Advisor, Operational Policy, Geneva

Advisor, Operational Policy – GL D – Defined Duration until December 2025

To support the Global Fund’s mission of ending the epidemics and enable efficient portfolio management, Grant Management Division must operate with up-to-date and robust portfolio data, aligned business processes and integrated systems within a framework of continuous improvement. Within the Grant Portfolio Solutions and Support Department, the Operational Efficiency team is responsible for coordinating the continuous improvement approach GMD-owned grant lifecycle processes (grant-making, implementation oversight, AFD and Disbursements, Revision, Closure and Grant Entity Data, latter until mid-2021) through ongoing review, monitoring, optimization, integration and enhancement of operational policies, procedures, system guidance as well as GMD-owned data flows, quality and reporting. The team is also responsible for defining and prioritizing the GMD business needs for system solutions (as part of Continuous Improvement or dedicated Launches). Within the OE team, the Operational Policy Advisor leads and advises on the translation of Board policies and Senior Management direction into grant life cycle-related operational policies and procedures. They lead or provide inputs into the conceptualization, development/revision, roll-out and change management of operational policies, to ensure alignment with pre-existing operational policies and procedures and to address identified gaps. They act as quality control-point, ensuring high quality, well-articulated, and well-structured outputs are produced that are aligned with the Operational Policy Framework. The OE Operational Policy Advisor is responsible for:

• Ensuring and coordinating the integrated development of grant life cycle operational policy and procedures
• Providing strategic guidance and support to Secretariat teams to address complex policy challenges
• Providing policy inputs to senior management in operational policy fora and priority projects / initiatives
• Serving as the Executive Grant Management Committee Secretariat and the Emergency Fund focal point as assigned They collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders within the Global Fund including Country Teams, teams across the Secretariat, Senior Management and in-country stakeholders on grant life cycle policies, procedures and solutions including approaches to differentiation and challenging cases. They use strong interpersonal, communication and diplomacy skills to integrate the differing perspectives of such stakeholders, and is recognized internally as the grant life cycle operational policy expert providing content and professional leadership in this field of work.

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include: Ensuring and coordinating the integrated development of grant life cycle operational policy and procedures

• Works with the Senior Advisor, Operational Policy in updating, disseminating and implementing / embedding the Operational Policy Framework;
• Works closely with teams across the Secretariat to ensure effective translation and integration of Board policies, Senior Management guidance and revised grant life cycle processes into Secretariat operational policies and procedures for implementation;
• Acts as liaison to communicate operational issues into high level strategies and policies, highlighting key upcoming policy decisions to Grant Management leadership and soliciting and summarizing key Grant Management perspectives for effective contribution to policy development;
• Advises and works with teams across the Secretariat on the best structure for operational policy notes and procedures aligned with the Operational Policy Framework , including:
  • identifying operational policy gaps and needs;
  • for grant life cycle processes owned by the Operational Efficiency Team, conceptualizing, development/revision, roll-out and change management of the operational policies and procedures;
  • providing quality assurance of operational policies and procedures, reviewing documents for structured thinking, clarity and simplicity of language and consistency with other policies and procedures for processes owned by other departments / divisions; this includes reviewing the change management materials (training and communications) for launching new and revised operational policies and procedures.
• Works with the Communications Department to ensure regular updating of the internal and external Operational Policy Manual as a central repository of operational policies to support Country Teams in their daily work.
• Participates and supports training of country teams, in-country stakeholders and partners on Global Fund grant life cycle operational policies and procedures.

Providing strategic guidance and support to Secretariat teams to address complex policy challenges

• In coordination with the Operational Efficiency Support and other teams across the Secretariat, provides expert advice and support to Country Teams in the implementation of operational policies including those that are facing challenging situations/decisions or planning alternative approaches that require strategizing and proposing innovative solutions.
• Facilitates the development and submission of policy exceptions through the Executive Grant Management Committee
• Contributes to the development of a robust knowledge library on grant life cycle frequently asked questions; reviewing FAQs periodically for clarity and accuracy.

Providing policy inputs to senior management in operational policy fora and priority projects / initiatives

• Develops or contributes to papers and reports for the Board and its Committees on high level grant life cycle policies requiring Board decision and implementation oversight and supporting the review and approval process of these policies.
• Drafts responses to queries by senior management or Board and Committee members or technical partners on Global Fund operational policies and procedures and priority projects.
• Participates in and supports priority projects and initiatives requiring inputs on grant life cycle operational policies and procedures.
• Prepares responses and review findings and recommendations on grant life cycle COSO and process reviews and audits.

Serving as the Executive Grant Management Committee Secretariat and the Emergency Fund focal point as assigned

Acts as the Executive Grant Management Committee Secretariat on behalf of the Head of GMD defining EGMC process, reviewing and processing of requests submitted for EGMC approval, drafting EGMC communications and decisions, setting agenda and drafting meeting summaries.

• Manages submissions to the EGMC of grant life cycle operational policy and procedures, exception requests, and Emergency Fund requests across divisions and departments, ensuring quality deliverables which are aligned with the operational efficiency approach;
• Acts as focal point for the Emergency Fund, advising country teams on whether and how to apply, coordinating the review of Emergency Fund applications by the EGMC, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements to the Board.
• Leads the updating of the Emergency Fund guidelines and pre-qualification of implementers.

• Updates portfolio categorization in line with the cross-divisional differentiation framework

At the request of the Head, Grant Portfolio Solutions and Support or the Senior Manager, Operational Efficiency undertake additional tasks to allow GPS to flexibly respond to evolving priorities or urgent needs of the Global Fund.

Subject to change by the Executive Director at any time at their sole discretion.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in public policy, law, public health, social science or other related field
• A university degree in public policy, law, public health, social science or other related field, plus 10 years of experience

Experience

Essential:

• Several years of professional experience, including in policy development, business analysis or program planning and management. At least 10 years’ experience if without advanced university degree.
• Experience of working in a multi-cultural environment and with different stakeholders and partners.

Desirable:

• International experience, including in an international organization, non-profit or private sector, an advantage and
• Hands-on experience of Global Fund grants, within the Secretariat, as a Recipient, a Local Fund Agent or a partner organization.

Competencies

Languages: An excellent knowledge of English and preferably a good working knowledge of French or one of the following: Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish. Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

Functional competencies:

• Analytical
• Business
• Country Context
• Multicultural Understanding
• Operational Policy
• Project Management

Technical Competencies:

• Policy Acumen: Exceptional knowledge of policy development. Understands the values and principle behind policies and uses that knowledge to resolve non-standard business situations; seeks best practices in policy application and contributes substantively to policy development.
• Business Process Improvement: Demonstrated ability to drive business process improvement
• Grant Management / Grant Life Cycle: Good knowledge in all phases of and requirements for successful grant design, negotiation and implementation .
• Thought leadership: Demonstrated strategic thinking and creative problem-solving
• Organization & Planning: Strong demonstrated ability to plan, organize and coordinate services; Strong ability to handle multiple tasks and recognize priorities, working within tight deadlines.
• Technology: Proficiency in MS Word, Excel and Power Point.

Organizational Competencies:

• Global Fund awareness and mind-set: Helicopter view – Integrating a broader spectrum of aspects that reach out beyond one’s business area or function; doing things with high awareness of the impact in a broad, cross-area perspective.
• Service orientation: Problem solving – Actively engaging with others and going the extra mile in order to help find solutions to problems or provide meaningful support in the face of challenges.
• Drive for results: Proactive approach – Taking actions to mitigate risks and/or seizing opportunities to enhance effective and high-quality delivery.
• Collaboration: Building relationships – Building trustful working relationships across the organisation that help navigating through the complexity of The Global Fund organisation structure and speed-up delivery of tasks and initiatives.
• Interaction: Impactful communication: persuasion, influence, developing arguments – Using well-grounded arguments and persuasive, recipient–adequate approach, in order to convince others and drive actions.
• Adaptability: Flexibility – Adapting the existing ways of working in order to manage complexity and new circumstances that emerge internally or externally.

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Job Posting End Date

02 February 2023