Senior Project Manager – UNOPS jobs in Yemen
- Location: Sanaa, Yemen
- Vacancy No: N/A
- Salary: N/A
- Organization: UNOPS
- Gender: Both
- Deadline: 2024-03-31
Project Information:
In December 2021, the World Bank approved the US$50 million Yemen Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (YELCP) with objectives to provide climate resilient road access and employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to food insecure rural population of Yemen. YELCP will be implemented through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in partnership with the Rural Access Program (RAP) as a local implementation partner. The financing instrument of the project is Investment Project Financing with an operational life of three years and eleven months. The last twelve (12) months are set aside for management to carry out the Defects Notification Period (DNP).
The Project will finance the rehabilitation of lifeline rural access roads in selected areas in Yemen to contribute toward addressing road access to food and other humanitarian needs, and unemployment, whilst laying the foundation to (i) build resilience to climate change induced vulnerabilities, (ii) reduce gender gaps, and (iii) build the capacities of RAP and RMF through a dedicated capacity building program.The Project has four components as follows:
Component 1: Rural and Village Access Roads Improvement and Maintenance
Sub-Component 1.A: Rehabilitation of Lifeline Rural Access Roads
Sub-Component 1.B: Employment-Intensive Road Maintenance
Component 2: Strengthening Management Capacity of Transport Sector Public Institutions
Component 3: Project Implementation and Monitoring Support, Studies and Preparatory Activities
Component 4. Contingent Emergency Response
Local Context:
The project will be implemented in Yemen during the conflict, and as it involves rehabilitation of lifeline corridors and rural access roads, numerous risks are considered. The project’s implementation strategy will thus carefully balance a series of significant considerations, guided by informed contextual analysis and local political economy dynamics. The programming will be conflict-sensitive in every step. The overall risk to the achievement of the Project’s development objectives is ’High’ as the Project will be implemented in a challenging conflict context.
Besides its long experience working in FCV context globally, UNOPS has a strong presence in Yemen and the capacity to reach out to the most affected beneficiaries. With years of experience working in Yemen, UNOPS has demonstrated strong capacity and readiness to implement investment projects in extremely challenging circumstances. UNOPS has preparedness and mobilization mechanisms in place, which enable optimal emergency procurement, and is well informed about the market response locally and internationally.
UNOPS will implement the Project through its Yemen Country Office in Sana’a and the Operational Hub in Amman. A dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) will be established to provide support in project management, technical aspects, procurement, financial management and financial sector aspects, communications, (M&E), social and environmental issues, logistics, administration, information technology (IT), and security will be handled by the Sana’a Office with close support on a day-to-day basis from Amman. UNOPS global staff will be drawn in on a need basis. Project oversight will come from UNOPS Regional Office and Operational Hub in Amman, as well as UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Senior Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s) 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 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 will be based on the defined Success Criteria.
Summary of Key Functions:
- Project Delivery and Performance
- Procedures
- Monitoring and Reporting
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Quality Assurance
- Knowledge Management and Innovation
- Personnel Management
- Develop, complete and update the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) and subproject plans.
- 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 as per the Project Environemental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP), the Project Appraisal Document (PAD), and the Project Financial Management Framework Agreement (FMFA).
- 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.
2. 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.
- 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.
5. 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.).
- 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.
- Lead and motivate the project management team.
- Ensure that behavioural 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, harrasement, sexual harrasement 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:
- Advanced University Degree from a reputable University, preferably in Civil Engineering, Roads Engineering, or other relevant fields is required.
- University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in Civil Engineering or Road Engineering) with a combination of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience in Civil Engineering, Roads Engineering, or other relevant fieldsmay be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.
Certification:
- Certified Senior Project Manager – International Project Manager Association (IPMA Level B) or Project Management Professional (PMP – PMI) or PRINCE2® is desired.
- PRINCE2 Practitioner is an asset, but required completion within first 6 months of onboarding.
Experience:
- A minimum of seven (7) or more years of progressive experience in infrastructure, construction development and management, preferably in road engineering with focus on project management in either public or private sector organizations is required.
- Previous experience in road rehabilitation/construction is desirable.
- Previous experience in the development sector is desirable.
- Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary teams is an advantage.
- Past experience in delivering technical assistance and/or institutional capacity building is an asset.
- Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage.
- Experience with an international organization and/or UN agencies is an asset.
Language Requirements:
- Full proficiency (Fluency) in English is required.
- Fluency in one or more additional official UNOPS languages is an advantage.
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