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Senior Project Manager

Bukavu

  • Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
  • Location: Bukavu
  • Grade: Mid level - IICA-3, International Individual Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Project and Programme Management
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: 2024-12-06

Job categories Project Management
Vacancy code VA/2024/B5328/29191
Level ICS-11
Department/office AFR, CDMCO, DR Congo MCO
Duty station Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Contract type International ICA
Contract level IICA-3
Duration Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance
Application period 06-Nov-2024 to 06-Dec-2024
Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement.

Functional Responsibilities

1. Project Delivery and Performance:
  • Develop, complete, and update implementation plan(s).
  • Implement the approved plan (including establishing milestones) within tolerances set by the Project Board. 
  • Embed sustainability dimensions, including social and gender inclusion environmental and economic aspects, into the project life span. 
  • Manage the production of the required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and resource use and initiating corrective action where necessary.
  • Ensure that the 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 package changes.
  • Identify and anticipate potential risks and issues promptly and advise mitigating measures to senior management/ Project Board so that maximum benefit to partner(s) and other stakeholders is achieved.
  • Identify and report potential business opportunities for UNOPS to the supervisor.
2. Procedures:
  • Comply with all organizational policies, 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.
  • Ensure maintenance of the project files and lessons learned are recorded.
  • Manage budgets, cash flow, and obligations to ensure 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.
  • Provide a formal handover to the closure manager for project closure purposes.
  • Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation, and coordination during the audits and follow up on audit observations/recommendations.

3. Monitoring and Reporting:
  • Prepare and issue regular project and financial reports following 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 project's lifespan.
4. Stakeholder Engagement:
  • 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 and 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, and exceptions and are in a position to accept handover outputs.
5. Quality Assurance:
  • Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects comply with audit requirements.
  • Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure an effective interface with suppliers' quality systems.
  • Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables
  • Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.)

6. Knowledge Management and Innovation:
  • Encourage routine and practical capacity-building activities to build staff's long-term and sustainable capacity.
  • Actively interact with other Project Managers (PM) 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 learned are shared promptly and appropriately. Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice.
  • Research and log lessons learned throughout the project's life span.
  • Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies.
7. Personnel Management:
  • 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 the team as required, considering gender parity and diversity objectives.
  • Ensure safety and security for all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education
  • Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree) in a relevant discipline (Project Management, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Water Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, etc.) is required.
  • A first-level University Degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) with an additional two (2) years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Certifications:
  • Certification in Project Management (PRINCE2, PMI, etc.) is an asset.
  • Complete the UNOPS PMM, UNOPS PMM Infra perspective, and OneUNOPS Projects training within (3) months of joining UNOPS.
  • For Infrastructure Senior Project Managers: Professional certification from an accredited institution (PEng., CEng. , etc) is an asset.
Experience:
  • A minimum of seven (7) years experience in implementing and managing infrastructure projects (roads, damns, bridges, irrigation, health, windmills, solar power, ports, etc.) is required.
  • Experience in contract management is an asset.
  • Knowledge of FIDIC (Federation International des Ingenieurs - Conseils) contracts is an asset.
  • Technical acumen, with the ability to understand and speak to technical project plans and documents is an asset.
  • Experience in planning and applying Health & Safety procedures is an asset.
  • Experience in developing procurement strategies is an asset.
  • Proficiency in MS Project and Schedule Analysis is an asset.
  • Experience in developing countries or post-conflict environments is an asset.
  • Experience in writing reports, performing data analysis, and writing technical documents is an asset.
  • Knowledge of quality assurance methodologies is an asset.
  • Experience in risk management is an asset.
  • Experience working in multicultural teams is an asset.
  • Experience in managing teams is an asset.
  • Strong analytical capabilities and the ability to manage tasks associated with the development of projects are highly desirable.
  • Strong problem-solving skills is an asset.


Languages:
  • Full working knowledge of English and French is required.
  • Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset
We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.