Senior Operations Manager, P-5, DFAM, Istanbul, Turkey, #94612

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope.. 

Under the supervision of the Deputy Director of Treasury & Structured Finance DFAM, the Sr. Operations Manager (Emergency Response) provides in country support to emergencies particularly L2 and L3 for operations functions with a main focus on Finance and Administration. UNICEF has additional ERTs that cover Supply and HR functions. The position also provides remote guidance and inputs into the development of policies, procedures and key documents with an emergency lens. The incumbent is responsible for providing technical leadership and advice in financial matters to UNICEF Regional and Country Offices senior management team (Representative and Deputy Representatives) to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources in the implementation of the humanitarian response, in accordance with strategy, programmes, plan of action and decisions made by the organization, and in close collaboration with DFAM, EMOPS and other relevant HQ divisions. When deployed to a UNICEF country office as part of the Emergency Response, the incumbent is is to provide support to the CO’s management, in the operations area with a main focus on finance and administration in support of the humanitarian response. 

How can you make a difference?

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks: Drawing on previous experiences in leading Country Offices through emergency situations, provide operational and technical assistance to the UNICEF Country Office senior management team in responding to or preparing for humanitarian crises on the ground, in respect of all operations areas and functions with a particular focus on Finance and Administration, and in accordance with UNICEF policies, rules and procedures. When deployed in support of humanitarian preparedness and response:

• Undertake emergency response missions and provide support to regional offices/country offices for emergency response, recovery or those in complex setting requiring assistance.

• Provide leadership in establishing operational capacity at national and subnational level for effective emergency response. Advise on the need of establishment/enhancement of emergency zone offices and coordinate the decentralization process as appropriate.

• Provide technical and policy advice to the regional directors/country representatives on  programme and operational strategies, planning and implementation.

• Contribute to design the scaling up of the emergency response by participating in the planning process and reviewing the office structure, budget and staffing, both in Programme and Operations, in line with strategy and plan of action developed by the CO/RO. Provide technical support and inputs for the preparation of the CO submission to the emergency Program Budget Review (PBR) as and when required.

• Support the CO management in the establishment of proper internal control and risk management systems and other mechanisms to ensure the effective and efficient use of the resources, recording and reporting, taking into consideration emergency policies and procedures in the operations functional areas (finance, admin, HR, supply & logistics and ICT).

• Ensure implementation of simplified emergency procedures in humanitarian settings as required

• Ensure appropriate management of cash (COHA, Petty cash, HCT..) in compliance with UNICEF related policies and in collaboration with DFAM Treasury & Structured Finance (TSF) Section.

• Enhance staff capacity, by providing training opportunities to operations staff in the CO and zone offices, on the application of emergency policies, procedures and processes in the respective functional areas and in the utilization of management systems (VISION) and other mechanisms.

• Ensure effective coordination with government, UN agencies, donors and NGOs

• Ensure effective and efficient UNICEF’s sector/cluster leadership in interagency coordination forums (for programme staff), to ensure a coordinated timely operational response and to ensure possible use of common premises, ICT equipment and systems, logistics and other services to maximize the use of resources.

• Undertake frequent visits to the emergency locations to assess and monitor progress and assist the teams in finding appropriates solutions to overcome operational constraints.  Advice CO management of additional requirements if necessary.

• Coordinate with security advisor and UNDSS to ensure offices and staff compliance with MOSS and MORSS measures. 2. When not deployed in support of humanitarian preparedness and response.

• Provide support, advise and field perspective to Humanitarian Field Support Section (HFSS)/ Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) Preparedness Team in the development of guidelines, processes and tools.

• Provide technical support to high-risk country offices in contingency planning and preparedness measures, including capacity. development

• Upon return from missions, conduct debriefings with relevant divisions and technical sections in UNICEF (DFAM, EMOPS, DHR Emergency Unit, SD Emergency Unit, ERT team members) and externally as required.

• Work with other Divisions/Sections to serve as resource person for the design and implementation of trainings on operational issues in emergency situations / simulations to disseminate and promote policies, procedures, tools and approaches.

• Participate and influence headquarters internal and external discussions on humanitarian response systems, bringing emergency field perspective and experience to headquarters tools, policy and procedure development efforts.

• Document experiences to ensure that lessons learned are available to ensure rapid and appropriate response in emergencies and assist in identification of triggers mechanisms for the purpose of preparedness actions.

• Collaborate with other UNICEF ERT members, to ensure the consistency of the implementation of policies, rules and regulations in the emergency situation, and enhance the effectiveness of emergency deployments.

• Apply field experience to contribute to the organization’s working papers and policy documents, procedures and guidelines.

• Provide support to the EMOPS desk officers on strategic analysis and humanitarian guidance on programming, support CCC revision process and SSOP revision processes.

• Contribute to identifications of suitable candidates for potential deployments in different emergencies and make recommendations to the COs as required.   

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Business Administration, Economics, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Financial Management or a related field is required.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional work experience, with at least five (5) years in an international organization, is required. 
• Demonstrated experience in operations support function encompassing Financial Management, Human Resources Management, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Administrative services, and Technology solutions, is required.
• Prior work experience in emergency setting is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Spanish and French is highly desirable. Knowledge of another UN language (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, Russian) is considered an asset. 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required (for the job)

– UNICEF operation’s policies, procedures and guidelines in an emergency situation on development and change management strategies

– UNICEF operation’s policies, procedures and guidelines in an emergency situation

– Rights-based and Results-based management and budgeting approach in UNICEF.

– Knowledge of the global commitment on aid effectiveness, including the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action as well as knowledge of the Global Programme Partnerships (GPPs).

– Understanding of UNICEF Financial Regulations and Rules – UN security operations and guidelines

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.