Operations Officer

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

UNCDF launched its Financial Inclusion interventions in Papua New Guinea in 2009 through its Pacific Financial inclusion Program (PFIP) and focused on creating an inclusive environment for inception and scale up of digital financial services. UNCDF has been supporting the digital financial service providers, banks and other stakeholders in the country to develop the eco-system. In June 2020 PFIP concluded and UNCDF decided to develop PNG as independent Country Office which is currently implementing 2 key initiatives:

EU STREIT: The Support to Rural Entrepreneurship and Trade in Papua New Guinea (STREIT PNG) program is the largest grant-funded program of the European Union in the Pacific sub-region. Developed under the 11th European Development Fund (2014-2020), the program is implemented as a United Nations joint program under the leadership of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). UNCDF is responsible for the access to finance component of the project, focusing on the value chains of cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries in the Sepik region.

The UNCDF’s role is to develop inclusive financial systems, supporting a wide range of providers (e.g., microfinance institutions, banks, cooperatives, money transfer companies) and a variety of financial products and services (e.g., savings, credit, insurance, pension, payments, remittances).

Good oceans Good Business The Joint Programme ‘Gutpla solwara, gutpla bisnis’ (Good oceans, good business) between UNDP and UNCDF supports local blue enterprises, leverage local skills and unlock private capital from domestic and international sources by demonstrating the viability of reef-first enterprise models. The UNCDF’s role is to facilitate the creation of domestic credit lines, set up a guarantee fund and support reef positive financial products in conjunction with the local financial service providers.

The Operations Officer will provide operational support to the Country Lead in PNG on day-to-day implementation of the above-mentioned initiatives. The position will directly report to the Country Lead in PNG.

Under the direct supervision of the PNG Country Lead, the National UN Volunteer will carry out the following tasks:

Administrative & Operations Support for PNG

• Oversee various internal operations functions within the organization including finance, HR, procurement, and logistics.

• Work closely with administrative and operation staff to support, guide, and provide ad-vice on day-to-day operations and problem solving, team building, etc.

• Conceptualize and develop various process improvements and operations management activities to improve organizational efficiencies (e.g. process maps, trackers, systems integrations, etc.)

• Report to the Supervisor on bottlenecks, issues, and general status for daily operations

• Actively participate in strategic planning sessions, long-term planning and vision for organizational structure, operations, and project implementations

• Act as a liaison between the country office and the Regional Office, and occasionally the Head Office, in managerial support including weekly updates, quality assurance, and internal policy and process activities.

• Lead and assist ad-hoc administrative and operations activities including drafting correspondences, organization and coordination of documents, reports, etc.

• Assist in programmatic and administrative support for program areas implemented by the country offices.

• Assist the Country Lead and support teams in monitoring and providing guidance on routine implementation of programmatic project activities.

• Support the Country Lead in developing and reviewing relevant documents for pro-gramme implementation such as Performance Based Payment Agreements, Terms of References (ToR), etc.

• Support in preparing project related reporting, including financial projections, quarterly and annual reporting to donors.

• Support the Country Lead in compiling briefing materials, providing updates and input for various meetings with the Regional Office, coordination meetings and discussions.

• Liaise with the Regional Office on periodic reporting (monthly, quarterly, etc.), and other requests to provide guidance on in-country programmatic areas.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);

• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;

• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;

• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/Expected Outputs

• Efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support rendered within the Team and to beneficiaries and counterparts

• Contributed to process improvements and efficiencies within the organization to support both programme implementation and operations management.

• Developed new trackers, system improvements and processes for efficiencies

• Supported the annual budget process, including annual reporting, budget revisions and long-term planning.

• Supported procurement process and developed team-building activities, human resources activities.

• Development of capacity of team members through coaching, mentoring, trainings, and workshops while working with local colleagues

• Accountability

• Adaptability and flexibility
• Building trust
• Commitment and motivation
• Commitment to continuous learning
• Communication
• Creativity
• Empowering Others
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Judgement and Decision-making
• Knowledge Sharing
• Leadership
• Managing Performance
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Self-Management
• Vision
• Working in Teams

finance, budgeting, and project management. - Experience with internal operations management (i.e., procurement, finance, process improvements, governance, etc.) - Previous experience with UN systems, processes, and software (i.e., Quantum, procurement process, etc.) is preferred but not mandatory. - Experience leading and working with cross-cultural teams.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern part of the Island of New Guinea – the world's second largest island – and its offshore islands in Melanesia. It is unique in many respects: linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 700 native tongues.

PNG provides an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as a relatively high level of stamina and commitment to make life comfortable and affordable.

Port Moresby is the capital of PNG and is the largest city in the Pacific Islands outside of Australia and New Zealand. It is located on the south-eastern coast of the Papuan peninsula on the shores of the Gulf of Papua. The city’s official population according to the PNG National Statistical Office is 364,125, but it is believed to be double that figure. The expansion of the PNG economy – thanks to a thriving extractive industry – became the trigger for the growth of Port Moresby.

Successive national governments and municipal authorities rolled out modern facilities, complimenting increased investment in property development by the private sector. Today Port Moresby’s skyline has evolved from low-set buildings to multistoreyed apartment blocks.

Security Advisory: UN travelers to/in Papua New Guinea and Bougainville are advised to exercise a high degree of caution. Crime rates are high, particularly in the capital and in the large cities. Violent carjacking, street robberies, house breaking, violence against women and sexual assaults frequently occur. All travel at night must be made by vehicle. Tribal conflicts, riots and looting are frequent in the Highlands provinces. Agencies undertaking visits to the highlands must take special security arrangements including protection team in certain areas. Security arrangements have to be detailed when submitting the clearance.

Health and medical services. Malaria is endemic in all areas. Dengue fever is also common in coastal towns, including Port Moresby. Tuberculosis is common. HIV/AIDS and other STDs are also present. PNG only offers basic medical facilities, and you should ensure you discuss all possible vaccinations and other preventative measures recommended for Papua New Guinea with your primary care physician prior to leaving your home country.

Social issues: Despite Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) economic boom led by extractive industries, almost 40 percent of the country’s population lives in poverty. Gender inequality, violence, corruption at all levels, excessive use of force by Police and domestic violence continue to affect PNG citizens. Rates of family and sexual violence are among the highest in the world. Road and traffic conditions are poor; as such accidents are likely, with only limited emergency response services available.

Accommodation: The accommodation rates in PNG is incomparable with most other cities in the world as it is very costly.

Groceries: There are several supermarkets and grocery shops stocking a diverse range of products but mainly influenced by the city’s trade with East Asian countries, America, India, Australia and New Zealand. They also have provision for people with special dietary requirements.

Visas: All foreign visitors to PNG require a visa to enter. They will not be issued at the airport. Transit visas always are required for transit through Australia, even if remaining in the international transit area for a few hours.

Currency: PNG’s currency is the Kina.

Electricity: The electricity current in PNG is 240V AC 50Hz using Australian-style plugs.