Senior Project Manager

<!–

Description

–>

In this project, UNOPS will act as a “verifying agency” with the aim to scrutinize, verify and resolve the pending claims between the relevant De-facto Authority (DFA) employing ministry or agency and contractors, consultants and suppliers, both international and local, for the works and services completed before 15 August 2021 under the relevant externally financed projects in the country. The assignment includes the verification of different types of contracts including civil works, supply of goods and services by consultancy firms and individual consultants, mainly in the infrastructure sectors, across the country.  The verification work will also include verification of certain other project costs incurred before 15 August 2021.

UNOPS will provide the financier of the proposed project with a comprehensive overview of the state of potential unresolved project-related claims, clarify the amount of pending payments with credible supporting documents, and make recommendations for the amounts to be paid to each contractor, consultant, supplier or project-affected person.

Key project stakeholders are the financier of the proposed project, working level staff of Afghanistan De-facto Authority ministries, contractors, consultants, suppliers (both international and local).

Senior Project Manager  is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries. Senior 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 Senior 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.

Senior Project Manager  has the authority to assign, as per the Project Plan, work packages to Team Managers and approve deliverables produced by them.

Senior Project Manager  is responsible for creating the Implementation Plan, using the Project Initiation Document (PID), Legal Agreement and having 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 of the Project Manager/Senior Project Manager  will be based on the defined Success Criteria.

Functional Responsibilities:

Summary of functions:

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

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.
• Ensure that 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 packages changes
• Accept goods, services or works delivered by suppliers.
• Lead contract management duties including supplier performance evaluation.
• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises 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

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
• Draft the requirements definitions for procurement processes. Approving requisitions and requests for non-purchase order payments; Evaluating submissions received, if appointed to the evaluation team. 
• 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

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

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 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.)

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

Personnel Management:    

• 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 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, 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:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in relevant disciplines is mandatory. Advanced University Degree in Engineering or similar field will be an asset..
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of the Advanced University Degree requirement.
• A relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years’ working experience (or more based on academic credentials) in managing infrastructure projects in either public or private sector organizations. Mandatory
• Experience in project or program management. Mandatory
• Experience in engineering and construction contract management. Asset
• Experience in working in projects funded by multilateral development banks. Asset.
• Experience in hardship duty station, conflict zone, or pre-conflict environment. Asset. 
• Experience working with UNOPS. Asset.

Language:

• Fluency in the English is required.

Source:  https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=27047#1

<!—

<!–

–>