Policy Analyst - Country Programs Policy /P3

TGF/08/FT566

24/06/2008 - 15/07/2008

Manager, Country Programs Policy and Analysis

Country Programs Cluster / Office of the Cluster Director

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a global public/private partnership dedicated to raising and disbursing large amounts of additional finance to prevent and treat the three pandemics.  The Global Fund has so far
committed more than US$10 billion to over 520 programs in 136 countries.

The vacancy is in the Secretariat of the Global Fund. The Secretariat manages the grant portfolio, including executing Board policies, disbursing money to grant recipients and implementing performance-based funding of grants. The Secretariat is also tasked with resource mobilization; providing strategic, policy, financial, legal and administrative support and overseeing monitoring and evaluation. It is based in Geneva and has no staff located outside its headquarters. 

The Global Fund is looking for staff with a strong commitment to health and development, an open mind-set, entrepreneurial and flexible attitudes as well as strong interpersonal skills. 

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Country Programs Cluster and reporting directly to the Manager of Country Programs Policy, the analyst will:

• Research implications of new policies on grant management and oversight functions of Country Programs Cluster;
• Analyze grant management processes and systems to simplify, streamline and expedite core Country Programs deliverables;
• Incorporate improvements to grant management practices based on evaluations and audits of Country Programs into work processes for core deliverables;
• Coordinate and plan roll out of new grant management requirements for Country Programs and partners (Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs), Principal Recipients (PRs) and Local Fund Agents (LFAS)); and
• Draft and/or support development of papers, briefings and presentations.

Key results expected:

• Streamlined internal processes for key deliverables for Country Programs Unit;
• Collation and monitoring of coherent and coordinated requirements from implementing and oversight entities;
• Real time map of all requirements to support strategic decision-making on additional reporting requirements for wide variety and information/data collection needs across the Secretariat; and
• Close collaboration with teams external to Country Programs Cluster, including i) Program Finance and ii) Monitoring and Evaluation Teams and the iii) Pharmaceutical Procurement, iv) Strategy and Policy and v) Legal Units.  Within Country Programs Cluster, close coordination with CCM, LFA and Grant Renewals Teams.

The Policy Analyst, Country Programs Policy will:

1. Research implications of new and existing policies on grant management and oversight functions of Country Programs Cluster by
   • Monitoring ongoing policy and strategy pipeline to identify downstream operational challenges;
   • Assessing initiatives for introduction of new systems and requirements on grant management;
   • Drafting reports or inputs to such analyses to the Board or its committees, internal working groups and other managers; and
   • Providing analyses to the Office of the Director on grant management practices.
2. Analyze grant management processes and systems to simplify, streamline and expedite core Country Programs deliverables by:
   • Collecting and organizing all tools and templates used for grant management and oversight for inclusion on common portal for use by Country Programs;
   • Streamlining and ensuring coherence in approaches and information requested in tools used across range of grant management practices;
   • Identifying overlaps and gaps with respect to grant management practices and proposing changes to policies and approaches;
   • Working closely with internal teams with subject-matter expertise to avoid duplication of tools and templates developed for use by Country Programs across its grant management practices; and
   • Collaborating with information management and technology experts to capture coherent approaches in development and update of existing tools.
3. Incorporate improvements to grant management practices based on evaluations, studies and audits of Country Programs into work processes for core deliverables by:
   • Monitoring outcomes of internal and external evaluations and audits;
   • Analyzing recommendations and feasibility of their application based on the Global Fund’s Business model;
   • Recommending inclusion of new or strengthened grant management or oversight practices; and
   • Coordinating implementation based on agreed course of action.
4. Coordinate and plan roll out of new grant management requirements for Country Programs and partners (Country Coordinating Mechanisms, Principal Recipients and Local Fund Agents) by:
   • Maintaining “master” list of reporting and compliance requirements for grant management;
   • Working closely with internal teams who design reporting and other compliance requirements to coordinate timeliness of roll-out to ensure coherent timing, predictability and clarity; and
   • Identifying potential bottlenecks and operational challenges related to reporting and compliance requirements and work with appropriate entity to mitigate their impact on smooth program implementation.
5. Draft and/or support development of papers, briefings, presentations on the subjects above to internal Secretariat audience, the Board and/or its committees or other external stakeholders.

Qualifications and Membership

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in management, public policy, public health, social science or other relevant area or equivalent professional training or self-study/work experience.

Essential:

• Five to six years of professional experience, including in policy, business analysis or program planning and management.

Desirable:

• International experience, including in an international organization, non-profit or private sector, an advantage.
• Familiarity with the Global Fund and its business model.

Skills:

Analytical Skills:

• Ability to absorb large and complex information and understand macro and high-level implications
• Strategic thinker able to apply high level concepts, principles and recommendations to day-to-day business requirements

Managerial Skills:

• Self starter able to work under pressure, tight deadlines and deliver timely and high quality work.
• Focused on results and pragmatic outcomes
• Ability to coordinate across various projects and teams in a dynamic environment
• Ability to lead working groups and project teams

Communication Skills:

• Excellent writing skills
• Ability to summarize and explain complex issues clearly
• Comfortable and capable public speaker

Computer Skills

• High proficiency in Word, PowerPoint and Excel

Core Competencies:

• Gathering Information
• Solution-Oriented Analysis
• Building Relationships
• Demonstrating Accountability and Commitment
• Communicating Effectively
• Understanding Others

• Fluency in written and spoken English; knowledge of one or more official UN languages an advantage.

A covering letter not exceeding one and one half pages must accompany all applications. The letter should describe your ability to meet the essential requirements set out in the vacancy notice.

APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY VIA THE GLOBAL FUND WEBSITE www.theglobalfund.org/en/jobs

CLOSING DATE FOR THE RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS:  15 July 2008

Your online application will be acknowledged and a confirmation sent to the e-mail address that you have provided. Due to the sheer quantity of applicants, we will only contact candidates whose applications are of interest for this position and who are to be invited to participate further in the selection process.

THE POSITION will have a competitive compensation package net of tax. The position would correspond to P3 in the UN system. The person selected for this position will be appointed for a period of 2 years.