Oversight Associate (Country Coordinating Mechanism)

Office/Unit/Project Description   

 In Zimbabwe, UNDP is the Principal Recipient (PR) for the HIV grant and is also providing Support Services (Fund Administration) to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) as the continuing PR for the Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria grants. Additionally, UNDP has been designated the ‘CCM Funding Recipient’  responsible for  receiving and Managing CCM funding on its behalf. For effective implementation of the Global Fund resources, UNDP Zimbabwe has established a separate Program Management Unit (PMU) within the Country Office that is responsible for the day-to-day overall programme management of the HIV grant.  Under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative and Deputy Resident Representatives, the PMU is responsible for a range of functions including coordination with country stakeholders (particularly the MoHCC and the National AIDS Council (NAC)), financial management and reporting, compliance with Global Fund and UNDP policies, rules and procedures risk management, procurement of health products, other goods and services, and  strengthening the national pharmaceutical and laboratory supply chain systems, including the Solar for Health (S4H) initiative. The Global Fund grant is implemented in accordance with UNDP rules, policies and procedures, the grant confirmation, corporate agreements with the Global Fund and in close coordination with the national partners, including NAC, MoHCC, national disease programmes, NatPharm, NGOs, CSOs, communities, donors, technical partners and UN entities and the Global Fund (Local Fund Agent, (LFA)) and Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM).     

Oversight is a key function of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), focusing on the essential financial, programmatic and management aspects of the grant portfolio. The CCM Secretariat (particularly through the oversight officer) plays a key support role for this function, which ranges from facilitating logistical arrangements and coordination with the oversight committee to information synthesis and analysis of Global Fund Grants.  

Institutional Arrangement  

The CCM Oversight Associate reports to the CCM Executive Secretary and is accountable to the CCM Management, Ethics and HR Committee. In addition, the CCM Oversight Associate liaises and coordinates with the CCM Oversight Committee, CCM Secretariat Staff, CCM Executive Committee, the Country Team (when possible and during country visits), and Principal Recipients. 
 

Scope of Work  

Support Oversight Planning and Implementation 

• Update the CCM oversight plan in coordination with the Executive Secretary and the oversight committee and obtain full endorsement for this plan by the CCM. The oversight officer will then ensure the plan details specific activities, tools and methods for data collection, analysis and reporting, individual and/or constituency responsibilities, relevant elements and indicators related to risk management, issues related to sustainability or transition (where relevant), and realization of co-financing commitments / co-financing tracking (if possible, based on country context). The oversight officer then ensures the plan, tailored to the country’s grant objectives and priorities, is implemented; 
• Assist the oversight committee in the implementation of the annual oversight work plan. Ensure the implementation of activities of the oversight process (i.e. collection of information, analysis, provision of recommendations to the CCM General Assembly, following up on actions decided by the CCM and sharing oversight information with the Global Fund on a frequent basis);  
•  Communicate/coordinate with Principal Recipients (PRs) in the preparation and presentation of oversight reports (based on key insights from the CCM dashboard, progress update/disbursement requests (PUDRs), Grant Management Dashboards, and/or other reporting tools available);  
• Manage the CCM dashboard, generate data, and analyze and prepare presentations,  

In transition preparedness settings: 

1. Support the oversight of the implementation of a transition plan; 
2. Conduct oversight of agreed actions to strengthen sustainability of the national response and/or health systems; 
3. Support CCMs to identify key sustainability, transition and co-financing priorities for targeted efforts; 
4. Share and disseminate knowledge on sustainability, transition and co-financing priorities; 
5. Ensure adequate oversight of implementation of activities detailed in the transition grant and transition plan.  

Provide Technical and Administrative Support to the CCM Oversight Committee 

•  Support the oversight committee in the implementation of oversight activities throughout the Global Fund’s grant life cycle (i.e., funding request preparation, grant-making, implementation and closure); 
• Support the preparation and implementation of quarterly oversight committee meetings, ensuring all relevant information is adequately synthesized and organized to facilitate discussions;  
• Support the oversight committee in the preparation and implementation of information collection activities, including meetings with PRs, site visits, consultations with specific groups (e.g., community-based monitoring initiatives, where these exist);   
• Develop and share procedures and templates to conduct site visits and support the oversight committee in their implementation. Whenever possible, leveraging other in-country field visits (e.g. field visits organized by the Ministry of Health and other donors, etc.). Specific tasks include: 
• Analysis of issues to be explored during the site visit; 
• Documentation of the site visit team’s findings and recommendations; 
• Submission of the site visit findings and recommendations to the oversight committee; 
• Ensure that all oversight committee members are informed about Global Fund oversight policies, guidelines and tools;  
• Develop minutes of oversight committee meetings, including recommendations provided and actions agreed; 
• Track CCM decisions and actions based on the oversight committee’s recommendations; 
• Carry out additional tasks under this operational area as requested by the CCM chair. 

Facilitate and support analytical data-driven discussions and decisions 

• Synthesize and analyze relevant information from different sources to support data-driven discussions of the CCM and its committees;  
• Analyze data and triangulate with site visit reports to identify critical implementation and risk mitigation challenges of PRs; 
• Summarize critical grant implementation issues and present them to the oversight committee using the available formats/tools;  
• Ensure that all key processes are driven by strategic information drawn from in-country sources and Global Fund-specific-supported interventions; 
• Work with the Global Fund Country Team, PRs, and the oversight committee to hold and maintain ongoing data-driven dialogue for grant performance purposes. The data-driven dialogue includes the identification and analysis of key financial, programmatic, management and risk-related issues/information contained in PR reporting tools and/or available oversight tools. An important aspect of analysis is the assessment of consistency of financial and programmatic data as well as the potential effect of identified risks on grant performance and on national program performance; 
• Support the CCM (through the oversight committee) to actively oversee and manage risks, by ensuring that they are adequately identified and mitigated. This includes taking part in the development of risk assurance planning and validation processes; 
• Support the oversight committee in tracking the status of co-financing commitments using available tools or procedures;  
• Oversee timely and accurate updates of reporting tools (e.g. dashboards, where these exist) and support the oversight committee presentations to the CCM; 
• Ensure that information from community-based monitoring initiatives (where these exist in the country) is considered and incorporated in the oversight assessments and reports. 

Ensure provision of quality Capacity building and knowledge management focusing on achievement of the following results: 

• Identifies and disseminate best practices and lessons learned and knowledge;  
• Supports the design and documentation of achievements in the implementation of the CCM activities and ensure wider circulation; 
• Coordinates coaching and mentorship of the national institutions on Global Fund reports and practices; 
• Regularly make follow-up on recommendations and appraise the CCM on outstanding strategic areas that may affect smooth implementation of Global Fund grants 
   

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Business Direction & Strategy 

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management 

• Partnerships management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
• Risk Management: Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Finance 

• Budget Management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.

Ethics 

• Ethics Advice and Guidance: Ability to quickly analyze complex fact patterns and provide comprehensive, sensitive and confidential ethics advise and guidance.