Back PROJECT MANAGER - IICA 2

I. Background Information - Job-specific

Central africans (1) Who are residing outside of Central African Republic at the time of application (2) Who have been living there for five years or more (3) Who are fulfilling the requirement's stated on this job advert are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Central Africa with an estimated population of five (05) million inhabitants. This country has been weakened by several years of political and military conflicts that have negatively impacted economic development and fostered the level of poverty of the population. National and international economic and commercial activities are hampered by the country's isolation and the inexistence of viable communication channels linking different parts of the country. At a time when the country is returning to stability, the economy in general and the agricultural sector in particular is struggling to recover. Agriculture, a major economic activity, occupies nearly 70% of the population, and is facing many challenges that constitute real bottlenecks at the root of the difficulties in reviving the sector.

In order to seek solutions to the problems of the agricultural sector and to promote socio-economic development in the CAR, UNOPS and its partners plan to implement an integrated agribusiness project with a sub-component on "rehabilitation and maintenance of public infrastructures".

For the purpose of execution of an integrated agribusiness project with components on “rehabilitation and maintenance of public infrastructures” including rural roads, markets and other agribusiness infrastructures in the Prefectures of Ouham and Ouham Pende in the Central African Republic, UNOPS AFR CDOH CAR seeks to hire a Project Manager responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s) and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries. He/she is expected to meet and exceed the organizations performance and delivery goals.

Background information - DR Congo

Located in Kinshasa, DRC the UNOPS Hub in Central Africa covers eleven countries, including in the CAR, and has an active portfolio of over $200m, mostly related to infrastructure projects. The office has developed strong working relations with the international partners, UN agencies including UN Missions and Governments across Central Africa over the years. It provides technical support and capacity building in strategic development areas including infrastructure rehabilitation and development across health, education, public works, governance/public administration sectors; procurement, project management and sectoral advisory services; peace and security, environmental preservation and protection among others.

II. Functional Responsibilities

The project manager is responsible to produce/read the project initiation documents (PID), Legal Agreement and have a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the project(s) products are capable of meeting the business cases for both UNOPS and the client. Success of the project(s) and hence Project Manager will be based on the Success Criteria of UNOPS engagements which are linked to the below responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of the Project Manager Level 2 are similar to that of the Project Manager Level 3, with the difference in grades being determined by the project(s) level, complexity and level of responsibility of the specific position. A project manager at this level would normally be responsible for one or more UNOPS Level 2 project(s). A project manager at this level would likely be expected to manage a mid-sized project with mid-level risk or complexity. The project would rely on a number of external suppliers for its successful delivery, managing tight timeline with some flexibility. The project manager is responsible for all aspects of the project life cycle. S/he must be able to apply, with some degree of autonomy, the below duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria:

Stakeholder Management:

• Establish solid working relationship with the project board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholders
• Manage communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products
• Advise the client on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance)
• Manage the information flows between the Project Board/OC Director and the project(s)

Delivery and Performance:

• Develop and maintain project plans
• Implement approved project plans (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 cycle.
• Manage the production of the required products, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary
• Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers
• Authorize Work Packages
• Advise the Project Board and OC Manager of any deviations from the plan
• Identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to client and stakeholders is achieved
• Manage and review product quality and ensure products are accepted
• Monitor and evaluate performance of service providers
• Identify and report potential business opportunities for UNOPS to supervisor
• Identify and report threats to UNOPS internal business case to supervisor

Procedures:

• Follow the Project Management Cycle Instructions and ensure that all organizational policy is complied with (Organizational Directives and Administrative Instructions)
• Prepare/adapt the following plans for approval by the Project Board: I. Project Initiation Documentation; II. Stage/Exception Plans and relevant Product Descriptions
• Prepare the following reports:

i. Highlight Reports

ii. End Stage Reports

iii. Operational Closure Checklist

iv. End Project Report

v. Handover Report

• Maintain the following: i. Electronic Blue File; ii. Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by those practices as per OD12.
• Ensure that all expenditure comply with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR).
• 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 and remain accountable for 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.

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice**
• Actively interact with other PMs and the PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the Knowledge System.
• Provide feedback to Practice Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
• Complete lessons learned as per reporting format
• Incorporate lessons learned from others as per planning format

Personnel Management:

• Lead and motivate the project management team
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted
• Identify outstanding staff and bring them to the attention of the OC Director
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS personnel contract modalities (including ICA and Staff)
• Select, recruit and train team as required by project plans
• Perform the Team Manager role, unless appointed to another person(s)
• Perform Project Support role, unless appointed to another person or corporate/programme function
• Ensure safety and security for all personnel and comply with UNDSS standards

Core Values and Principles:

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles**

I. Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management**

II. Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place**

III. Champion and communicate project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders**

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity**

i. Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the project plans**

ii. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff**

iii. Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts**

• Partnerships and Coordination Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the project’s place in the UN system

i. Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant project actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations or other relevant partners)

• Accountability for results and the use of resources**

i. The project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a project or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the PM to raise the issue with a supervisor

• Excellence

i. Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

III. Education

• Advanced University Degree (Master's degree) in Civil/Rural Engineering, Construction Management or other relevant discipline is required.

• A first University Degree (bachelor’s degree / first level) with a combination of 2 additional years of relevant professional experience in Civil/Rural Engineering, Construction Management
  or other relevant discipline, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• A relevant combination of Technical or Prof Diploma and/or industry certifications combined with 9 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education.

IV. Experience

• Minimum five (5) years in Project Management in the area of construction and / or civil/rural engineering management is required.
• An experience on multi stakeholder coordination, quality assurance and quality control, Safety, Health and Environment policy implementation, monitoring and Evaluation, reporting, and strategic budget management will be an asset.
• Experience in post-conflict/ fragile environments is desirable.
• Experience in the UN system organizations and/or a developing country is desirable but not mandatory.
• Project Manager - Engineer graduate from a professional accredited engineering academic system from a UN member state is desirable

V. Languages

• Fluency in French and English in both written and oral is required