Project Manager

Job Description

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Stakeholder Management:

• Establish solid working relationship with the project board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), clients and key stakeholders, including the provincial government and national government representatives.
• Manage stakeholders engagement and project communications, ensuring all are aware of project activities, progress and exceptions.
• Advise the client on issues that may impact the achievement of outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as operations and maintenance).
• Manage information flow between the project board, AFOC’s Head of Programme (HOP) and the project team

Delivery and Performance:

• Engaging the Prince2 project management methodology, and in line with AFOC strategies, plans and procedures, arrange and facilitate Project Boards, Highlight Reports, Exception Reports, Exception Plans, Stage Plans, maintenance of the Risk and Issue Registers, delivery forecasts and plans, as well as updating oneUNOPS.
• In consultation with clients and beneficiaries, arrange design and procurement of roads and bridges construction and/or rehabilitation in accordance with the Annual Work Plan.
• Work closely with UNOPS HQ to ensure effective and timely review and certification of all necessary designs for roads and structures.
• Oversee, manage and supervise all construction services, as specified and approved by the Project Board.
• Ensure adequate quality control/assurance and oversight at all times.
• Facilitate the successful delivery of all project components as agreed with the donor, including (but not limited to) gender empowerment in the northern provinces.
• Amicably resolve disputes, confusion or impasses that may arise with contractors and beneficiaries.
• Act as the project lead for all aspects of HSSE, ensuring full compliance with regulations of UNOPS and AFOC.
• Maintain accurate and timely reporting and liaison with AFOC, government entities, and the Embassy of Sweden, making reports and clarification as and when required.
• Ensure regular engagement with the HOP, the Partnerships Development Unit and other members of the UNOPS Country Team in Kabul.

Procedures:

• Maintain the following: i. Electronic Blue File; ii. Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by those practices as per OD12.
• Ensure that all expenditures 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 and related corporate charges as they apply to the project.
• Manage and remain accountable for expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports).

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in relevant UNOPS Communities of Practice.
• Actively interact with other PMs and the PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice in terms of roads constrcution and rehabilitation, and operations and maintenance.
• Provide feedback to Practice Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies.
• Maintain the project’s lessons log, incorporating lessons learned from others as appropriate.

Personnel Management:

• Lead and manage the RAIP IV team in Mazar-e-Sharif, ensuring fair division of work, accountability, professionalism, adherence to policies and procedures and ethical behaviour in a way which promotes UNOPS as a partner of choice.
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established.
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted.
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS personnel contract modalities.
• Select, recruit and train the project team as required by the project plan.
• Ensure the safety and security of all personnel and comply with UNDSS standards at all times.

Core Values:

• Understand and respect national ownership and capacity.
• Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the project plans.
• Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff.
• Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts.
• Harmonization within the UN and beyond.
• Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the project’s place in the UN system.
• Know the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and seek to contribute within the deliverables of the project.
• Service to Others.
• As the project is representative of the United Nations it should be firmly rooted in the principle of service to others. This should be considered carefully in the development of project plans.
• Accountability for results and the use of resources.

Advocacy and Knowledge Management

• Raise awareness amongst AFOC staff and local counterparts on the principles of social inclusion and environmental management, and support the monitoring, evaluation and reporting on socially inclusive and environmentally responsible practices within the portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen linkages between key projects within AFOC including mainstreaming SDGs into ongoing projects & those under development.
• Draft recommendations and contribute to UNOPS policy dialogue on key programme areas including Social Inclusion, Poverty Reduction, Employment Creation, Impact Evaluation and Capacity Development.
• Advocate for gender mainstreaming in transport sector planning at all levels, socio-economic analysis and other areas where feasible.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Conduct periodic reporting, including financial status reports on commitments and disbursements, monthly, quarterly and annual reports (including resources’ allocation and project performance), the project completion report, and evaluation report.
• Develop and operate a quantitative and qualitative Project Performance Monitoring System (PPMS) to monitor and evaluate the performance of the RAIP IV in relation to its outcome, purpose and outputs.
• Disseminate relevant information and PR materials that demonstrate good practices.
• Ensure RAIP IV produces the required products within the specified tolerance of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits.

A. Education

Master’s degree or equivalent, preferably in engineering or architecture, business and/or public administration, international business, international relations or another field of relevance to the work of UNOPS. Additional years of relevant work experience, preferably in combination with a relevant bachelor’s degree, may substitute for the requirement of a master’s degree.

PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification – Preferred

B. Work Experience

Minimum 5 years of experience in Project Management, including at least three years demonstrable experience in roads construction; Experience working in emergency, post-crisis environment and/or with UN missions is an advantage; Experience in infrastructure project management is required; Experience of construction activities within UNOPS is a strong asset. Proven experience in quality and risk management and stakeholder engagement is an advantage. Previous experience in Afghanistan is a distinct advantage. Fluency in both written and oral English is essential.

About the Organization

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Afghanistan

UNOPS strategy for Afghanistan is aimed at providing maximum support to the Government and people of Afghanistan though the delivery of projects and services in line with the government’s own priorities. The UNOPS Afghanistan Operation Center (AFOC) has been established as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS AFOC is implementing a number of projects in a range of sectors including infrastructure (roads and schools) development, capacity building to various ministries, and environmental protection, among others, on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan and the donor community.

The functional objective of UNOPS AFOC is to deliver projects in an efficient and effective manner, to achieve the development outcomes sought by the Government of Afghanistan and the donor community, where capacity building is always considered and encouraged. The aim of UNOPS AFOC is to provide implementation services to the Government of Afghanistan, the donor community and partner agencies in the reconstruction and development of the country. In doing so, UNOPS aims to exceed client expectations in the delivery of quality services throughout the country.