Deputy Project Manager

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Description

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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.

Job-Specific Information Under the direct supervision of the Senior Project Mana…
 Functional Responsibilities:

Summary of Key Functions:  

• Project Delivery and Performance
• Procedures
• Monitoring and reporting
• Stakeholder engagement
• Quality assurance
• Knowledge management and innovation 
• Personnel management

Project Delivery and Performance
Under the direct supervision, guidance and direction of the Senior Project Manager (SPM), the DPM shall:

• Develop, complete and update implementation of Project plan(s)  and quarterly plans
• Implement the approved plans (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the Senior Management/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 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 Project Plan;
• Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers;
• Advise the Senior Project Manager of any possible deviations from the plan and possible corrective actions;
• Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages;
• Manage the invoicing and progress verification of works, payments certification, procurement, managing construction companies, construction sites and dealing with Government authorities and other stakeholders. 
• Monitor project progress ensuring that work packages are being executed properly
• Control project and work packages changes;
• Accept works, goods or services delivered by suppliers;
• Lead contract management duties including supplier performance evaluations;
• Support the development and implementation of systems for internal control that ensure compliance with contractual terms and conditions, in collaboration with the procurement team.
• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advise on mitigating measures to the Senior Management/Project Board so that maximum benefit to partner(s) and other stakeholders is achieved.
• Identify and report to the supervisor potential new business opportunities for UNOPS;.

Procedures:

• Comply with all organizational policies and specifically the Project Management Manual;
• Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by Senior Management/Project Board;
• Manage the reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreement(s) and Project  Plan;
• Draft the requirements for procurement processes. Support evaluating submissions received, if appointed to the evaluation team;
• Effective implementation of corporate directives, guidelines and strategies, and establishment of relevant management targets, as well as monitoring of achievements and results.
• Responsible for day-to-day coordination with the contractors and suppliers according to the needs and requirements on site;
• Provide support and guidance to the contractor and assists in resolving site problems, as necessary;
• Ensure maintenance of the project files, risk management 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);
• For project closure purposes, support the formal handover of the project to the engagement closure manager;
• Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during the audits and follow-up on audit observations/recommendations;
• Conduct and supervise Health & Safety, Social & Environmental (HSSE) issues and concerns, including application of UNOPS standards for HSSE;
• Performs HSSE management and inspections and maintains the required records;
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the SPM.

Monitoring and reporting:

• Prepare and issue regular project and/or financial reports in accordance with Partner and UNOPS legal agreement requirements for reporting;
• Check contractors’ and suppliers set out and works, including compliance with contracts specifications and ensures that contractors and suppliers comply with their work plans to complete work with specified scope of work, time frame, and budget;
• 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 one UNOPS Project (OuP – internal system) dashboard system;
• Ensure all project team members track and regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of projects’ life span.
• Assess the work activities of contractor/s, measure completed works and make recommendations to the Senior Project Manager for progress payments to contractors.
• Review and endorse any design changes that are processed by other parties, and recommend them to SPM for implementation
• Provide technical advice and assistance to contractors to ensure that economical and quality materials are purchased
• Any situation that may require decision making, which will involve variation and or additional cost shall be brought to the notice of SPM with details of issues encountered at site and appropriate recommendation; 

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.

Quality assurance: 

• Work with internal stakeholders to ensure the projects complies 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, plans, reports, etc.).

Partnerships and Coordination:

• 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 ProjectTeams (PT) and the wider PT 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.

 Monitoring and Progress Controls:

• Lead and motivate the project management team;
• Ensure that behavioral 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, diversity and inclusion 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, harassment, sexual harassment 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/Experience/Language requirements:

Education:

• Master’s Degree in economics, project management, engineering, international relations or similar field. Mandatory.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in economics, project management, engineering, international relations or similar field  with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of the Advanced University Degree requirement.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification. Asset.
• A relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education.                                                  

Work Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of relevant progressive experience in managing infrastructure projects in either public or private sector organizations; mandatory
• Proven experience of project implementation in close collaboration with government authorities preferred; 
• Previous work experience with the UNOPS or any of the United Nations agencies is preferred; 
• Knowledge of UN/UNOPS rules and regulations is an advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written Dari, Pashto, and English is required.

Source: https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=26951#2

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