Project Manager

Bangui(Non Family duty station)

Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
Location: Bangui(Non Family duty station)
Grade: Mid level - IICA-2, International Individual Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Project and Programme Management
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: Closed

Background Information - Job-specific

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a highly fragile country with a history of recurrent con􀃓ict, the most recent of which took place in 2013 between multiple armed groups. The violence that followed the 2013 crisis greatly damaged public assets and infrastructure, disrupted service delivery, and further weakened the social fabric, and exacerbated people’s poverty and vulnerability to shocks. As a result, roughly one-quarter of the population was internally displaced or had to flee as refugees to neighboring countries. Forced displacement has disrupted livelihoods, depleted the assets of the poor, and put an additional strain on service delivery in areas of displacement.

Improvements in the security situation have resulted in the voluntary return of displaced populations, primarily in the northwest and southwest of the country. It is estimated that about 15 to 20 percent of the displaced population has returned spontaneously. However, the return of the displaced to the areas of origin remains fragile and dependent on the overall security situation. The reintegration of displaced populations and provision of social safety nets is a short-term priority and essential to the stabilization and economic revitalization of the country.

To this end, the World Bank is supporting the Government of CAR to increase access to basic services, and the establishment of social safety nets to communities affected by forced displacement. The project will be implemented through UNOPS including but not limited to the following towns: Bangui, Bambari and Paoua

The project adopts a multifaceted approach in support of communities affected by displacement in CAR and it entails 1) financial support to the most vulnerable households among displaced populations and the communities affected by COVID19 and the recent floods,; 2) Supporting the government of CAR in the training and capacity development of relevant ministerial bodies and entities on social safety nets and Cash transfer mechanisms.
For the purpose of execution of its project, UNOPS AFR CDOH CAR seeks to hire a Project Manager responsible for providing overall technical and programmatic support for the planning, implementation, management, monitoring of cash transfer activities and capacity building. S/he is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

Background information - DR Congo

Based in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), since 1991, the UNOPS Central Africa Hub (CDOH) covers eleven countries: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africal Republic, Comoros, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Rwanda. The Hub has forged strong working relationships with international partners, United Nations agencies, including United Nations missions, and governments of Central African countries.

It provides technical support and capacity building in areas of strategic national development, including sustainable infrastructure development in the fields of health, education, public works, governance and public administration, as well as in sustainable procurement, project management and sectoral advisory services in the areas of peace and security, preservation and protection of the environment, program/project revitalization among others.

Under the leadership of the Hub Director’s office, CDOH comprises 3 departments in the Kinshasa Head Office:

Programme/Programme Management Office (PMO);
Support Services Office with its 4 units: Human Resources, Procurement, Finance and Logistics, and
Partnership Development Office (PDO).

The Senior Management Team (SMT) – comprising the Head of Programme, the Head of Support Services and the Head of Partnership Development – manages the respective departments. CDOH also has four country offices including Kinshasa and over 18 provincial/field project offices.

Functional Responsibilities

The Project Manager is responsible for providing overall technical and programmatic support for the planning, implementation, management, monitoring of cash transfer activities and capacity building. She/he must be able to apply, independently, the below duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria:
1. Project Delivery and Performance

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.
Liaise closely with other UNOPS departments at the Country office level who have direct responsibilities for elements of the operational management of cash delivery to beneficiaries, e.g. Logistics, Finance, Procurement, MIS and Security.
Liaise closely with relevant government authorities, UN agencies and NGOs engaged in cash-based activities, keeping them fully informed of the status of UNOPS activities in this regard. Participate in national level dialogue with donors and other stakeholders on cash and vouchers and safety net programs in general.
Draw up plans for timely delivery of cash transfers in coordination with government, NGO and UN partners, donors, and commercially contracted companies, and monitor their implementation
Closely coordinate with the project’s M&E officer to ensure that relevant output and outcome indicators are systematically being collected and analyzed in a manner that will help the project determine efficiency and effectiveness.
Coordinate and support the training and capacity development of relevant ministerial bodies and entities on cash transfer mechanisms, compliance and best practices.
Ensure that by project end, the relevant government entity has the capacity and the technical know-how to plan and execute cash transfer programs independently from UNOPS.
Advise the Country Manager of any bottlenecks that may impede the timely delivery of any component of the project with recommendations of corrective actions.
Monitor project progress ensuring that activities are being executed properly and according to plan and timeline.
Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advise 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

2 Procedures

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
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 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.

3 Monitoring and reporting

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

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. 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.

5 Quality Assurance

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.)

6 Knowledge management and innovation

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 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.

7 Personnel Mangement

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, harrasement, sexual harrasement 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.

Education

Masters degree or advanced degree in Project Management, Economics, International Affairs, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Development Studies or other relevant field is required.
Bachelor degree in Project Management, Economics, International Affairs, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Development Studies or other relevant field is required with additional 2 years relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master's degree.

Experience

A minimum of 5 years Project Management experience focusing on one of the following: cash transfer programming, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance or other related area is required, preferably in the field.
Experience of national, bilateral or multilateral food assistance programmes, including experience with cash transfers and other social safety net programmes is an advantage.
Experience with Government, UN agencies, and NGOs is an asset.
Experience in designing and/or implementing cash-based humanitarian assistance programmes is an asset.

Languages

Fluency in French and English in both written and oral is required

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above)

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA)
Contract level: I-ICA2/ICS 10
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 Considerations

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types

Central African Republic is a Non Family Duty Station

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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

NB: This VA is also open to Nationals of CAR, a CAR National selected will be contracted under a Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA 10)
It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.

Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

This vacancy is now closed.
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