Function summary

• Project delivery and performance
• Procedures
• Monitoring and reporting
• Stakeholder engagement
• Quality warranty
• Knowledge management and innovation
• People management

Project delivery and performance

• Develop, complete and update implementation plan(s)
• Implement the approved plan (including establishing milestones) within the tolerances established by the Project Board.
• Incorporate sustainability dimensions, including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into the life of the project.
• Manage the production of required results, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources, and initiating corrective actions when necessary.
• Ensure that the quality of work packages and deliverables complies with the quality requirements defined in the Implementation Plan.
• Contact any external vendors or account managers
• Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages
• Monitor project progress ensuring work packages are being executed correctly
• Track changes to projects and work packages
• Accept goods, services or work delivered by suppliers.
• Lead contract management functions, including supplier performance evaluation.
• Identify and anticipate potential risks and issues in a timely manner and advise mitigation 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 policies and specifically the Project Management Manual
• Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Project Board.
• Manage reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreement(s) and Implementation Plan
• Develop requirements definitions for acquisition processes. Approve requisitions and payment requests not related to purchase orders; Evaluate submissions received, if appointed to the evaluation team.
• Ensure project file maintenance and lessons learned are recorded
• Ensure the development and implementation of project financial management guidelines and control mechanisms, in accordance with UNOPS rules and regulations.
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure deliverables are met and payments to contractors and staff are received on time.
• Understand and manage UNOPS overhead, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project
• Understand the UN’s unique structures and budget staff appropriately
• Manage expenses against budget (based on accurate financial reporting)
• Where the Project Manager is not delegated responsibility, he/she maintains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to meet relevant commitments and disbursements.
• For project closure purposes, provide a formal project handover to the closure manager
• Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during 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 reporting requirements.
• Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).
• Maintain journals and progress reports as required by the organization’s standard procedures.
• Provides routine oversight and analysis of delivery data in the dashboard system.
• Ensure all project team members regularly track and update milestones and goals throughout the life of the projects

Stakeholder engagement

• Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies
• Establish strong working relationships with the Project Board (Executives, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), clients and key stakeholders
• Enable the formulation of project communication plans. Coordinate internal project communications. Monitor the effectiveness of project communications
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective time management and communications interdependence. Ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept transfer results

Quality assurance

• Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects meet audit requirements
• Work with the procurement/purchasing team to ensure an 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 the carrying out of routine and effective training activities in order to develop the sustainable and long-term capacity of staff.
• Actively interact with other project managers and the broader PM community to share case studies, lessons learned, and best practices
• Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learned are shared in a timely and appropriate manner. Participate in relevant Communities of Practice
• Research and record lessons learned throughout the life of the project.
• Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policies, supporting guidance with the aim of continuous improvement of UNOPS policies

Personnel Management, if applicable

• Lead and motivate the project management team
• Ensure team member behavioral expectations are established
• Ensure performance reviews are conducted in a fair, accurate and timely manner
• Select, recruit and train staff as needed and take into account gender parity and diversity objectives.
• Ensure the safety of all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards
• Create, promote and model a culture of respect and zero tolerance towards discrimination, abuse of authority, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ensure accountability for actions and perform functions in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans, as expected by UNOPS policies, standards and commitments.

The Project Manager directly impacts the achievement of project results, adhering to project management methods and strategies, reducing risks, cutting costs and improving success rates. This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of UNOPS as an effective service provider in project services and management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

• Project delivery and performance
• Procedures
• Monitoring and reporting
• Stakeholder participation
• Quality guarantee
• Knowledge and innovation management
• Personnel management 

Project delivery and performance

• Develop, complete and update the execution plan or plans.
• Execute the approved plan (including setting stages) within the tolerance margins established by the Project Board.
• Incorporate sustainability dimensions, including social and gender inclusion, and environmental and economic aspects into the life of the project.
• Manage the production of required results, taking responsibility for overall progress and resource usage and initiating corrective actions when necessary.
• Ensure that the quality of work packages and results conforms to the quality requirements defined in the Execution Plan.
• Establish links with any external provider or account manager.
• Manage the acceptance and delivery of work packages.
• Monitor project progress ensuring work packages are executed correctly.
• Control changes to projects and work packages
• Accept the goods, services or work delivered by suppliers.
• Lead contract management functions, including evaluating supplier performance.
• Identify and anticipate possible risks and problems in time and advise mitigation measures to senior management/Project Board, so that maximum benefit is achieved for partners and other stakeholders.
• Identify and communicate to the supervisor potential business opportunities for UNOPS.

Procedures

• Comply with all organizational policies and, specifically, the Project Management Manual.
• Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Project Board.
• Manage the information obligations defined in the Legal Agreement or Agreements and in the Execution Plan.
• Prepare definitions of the requirements for the acquisition processes. Approve requisitions and payment requests not related to purchase orders; Evaluate the proposals received, if appointed as a member of the evaluation team.
• Ensure maintenance of project files and recording of lessons learned.
• Ensure the development and implementation of project financial management guidelines and control mechanisms, in accordance with UNOPS rules and regulations.
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure delivery of deliverables and timely receipt of payments to contractors and staff.
• Understand and manage UNOPS overhead, assignable charges and related corporate charges that apply to the project.
• Understand the unique structures of the United Nations and budget staff appropriately.
• Manage expenses against budget (based on accurate financial reporting)
• Where responsibilities are not delegated to the Project Director, the Project Director will retain such responsibilities and will supervise and instruct/request others to comply with relevant commitments and disbursements.
• For the purposes of project closure, a formal transfer of the project to the manager in charge of closure will be made.
• Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during audits and following up on audit observations/recommendations.

Monitoring and reporting

• Prepare and issue periodic project and/or financial reports in accordance with partner and UNOPS reporting requirements.
• Periodically review the status of the project, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).
• Maintain journals and progress reports in accordance with the organization’s standard procedures.
• Perform routine monitoring and analysis of delivery data in the dashboard system.
• Ensure that all project team members regularly track and update achievements and objectives throughout the life of the projects.

Stakeholder participation

• Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Establish strong working relationships with the Project Board (Executives, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), clients and key stakeholders.
• Facilitate the formulation of project communication plans. Coordinate internal project communications. Monitor the effectiveness of project communications.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective management of timelines and interdependence of communications. Ensure that stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are able to accept the results of the handover.

Quality guarantee

• Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects meet audit requirements.
• Work with the purchasing team to ensure effective interface with supplier quality systems.
• Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables.
• Control the quality of management deliverables (project documents, reports, etc.).

Knowledge management and innovation

• Promote routine and effective capacity development activities in order to develop long-term and sustainable staff capacity.
• Actively engage with other project managers and the broader project management community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices.
• Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learned are shared in a timely and appropriate manner. Participate in relevant Communities of Practice.
• Research and record lessons learned throughout the life of the project.
• Provide input to Practice Groups on supporting policies and guidelines with the aim of continually improving UNOPS policies.

Personal management, if applicable

• Lead and motivate the project management team
• Ensure behavioral expectations of team members are established.
• Ensure that performance evaluations are conducted in a fair, accurate and timely manner.
• Select, hire and train staff as necessary and take into account gender parity and diversity objectives.
• Ensure the safety of all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards
• Create, promote and 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 functions in accordance with safeguards and action plans, as expected from UNOPS policies, standards and commitments.

The Project Manager has a direct impact on achieving project results by adhering to project management methods and strategies, reducing risks, reducing costs and improving success rates. Consequently, this strengthens the visibility and image of UNOPS as an effective service provider in the field of services and project management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice for sustainable development and services.

• Advanced university degree in a relevant discipline related to the nature of the project: Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Project Management.
• A university degree (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) will be accepted in areas such as Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Project Management, provided they provide a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience.
• Project Management Certification (PRINCE2, PMI, etc.) Assets
• Complete the UNOPS PMM and oneUNOPS Projects trainings within (3) months of signing this TOR.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 5 to 7 years of professional experience (based on academic credits) in project management, with complex stakeholder engagement and management contexts
• Experience in management or implementation of social projects preferred
• Work experience in the public sector or in NGOs (and other non-profit associations) is desirable
• Previous experience at UNOPS is an advantage

Skills required for the job:

• Extensive experience in risk management.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Experience working in multicultural teams.
• Experience in team management.
• Strong communication, presentation and customer service skills

Languages

• Native Portuguese is required 
• Intermediate knowledge of English and/or Spanish is required.

** Text in Spanish
Education: 

• Higher university degree in a relevant discipline related to the nature of the project: Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Project Management.
• A university degree (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) in areas such as Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Project Management will be accepted, provided that a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience is attributed.
• Project management certification (PRINCE2, PMI, etc.) Assets
• Complete the UNOPS PMM and oneUNOPS Projects training within a period of (3) months from the signing of this TOR.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 5 to 7 years of professional experience (based on academic credits) in project management, involving stakeholders and complex management contexts.
• Desirable experience in management or execution of social projects
• Desirable work experience in the public sector or in NGOs (and other non-profit organizations)
• Previous experience at UNOPS will be valued

Skills required for the position:

• Extensive experience in risk management.
• Great problem solving skills.
• Experience working in multicultural teams.
• Experience in team management.
• Great communication, presentation and customer service skills

Language

• Native Portuguese is required 
• Intermediate knowledge of English and/or Spanish is required.