Project Manager (DS: Resen, Republic of North Macedonia)

UNDP is the development arm of the United Nations system, with offices in 180 countries. Globally the organization employs 17,000 people and manages a budget of USD 5 billion each year. The UNDP office in North Macedonia employs a team of 71 and currently manages a portfolio of projects in inclusive prosperity, environmental protection, and good governance worth over USD 15 million per year. The Environment & Disaster Risk Reduction Portfolio includes projects on climate change, air pollution, natural resources management and disaster risk reduction.

To promote the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans in the transboundary Prespa Lake area UNDP will implement the “EU for infrastructure improvements in Prespa area” project financed by EUD as part of the overall Action “EU for Prespa”. 

The Project will contribute to the preservation and improvement of the ecological system in the Prespa Lake area through a series of interlinked capital investments to be implemented within the boundaries of the Municipality of Resen and accompanying capacity development measures. These initiatives are designed to enhance municipal wastewater and solid waste management systems, redirecting harmful pollutants away from natural ecosystems. The Municipality of Resen and the public utility “Proleter” will benefit from carefully planned capacity development efforts, ensuring the sustainability of the newly introduced systems and resulting communal wastewater and solid waste management services. Furthermore, the Project will contribute to enhancing transboundary cooperation, improving connectivity and mobility around the lake, through the opening of a new border crossing point with Greece, at Markova Noga. This, in turn, is expected to boost socio-economic and tourism development while fostering cooperation among the nations sharing the lake basin. All of this aligns with the main provisions of the International Agreement for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Prespa Park and the trilateral Strategic Action Plan for Prespa Park.

The Project shall be implemented in close collaboration with the Municipality of Resen, Public Enterprise “Proleter”, Resen, the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, and the Prespa Park Management Committee.

The Project implementation unit will be established in Resen. UNDP is looking for an experienced Project Manager with a specialization in civil engineering and understanding of the complexity of the environment and nature protection. Her/His tasks include delivering the results specified in the Action Document (Project Document) within the established timeframe and budget, as well as regular reporting to the donor and the main beneficiaries. To be considered for the position, applicants need to demonstrate prior experience in management of relevant development projects. 

The Project Manager will report directly to the Head of the UNDP Energy, Environment & Disaster Reduction Unit. She/He and will manage a project team which will be in Resen (Project Assistant) and in Skopje (Project Procurement Associate) and will closely collaborate with the Project Analyst of the EU for Prespa – soft component.   

The incumbent will promote UNDP’s mandate as all-inclusive gender-responsive organization with zero tolerance to any kind of discriminatory and abusive behavior, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, and abuse.

Ensuring effective project management of the assigned project by maintaining the delivery of appropriate technical, operational, financial and administrative outputs, while tracking the project progress by monitoring, evaluation and reporting:

• Managing and coordinating the implementation of the respective activities based on the Action Document (Project Document), including, as needed, supervision and guidance of other project staff, consultants and experts with a view to achieving project results.
• Developing comprehensive/detailed project work-plans that include all project activities and roles and responsibilities and setting-out corresponding milestones.
• Monitoring the progress of implementation of project activities and key event schedules observing the work-plans and set deadlines including monitoring of the financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports.
• Mobilizing goods and services to support project activities, including drafting TORs and works/product requirements and specifications.
• Managing and monitoring project risks initially identified, submitting information on the new risks and possible mitigating measures to the Project Board for consideration and updating the status of these risks by maintaining a Project Risk Log.
• Providing advisory support to the project partner and the CO in his/her area of expertise (civil engineering).
• Assuming responsibilities in line with the office Internal Control Framework and act as a `first authority` for Project transactions.
• Ensuring adherence of project activities to the existing financial, procurement and administrative processes that are in line with prevailing UNDP rules and regulations and, at the same time, observing the project timelines.
• Preparing project progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks issues, expenditures) and ensuring timely submission of the reports to the relevant instances, such as the project boards and relevant donors.
• Managing project tracking in QUANTUM in accordance with UNDP procedures.
• Collect relevant data from the EU for Prespa Results Framework.
• Managing the transfer of project deliverables and assets to national beneficiaries and other project stakeholders.

Building strategic partnerships needed to achieve results and maintaining collaborative working relationships among key project partners, through effective communication, consultation and reporting:

• Cultivating relationships with the central and local authorities, academia, NGOs, and other Project stakeholders, ensuring full understanding, cooperation and an appropriate fit of the project activities with the main needs of the beneficiaries.
• Establishing effective linkages with other relevant projects and initiatives in the sector with a view to developing substantive partnerships and generating synergies.
• Disseminating project reports and respond to queries from concerned stakeholders.
• Maintaining strong relationships with the Municipality of Resen, Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and other relevant partners.
• Maintaining regular communication with consultants/companies/designers/supervising engineers to ensure quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs/deliverables.
• Identifying opportunities for deepening the cooperation and recommending adequate approaches to dealing with different stakeholders based on information on all relevant stakeholders gathered during project implementation.
• Engaging groups and communities in project activities that affect them.
• Communicating project goals, activities and results clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public.
• Submitting reports to UNDP, partners and donors in a quality and timely manner.
• Maintaining good cooperation and coordination with the EU Delegation, and with other relevant donors and international organizations, in consultation and coordination with relevant CO Programme team.
• Ensure effective communication of the project results in close collaboration with UNDP Country office and the EU Delegation.
• Support the partnerships and advocacy activities agreed by UNDP in the area/sector covered by the project.
• Organize and ensure analytical reporting and project evaluations and collect and captures lessons learned from the project implementation.

Ensure the mainstreaming gender, disability, and youth considerations in the project:

• Ensure the project contributes to the promotion of gender /disability/youth equal access by reaching, involving, and benefiting.
• Be aware of relevant gender /disability/youth issues and concerns in the field of expertise and be familiar with gender /disability/youth issues relevant to the country/region.
• Ensuring gender is effectively mainstreamed throughout the project activities, work plans, budgets, reports, research, analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail.
• Ensuring gender equality is mainstreamed throughout team, consultant and staff management activities.
• Ensuring knowledge on gender equality is incorporated in Project knowledge management activities and products.
• Ensuring collection of gender disaggregated data.
• Demonstrate respect for gender equality in all diverse groups in professional interactions, identify and address all kinds of discrimination.
• Ensure personnel and partners are informed and briefed about corporate sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse policies.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Performance Indicators for evaluation of results:

• Project activities executed in line with UNDP corporate rules and procedures.
• Project funds delivered and results achieved in accordance with the endorsed Annual Work Plans.
• Project staff/ team(s) effectively and efficiently guided and backstopped, as needed.
• High quality advice provided in his/her area of expertise (civil engineering).
• Links with other relevant projects/initiatives established and joint objectives effectuated.
• High quality reports prepared and submitted on time.
• Projects work/plans and other relevant documentation for the project timely prepared.
• Projects progress reports timely prepared.
• Monitoring plans prepared.
• Quarterly project reports prepared on time and with required quality.
• Indicators, targets and results captured.
• Gender, disability, and youth considerations mainstreamed into the project activities. 

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Manager will be engaged on a regular NPSA contract and will report to the Head of the Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction Unit. The Project Manager will be located in Resen, but will need to travel to Skopje as per the requirements of the project implementation.

• Achieve Results – LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work.
• Think Innovatively – LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking.
• Learn Continuously – LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others, and support their learning.
• Adapt with Agility – LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process.
• Act with Determination – LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously.
• Engage and Partner – LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion – LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.

People Management competencies: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross Functional and Technical competencies:

• 2030 Agenda: Planet- Nature, Climate and Energy           
  • Green Economy: Circular economy concepts, policies, and tools.
• Business Management- Project Management 
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.
• Business Direction & Strategy-Effective Decision Making 
  • Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.
• Business Management-Partnerships Management 
  • Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies. 
• Business Management-Risk Management           
  • Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
• 2030 Agenda: People-Gender    
  • Gender Mainstreaming
• Business Direction & Strategy-System Thinking  
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.