs of women and people in vulnerable situations.

Despite notable achievements, challenges persist in scaling and sustaining reforms, ensuring equitable access to justice, and improving justice outcomes at the local level. EU-GOJUST III addresses these through a localization approach, strengthening the capacity of JZs and Local Government Units (LGUs) to deliver responsive, inclusive, and gender-sensitive justice services.

This action aligns with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023–2028 and supports critical justice sector coordination structures such as the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) and the Justice Zones (JZs), which have proven instrumental in advancing cross-agency collaboration, data sharing, and innovation in justice delivery. This action is also fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributing to SDG 16: promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

In collaboration with IDLO as Technical Lead, UNOPS will support the implementation of key components under the EU-GOJUST III. This includes coordination with Philippine justice institutions, civil society, and local actors, with a focus on improving legal aid services, rights awareness, and institutional capacity.

EU-GOJUST III will contribute to two Specific Objectives (SOs), as follows:

Specific Objective 1 – Justice Coordination: To develop more coordinated, efficient, gender-sensitive, and people-centred justice services;

Specific Objective 2 – Access to Justice for All: To enhance access to justice for all, especially for women and people living in vulnerable situations.

UNOPS, leveraging its experience as an implementing partner in GOJUST I and II, will continue to provide operational support, including training, procurement, grants management, and behavior change campaign in support of the justice sector reform in the Philippines.

Access to Justice Facility under the EU Project “Enabling Justice and Rule of Law in the Philippines” or GOJUST3

The Access to Justice Grant Facility aims to enhance access to justice for all, especially for women and people living in vulnerable situations. At the start of EU-GOJUST III, the Access to Justice Facility will undergo review and update based on justice needs assessments, consultations, and lessons from EU-GOJUST II. This component aims to provide grant funds to eligible CSOs and academia that will contribute to achieving four key outputs:

Improved access to legal aid services and, in particular, address cultural and social barriers that prevent women from accessing justice;

Improved capacity of LGUs as right holders' first entry point in the justice system;

Increased awareness of rights and available remedies for rights-holders, including women and people living in vulnerable situations;

Enhanced capacities of actors of the justice system on the issues faced by women and other people living in vulnerable situations.

UNOPS is responsible for grants administration, management, financial monitoring, and overall reporting of the grant facility. It will also manage and deploy local experts/ retainers as needed. In addition, capacity building, project monitoring and strengthening the Gender Equality and Social inclusion are also key approaches that will be integrated at the onset of the grant management. UNOPS will work with the EU GOJUST Technical Assistance Team (IDLO) on the overall design, implementation, and monitoring. The grants facility will adhere to principles of transparency, accountability, and value for money, thereby contributing to sustainable development.

Under the direct supervision of the UNOPS Project Management Support - Officer (PMSO-Grants), oversight from the Grants Sub-Committee, and technical guidance from the IDLO’s Monitoring and Reporting Officer, the Programme Management Associate will be performing the following core functions and specific tasks:

1. Assist the PMSO-Grants in the grant support process

2. Assist the PMSO-Grants in providing and/or managing training/ capacity building, monitoring, and reporting of the results of the Grant Facility

Assist the PMSO-Grants in the preparation, conduct (including documentation and facilitation, when needed) and evaluation of capacity building training/workshops that may be programmed for the proponent CSO, whether individually or as an everyday activity of the set of grantees;

Provide support in the conduct and documentation of monitoring activities to check the progress of the work of the grantees, which could be a combination of review of narrative reports, virtual meetings with the grantees, or on-site visits;

Assist in the review and feedback sharing of the progress of accomplishment of the grantees, and support in the tracking and reporting of milestones/deliverables/outputs and outcome indicators, and their contribution to the EU-GOJUST III MEL Framework and plan;

Collaborate with the IDLO Technical Assistance Team, Capacity and Monitoring team in the development and deployment of monitoring tools that align with the EU-GOJUST III MEL Framework/plan;

Ensure that data inputs on the EU-GOJUST III monitoring tool/s are regularly updated, validated, and consolidated;

Assist in drafting reports required by UNOPS and/or donors;

Support the preparation and conduct of joint lesson learning or catch-up planning type of activity, to overcome difficulties, and possible mentoring or coaching sessions for laggard grantees;

Support in the assessment of the progress of the grant implementation on an annual basis, and reviewing and sharing the lessons from year one;

Support in setting up, updating, and maintaining the grant monitoring dashboard, through the provision of the status of implementation of grantee milestones.

3. Assist the Senior Project Manager and/or the PMSO-Grant and the IDLO MEL Officer in the consolidation of data points on the EU-GOJUST III Program MEL Framework and the operational coordination of the evaluation studies

4. Assist in the operational, logistics, and procurement in the implementation of EU-GOJUSTIII-related activities for the assigned Key Result Area/s

Completion of secondary/high school is required.

A minimum of six (6) years of experience in M&E and project/program management, is required.

Advanced skill in developing and using M&E tools, including Google Sheets and database work, is highly desirable and advantage.

Experience in working with a range of stakeholders is an asset.

Prior experience and sound knowledge of the Philippine Justice Sector context are assets.

Experience in monitoring/managing an Access to Justice program/projects is desirable.
Language Requirements:

Full working knowledge of English is required.

Fluency in Filipino or any major local dialect is desired.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: ICS-6/LICA-6
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance. Important note: This vacancy is open only to nationals or those who have a valid residence permit in the country of assignment.

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
Additional Information

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.

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.

This position is stationed in Manila, Philippines, which is a family duty station.

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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.