Project Manager

Background Information – Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organisations.  With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it.  By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

About Our Culture:

• Our work lays the foundation for peace and sustainable development in the communities we serve, guided by our core values of inclusion, integrity, humility and humanity.
• UNOPS is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We value the unique perspectives and experiences that our employees bring, regardless of their background or identity. We actively seek to recruit people from under-represented groups, including racialized and indigenous communities, people of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

Local Context: 

• UNOPS is in Mexico collaborating mainly with the Government of Mexico in sustainable procurement and infrastructure projects.
• The position is located in Mexico City, Mexico. This is a family duty station, with good access to essential services, housing options suitable for families, educational opportunities for children, and healthcare facilities.

Project Information:

• Associated with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE)) and aligned with the framework of the Integral Strategy for Human Mobility of the Government of Mexico, UNOPS will be involved in the implementation of Multi-Service Centers to provide integral attention in a unique space to people in the context of mobility, under a humanistic and human rights approach. It is expected that the centers will provide multiple services to the migrant community, including mental and physical health services, international protection, orientation, asylum applications, and documentation, among others.
• In this context, the PM and UNOPS, as the counterpart of the SRE, is expected to procure the equipment required for the operation of the Multi-Service Centers and to lead the integral management of the project, as well as its impact evaluation.
• To this end, in addition to the agreement with the Government of Mexico, inter-agency agreements (UN to UN) will be signed with the agencies of the United Nations System in the country, for the development of specialized components and work products, according to their mandates and specialities: specialized services and infrastructure for migrants, international protection and rights, labor integration and social and educational protection, health, and gender, diversity and inclusion.
• This vacancy is open to internationals who are willing to relocate to Mexico City (Mexico).

Functional Responsibilities

• The Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s) and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries. The Project Manager acts on behalf of the Project Board to manage the project on an ongoing basis during the Implementation Stage. The main responsibility of a Project Manager is to ensure that the project outputs are delivered within the specified project tolerances of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits. He/she is expected to meet the organization’s performance and delivery goals.
• The Project Manager is responsible to create the Implementation Plan, use the Project Initiation Documents (PID), Legal Agreement and have a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the project(s) outputs are capable of meeting the business cases for both UNOPS and the partner(s). Success of the project(s) and hence Project Manager will be based on the defined Success Criteria.
• The Project Manager will be managing project(s) which ultimate goal is to provide implementation services that contribute to the achievement of partners’ goals. The variety of projects is quite diverse and can range from management of grants, development of strategies to delivery of training or providing technical assistance.
• While the complexity of those projects may vary, maintaining high standards in terms of quality, health, safety and sustainability is always expected.
• Depending on the nature and configuration of the project, the project manager might be executing technical studies, reviews, designs, supervision or operation and maintenance services of one or several physical infrastructure assets, in one or multiple sites. Depending on the implementation modality it may involve large volumes of procurement of goods, services and HR services.
• UNOPS operates in complex contexts where resources might be scarce, local capacity low and where professional judgement and experience in these environments are of uttermost importance.

Summary of functions:

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

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Advanced University Degree in a relevant discipline (Finance, Economics, Supply Chain, Business, Project Management, Engineering, etc.).
• A combination of Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

Certification:

• Certification in Project Management (PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMI, etc.) is an asset.
• Complete the UNOPS PMM, UNOPS PMM Infra perspective and oneUNOPS Projects trainings within (3) months from joining UNOPS.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience (or more based on academic credentials) on implementing complex projects/programmes.
• Previous experience in managing migrant projects is an asset.
• Experience in infrastructure projects is an asset.
• Proven experience in managing large projects, multidisciplinary and multicultural teams is required.
• Experience in Senior Level and/or leadership positions is desirable.
• 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 in managing teams is an asset.
• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to manage tasks associated with the development of projects.
• Strong Problem Solving Skills.

Requiered Skills:

• Influencing: This project entails collaboration among government and UN actors, demanding the Senior Project Manager to adeptly navigate diverse strategies with empathy, strategic communication, and social intelligence to achieve shared goals and outcomes.

Languages:

• Fluent in Spanish and English is required.

Source: https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=29067