Senior Project Manager

Background Information - Afghanistan

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services.

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need.

Project Information:

The project aims to promote social and economic development at the local level by creating sustainable infrastructure that meets the needs of the local population In October 2023, Herat Province was struck by four significant earthquakes, each with a magnitude of 6.3. This natural disaster has left over 275,000 individuals in dire need of humanitarian aid across more than 380 villages. More than 10,000 houses have been completely destroyed, 20,000 severely damaged, and over 17,000 moderately damaged. Around 40% of the earthquake's total damage has affected non-residential buildings, including health facilities, schools, government offices, and private sector structures. The quakes have impacted nine districts with Injil and Zinjadin districts bearing the brunt of the devastation. This destruction severely hampers access to critical services for the affected population. The project will have an Inception period of four months, during which the project will be refined. In addition, UNOPS will identify small-scale quick interventions in consultation with KfW to implement during the inception phase. Outputs may include shelter and housing rehabilitation, enhancement of health centers, restoration of drinking water supplies, reconstruction of market structures, rehabilitation of small canals and irrigation systems, retaining walls and flood protection, rehabilitation of pavements such as village footpaths, potholes, drainage, etc. focusing mainly on cash for work implementation modalities, restoration and improvement of primary/ community-based education facilities, technical capacity building of communities and job creation. The focus will be on the restoration of services to meet basic human needs through rehabilitation efforts that take into consideration safety requirements, earthquake resilience, and the principles of building back better, while being mindful of the local cultural context. Any reconstruction needs to contribute to jobs creation in the communities. Procurement of essential supplies and equipment, including energy solutions such as generators and renewable energy systems, may be included, to guarantee people's access to basic services UNOPS will implement the works, wherever possible, using local suppliers, companies and NGOs or directly by the community through procurement of goods and services, grants and cash for work. UNOPS will take responsibility for the activities, providing supervision to ensure quality, management of E&S risks and impacts, and fiduciary control.

Summary of functions:

Project Delivery and Performance

Procedures

Monitoring and reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Quality assurance

Knowledge management and innovation

Personnel management

Develop, complete and update implementation plan(s)

Implement the approved plan (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the Project Board.

Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into project life span.

Manage the production of the required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary.

Ensure that quality of work packages and deliverables complies with the quality requirements defined in the Implementation Plan.

Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers

Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages

Monitor project progress ensuring that work packages are being executed properly

Control project and work packages changes

Accept goods, services or works delivered by suppliers.

Lead contract management duties including supplier performance evaluation. Act as the Employer’s Representative within the FIDIC works contracts.

Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to senior management/ Project Board so that maximum benefit to partner(s) and other stakeholders is achieved

Identify and report to the supervisor potential business opportunities for UNOPS

Comply with all organizational policy and specifically the Project Management Manual

Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Project Board.

Manage the reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreement(s) and in the Implementation Plan

Draft the requirements definitions for procurement processes. Approving requisitions and requests for non-purchase order payments; Evaluating submissions received, if appointed to the evaluation team.

Ensure maintenance of the project files and lessons learned are recorded

Ensure the development and implementation of project financial management guidelines and control mechanisms, in conformity with UNOPS rules and regulations.

Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time.

Understand and manage UNOPS overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project

Understand the unique structures of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel

Manage expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports)

Where the Senior Project Manager has no delegation as a committing officer, s/he retains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to carry out the relevant commitments and disbursements.

For project closure purposes, provide a formal handover of the project to the closure manager

Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during the audits and follow up on audit observations/recommendations

Prepare and issue regular project and/or financial reports in accordance with Partner and UNOPS requirements for reporting.

Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).

Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by the organization’s standard procedures.

Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system.

Ensure all project team members track and regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life span

Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies

Establish solid working relationships with the Project Board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholders

Enable the formulation of project communications plans. Coordinate internal project communications. Monitor the effectiveness of project communications

Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications. Ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover outputs

Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects comply with audit requirements

Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers' quality systems

Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables

Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.)

Encourage routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of staff.

Actively interact with other Senior Project Managers and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices

Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner. Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice

Research and logging of lessons learned throughout the project life span.

Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies

Lead and motivate the project management team

Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established

Ensure that performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately and timely

Select, recruit and train team as required and take into account gender parity and diversity objectives.

Ensure safety and security for all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards

Create, foster and role model a culture of respect and zero tolerance for discrimination, abuse of authority, harrassment, sexual harrassment and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ensure accountability for actions and perform duties in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans, as expected by UNOPS policies, standards and commitments.

Senior Project Manager directly impacts on achievement of project results by adhering to project management methods and strategies, reducing risks, cutting costs and improving success rates. This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of UNOPS as an effective service provider in project services and management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

An advanced university degree (e.g. Master's Degree) in Business Administration, Management, Engineering, or other relevant discipline is required.

A first-level degree in combination of 2 additional years and a technical diploma in combination of 4 additional years of progressively relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

A relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education Experience:

Contract type: International ICA
Contract level: IICA 3
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’ For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.

For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.

All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.