Project Manager

Background Information - Job-specific
UNOPS Horn of Africa Multi-Country Office is recruiting for this position: Project Manager to be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with regular missions to the field.


Qualified females and candidates from underrepresented groups in UNOPS are highly encouraged to apply.

Established in 2009, Horn Of Africa Multi-country office (HAMCO) sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Addis Ababa which manages a portfolio of engagements in four (4) Horn of Africa countries (Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan and South Sudan). HAMCO focuses on Infrastructure, Procurement, Project Management, HR and Transactional Services, and Fund Management services across a wide range of sectors including Health, Education, Agriculture, Resilient infrastructure, among others.

In response to a growing demand for UNOPS Infrastructure Service Line a number of infrastructure projects have been signed with the Government and Partners in 2023. If you have experience leading teams; delivering high quality infrastructure works that match client needs with budget; are always ready to get hands on with the work, and can lead partners through best practices and operational excellence and excited to support the peace, recovery and development agendas across the country, then this is your opportunity.

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. 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 to agreed specifications, time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits. The incumbent is expected to meet the organization’s performance and delivery goals.

The Project Manager has the authority to assign; as per the Project Plan, work packages and activities to Team Managers, and approve deliverables produced under their supervision. The incumbent is responsible for using the Project Initiation Document (PID), Legal Agreement to create the Project Implementation Plan (PIP). The successful candidate will be required to establish 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, will be based on the defined Success Criteria
Functional Responsibilities

Project Delivery and Performance

Procedures

Monitoring and reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Quality assurance

Knowledge management and innovation

Leadership and 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.

Act as the Employer’s Representative within the FIDIC works contracts.

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

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 Sr.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

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

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

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.)

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 UNOPS 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

Lead and motivate the project management team, if applicable

Ensure that behavioral expectations of team members are established

Ensure that performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately and timely

Select, recruit and train the 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

An Advanced University (Masters) Degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management or other related technical discipline is required.

A combination of a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management or other related technical discipline with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

Certification

Prince 2 Foundation or equivalent is an advantage.

Prince 2 Practitioner or equivalent an advantage.

Experience:

A minimum of five (5) years’ progressively responsible experience in complex Infrastructure Projects is required;

At least one (1) year experience implementing international norms in Health and Safety is required;

A minimum of two (2) years in a Management role is required;

A minimum of two (2) years demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary, multicultural teams is required;

Experience implementing Health and/or Education Sector infrastructure is highly desirable;

Knowledge and experience with procurement of goods/services/ works is an asset;

Experience managing projects with Multiple construction sites and complex logistical arrangements in remote locations is an asset;

Experience developing and implementing Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) and/or World Bank Safeguard Frameworks is an advantage;

Experience working in development sector is a distinct advantage;

Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is a distinct advantage;

Demonstrated experience working with Government MDAs on Donor-Funded projects is an asset;

Familiar with web-based applications and Google-Suite products, especially google docs, sheets, slides and forms is an asset;

Strong writing and reporting skills are an asset.

Experience in risk management is an asset.

Strong problem-solving skills are an asset.

Language

Fluency in written and spoken English is required

Fluency in Amharic is required.

Working knowledge of additional UN Official language is an asset.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

This is a local position and is open to Ethiopian nationals only.

Terms and Conditions

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 ( they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.

All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.