Operations Officer, Access to Funding

Operations Officer, Access to Funding - GL C - Defined Duration until December 2025The Access to Funding Department delivers professional, service-oriented management of the funding request review and recommendation process, the grant review and approval process, and the Portfolio Optimization review and approval process. This requires support for, and ongoing communication with, a broad range of stakeholders and governance bodies. These stakeholders include more than 100 country and multicountry applicants, more than 100 members of the Technical Review Panel (TRP), the Grant Approvals Committee (GAC) Executive and partners, the Global Fund Board and relevant sub-committees, technical and civil society partners, and the Global Fund Secretariat.

Operations Officers are hired on cyclical basis (i.e. for a 3-year funding cycle) as a team of communication and project management experts to ensure smooth operations in the Access to Funding Department. This role requires agility, a flexible attitude and good project management skills. Operations Officers will report to a Manager or a Specialist in the team in which they are assigned and will work collaboratively with colleagues in the rest of the department as well as across the organization. These officers play a critical role within the Global Fund by leading and supporting core Access to Funding processes, ensuring operational excellence and due diligence, and contributing to the successful review and approval of the Global Fund’s investments.

The first year of each funding cycle is primarily focused on supporting the efficient and effective submission, review and approval of more than 150 funding requests and more than 200 grants submitted by eligible countries or multicountry entities, and communicating the outcomes of these reviews to a range of internal and external stakeholders. The Operations Officers support the effective functioning of the Technical Review Panel and Grant Approvals Committee, ensuring both speed and rigor of reviews and approvals. The second year continues this work while additionally documenting and synthesizing lessons learned, undertaking data analysis, and contributing to recommendations for the next funding cycle. The third year introduces new work related to updating the processes, systems, application materials and guidance for the next funding cycle. Portfolio Optimization support is periodic across the cycle, with peaks of intense waves in year 2 and 3.

Key Responsibilities

Under the direction of an Access to Funding Manager and the day to day technical and support supervision of a Specialist, the Officers lead projects and process to actively contribute to core Access to Funding deliverables and ensure the Global Fund resources are invested for the greatest impact. Because there are several officer positions across A2F teams, the responsibilities listed below will be shared between Officers based on workload, interest and competencies.  It is expected that Officers will assist other Operations Officers with their responsibilities in periods of workload peaks or absences.

Funding Request Due Diligence and quality assurance:

• Lead the development of due diligence screening guidelines and processes for ensuring compliance with CCM Eligibility Requirements 1+2, consulting Access to Funding Specialists, Community Rights and Gender (CRG) experts, and the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) hub

• Screen more than 200 funding requests across the funding cycle for eligibility compliance: any problematic areas must be escalated for broader discussion within A2F management and/or the Eligibility Compliance Panel.

• Liaising with Country Teams for each submission, undertake due diligence screening of Funding Requests to ensure completeness and consistency of submitted documents prior to TRP review. With TAP, Health Finance, CRG, Risk, ensure issues that need to be addressed are documented in the Secretariat Briefing Note.

• Ensure that all related data, databases, and analysis outputs for funding requests are accurate, up-to-date and available in a timely manner. 

Grant Due Diligence and quality assurance:

• Lead the development of due diligence screening guidelines and screen more than 300 grants across the funding cycle for pre-submission readiness, to ensure high-quality grant review by pre-GAC and the Grant Approvals Committee, consulting with Access to Funding Specialists and the Operational Efficiency experts. Document key findings and ensure resolution before final grant submission.

• Ensure time-sensitive grant submission process is followed and completed for each grant, delivering on corporate KPI. Work closely with Country Teams, IT and Operational Efficiency as needed to address grant issues and/or Grant Operating System issues that affect pre-GAC and GAC-readiness.

• Ensure compliance with Global Fund operational policies, as well as GAC Operational Guidelines and Procedures.  Ensure final due diligence of grants with support from Legal and Governance, Finance, Risk, Operational Efficiency: any problematic areas must be escalated to the Grant Management Regional Manager/Department Head and/or pre-GAC for discussion.

• Ensure that all related data, databases, and analysis outputs for funding requests are accurate, up-to-date and available in a timely manner.

TRP and GAC Operations:

• Support the overall coordination of the funding request and grant review process from end to end, including detailed planning of submission windows and TRP meetings 3x year and monthly GAC review meetings, which can include more than 100 participants each. Lead communication with internal and external stakeholders related to each event.

• Ensure efficient and effective TRP and GAC meetings by drafting agendas, organizing presentations and/or dashboards to facilitate investment recommendations and decision-making, liaising with a range of Secretariat stakeholders. Develop and coordinate review group schedule for TRP Meetings considering areas of expertise and conflicts of interest of more than 100 technical experts.

• Conduct analysis and prepare presentations on portfolio optimization investment cases for each portfolio optimization wave of funding, to enable better quality investment decisions.

• Document strategic deliberations and decision-making at TRP meetings; synthesizing investment recommendations and decisions, outcomes, key messages, strategic issues and actions based on deliberations.

• Manage the timely and complete delivery of 200 TRP review and recommendation forms with TRP review outcomes and recommendation for applicants. Ensure review forms are completed in time to meet KPI.

• Accurately document GAC deliberations; contribute to monthly GAC Reports to the Board with synthesis of recommendations and decisions, outcomes, key messages, strategic issues and actions based on GAC Executive and Plenary deliberations. Facilitate timely Secretariat responses to Board inquiries on GAC recommendations.

• Develop Board-related analysis including Committee slides, on request of A2F management.

• Ensure complete set of documentation for each funding request and grant is available on-time in TRP and GAC Extranets to enable expert reviews; provide troubleshooting assistance as required.

• Directly communicate and liaise with technical partners and civil society partners to ensure they are effectively able to contribute to the TRP reviews of Funding Requests, and the GAC’s review and recommendation for grants and Portfolio Optimization; Coordinate and consolidate the Partners’ time-sensitive input ahead of each review meeting.

• Prepare Access to Funding briefings to the TRP leadership, GAC Chair and Senior Management prior to each review meeting.

• Provide professional and service-oriented end-to-end support to all Country Teams and applicants to ensure smooth operations of the review process. Develop materials/ meetings/ training to provide customized and timely guidance, relevant tools on preparation for submission windows, the funding request review processes and the grant review processes. Lead pre-briefing meetings for Country Teams in advance of TRP/GAC meetings where required, including gathering inputs from other Secretariat teams to ensure consistency and adherence to the set principles. Resolve issues that may arise and proactively initiate contact with relevant stakeholders as required to reach solutions.

Operational Guidelines and Tools:

• Draft and revise internal guidance notes and operational guidelines in relation to TRP and GAC; engage with relevant experts across the Secretariat to address and resolve policy and operational questions from internal or external stakeholders

• Develop templates for applicants for funding requests, instructions, and guidance materials for each funding cycle.

• Develop templates for TRP review of funding requests and draft TRP review criteria

• Develop grant submission templates (e.g. Grant Making Final Review Form), GAC presentation templates, and grant review forms.

• Develop templates for GAC review of Portfolio Optimization investment decisions.

Lead the collection, documentation and incorporation of lessons learned and best practices to ensure continual improvement in funding requests, grants, and the TRP and GAC review and recommendation processes:

• Document recommendations and lessons learned to inform on-going content improvement and process improvements; develop innovative ways of sharing this information for greater impact within the organization and with applicants and partners. Monitor implementation and report periodically.

• Develop surveys, analyze results, and share results from these and other data sources on an ongoing basis (usually after each submission window) to identify areas for improvement.  

Perform other relevant duties as required by the A2F management team.

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

Qualifications

Essential:

• University degree in public health, international/public affairs, economics, business, law, social sciences, or other relevant discipline, or equivalent professional training or work experience.

Desirable:

• Advanced university degree and qualifications in global development, governance, international relations/politics or public policy

Experience

Essential:

• Relevant professional experience, such as in an international organization, non-profit or private sector, with proven track record of achievement

• Experience drafting and producing time-sensitive documents, including policies, manuals or governance documentation (e.g., Briefing notes, reports, etc.)

• Experience working with a variety of stakeholders (public sector, private sector, bilateral government agencies, multilateral bodies or authorities such as UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society)

• Excellent relationship skills, with experience in a multicultural professional environment

• Experience working in a service-oriented, team-based setting

• Proven project management experience

Desirable:

• At least 3 years of relevant international experience, such as in an international organization, non-profit or private sector

• Experience in executive settings requiring tact, discretion and diplomacy

• Experience and proven ability to work as part of a team to meet targets or deadlines within given timeframe

• Demonstrated ability to present a significant amount of information from various sources in a concise way

• Proven experience in grant making institutions especially in the application and review processes

• Experience working in a fast-paced environment dealing with a large volume of documents

• Work experience in a developing country: working or volunteering in an international organization, non-profit, or private sector involved in grant making or grant implementation

• Knowledge of public health, specifically HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and/or health and community systems

• Knowledge of financial concepts related to grants, funding sources, program implementation budgets etc.

• Global Fund experience

Competencies

Languages:

An excellent knowledge of English. Fluency in French, Spanish or Russian would be an asset. Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

Organizational Competencies:

• Global Fund awareness and mind-set

• Service orientation

• Drive for results

• Collaboration

• Interaction

• Adaptability

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical

• Business

• Due Diligence

• Operational Policy

• Project Management

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Job Posting End Date

23 April 2024

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