Operations Officer, P2, Office of Innovation, Helsinki, Finland post #122712 (, 364 days)

Contract

This is a P-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 57,661 USD and 78,318 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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, innovation...

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support the realization of children’s rights are key to improving children’s lives.

Worldwide, we innovate to tackle the most pressing problems faced by the most vulnerable children. We take a systematic approach to innovation, applying skills and energy across new tools and technologies, products, innovative financing, and new ways of working to boost our impact.

The Office of Innovation (OOI) works to catalyze UNICEF's and all its partners’ expertise and resources against key children-outcomes bottlenecks, with a view to continuously ideate and scale the most effective solutions with transformational potential at scale to achieve the child-related SDGs.

The office is doing this by continuously exploring new ways of accelerating results for children, investing across a range of early stage solutions, and harnessing internal and external expertise towards continuously iterating and fine-tuning the most promising solutions for children through a systematic portfolio management approach, and leveraging all stakeholders’ innovation energy, know-how and resources from intergovernmental, multilateral, private sector and non-governmental fora (think tank, academia).

As part of a global organizational improvement initiative within UNICEF, the structure and operating model of the OOI is being reimagined to optimize its function across the organization to accelerate the pace at which innovations for children are scaling and delivering against the SDGs.

The Operations function is a strategic Business Partner role, assuring the best use of UNICEF assets in alignment with sound management practices, office priorities, and goals to deliver results for children.

How can you make a difference?

The Operations Officer, P2 will work under the direction and accountability of the Innovation Learning Adviser and the Innovation Finance Adviser. As a Strategic Business Partner, the incumbent will be accountable for operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk informed, solution-focused analysis, advice and services and contribute to programme and management decisions for delivering results for children in specific operational contexts. Operations Officer will accomplish this by:

• Facilitating services in the functional areas of operations support: budget, financial management and reporting, facilities management, administration, supply and logistics management, information and communications technology, and safety and security.
• In close coordination with HR staff in Stockholm and the DHR’s dedicated HR Officer to Finland, the Operations Officer will help with the onboarding of new hires.
• Acting as member of relevant Senior Management Teams, representing the organizational risks, governance systems and policies, and supporting results-based management.
• Understanding business needs for the office, to propose viable solutions aimed at value for money specifically for procurement, contracting and all financial transactions.
• Providing contribution to AMP and support to Results Based Management and implementation using Value for Money criteria.
• Supporting the fundamentals of ICT management, information security and controls.
• Supporting supply and logistics strategies and interventions to meet programmatic needs while ensuring Value for Money (VfM), including procurement of fit for purpose products and services.
• Providing regular feedback on risks and achievements of operations functions in the office.
• Supporting the management of office premises and facilities with a specific focus on inclusive accessibility, eco sustainability and common premises.
• Supporting the hubs during external and internal audit reviews, contributing with audit observations and monitoring implementation of recommendations.
• Facilitating business transactions processed by GSSC from a perspective of Efficiency, Performance, Risk Management and Fraud prevention.
• Supporting management of Program specific funding requirement (PSFR) operations, where applicable.

The Operations Officer will be entrusted with the following five pillars, the core focus of all operations functions: Valuing People, Valuing Money, Valuing Risk Management, Valuing Systems and Structures, Valuing Partners.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks

Valuing People: Implement people resources strategies to promote technical competence and foster career progression and retention of a “fit for purpose”/ agile workforce

• Facilitate an environment of management excellence, staff well-being and accessibility and inclusion through implementation of strategies, policies, procedures.
• Implement solutions related to people management and office culture.
• Support training strategy and requisite plans to bring about changes in knowledge, skills, abilities, and mind sets for Operations staff.
• Keep abreast of industry standards in management and finance and share best practices and knowledge learned within the office.
• Support Excellence in Operations in UNICEF derived from the five strategic pillars.

Valuing Money: Champion strategic resources to achieve organizational goals and ensure Value for Money (VfM)

• Ensure effective identification and use of resources in various concrete Value for Money (VfM) areas, including eco-efficiency and inclusivity, premises, costing, results-based budgeting financial monitoring, contracting and procurement, etc.
• Support the financial oversight management, monitoring and reporting of all the country programme budget- and where applicable private sector fundraising budgets; make analysis and recommendations as needed.
• Support implementation of various modalities of valuing resources through financing modalities such as budgeting and pre-financing modalities for supplies, cash-based transfer etc.
• Implement Supply plan for the office and stay abreast of the regional strategies.

Valuing Risk Management: Enhance Risk Management to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control

• Support the office with up-to-date information to make operational and programmatic risk informed decisions and improve performance, with the support of the enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) platform.
• Contribute and participate in testing of business continuity plans to ensure UNICEF organizational resilience to disaster, risks and staff safety and security as well as Emergency Preparedness and Response to humanitarian situations.
• Participate in review of internal controls and policies/guidance included in the Regulatory Framework, support appropriate implementation policies and procedures, and provide feedback on policy and internal controls as appropriate.
• Support implementation mandatory anti-fraud systems, processes, and actions, and share anti-fraud achievements within the office.
• Support mitigation of risks of engagement with external partners via appropriate, risk-informed due diligence.

Valuing Systems and Structures: Ensure further operational centralization and optimization for maximized efficiency gains

• Participate in the review of Operations processes and recommend measures to minimize cost, reduce duplication of work, and maximize efficiencies while creating an environment of smarter controls to render the organization ready to respond to programme needs.
• In coordination with the Chief of Operations and ICT colleague sin Stockholm, the incumbent is expected to contribute to improving IT-enabled business processes to increase productivity and collaboration, better knowledge management, and ensure effective use of UNICEF assets.
• Provide contribution to Programme Management Plans and review operational structures in collaboration with Regional Chiefs of Operations and the Strategic Business Support unit in DFAM.

Valuing Partners: Strengthening internal and external-facing partnerships and leveraging UNICEF’s oversight and understanding of financial management across all areas of the office.

• Provide technical support and recommendations on Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers to Implementing Partners HACT implementation, including, advice approach to undertaking spot checks, follow-up actions required on result of financial assurance activities. • Support UNICEF Office resource mobilization partners in financial negotiation as needed, formulation of partnership agreements and contracts through written financial reporting, resolve discrepancies and ensure donor accountability and transparency. • Contribute to UNICEF Office resource mobilization through reviewing the written financial proposals, review reporting, and analysis of discrepancies.

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

• A university degree (Bachelor's) in Business management, financial management, Accounting, Public Finance, and related operations function (Supply Chain, Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Project management, etc.,). A professional license from internationally recognized institutions is an asset.
• A minimum of 2 years of professional experience, at the national and/or international level, is required, specifically in one or more operations management area including budget; financial management and reporting, procurement and contracting, facilities management; and supply and logistics management. Three to five years of experience will be an asset.
• Experience in UNICEF and/or any other UN agency is an asset.
• Experience in working with corporate ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) and IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) is highly desirable.
• Adequate knowledge of SAP/VISION is an asset.
• Understanding of Results Based Management is a requirement.
• Experience in supporting successful client-oriented work units is an asset.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of the local language is an asset, and in any another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

In addition to the above the ideal profile/candidate should demonstrate the following:

• Solid knowledge and hands on experience in procurement, contracting and ideally in UNICEF finance and budgeting related issues.
• Ability to mentor and train other team members
• Excellent facilitation skills
• Strong drive for results managing challenges and bottlenecks.

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: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

1. Builds and maintains partnerships.
2. Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness.
3. Drive to achieve results for impact.
4. Innovates and embraces change.
5. Manages ambiguity and complexity.
6. Thinks and acts strategically.
7. Works collaboratively with others.

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. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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.

Remarks:

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

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). 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.