Senior Project Manager
Bujumbura
- Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
- Location: Bujumbura
- Grade: Mid level - IICA-3, International Individual Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Project and Programme Management
- Managerial positions
- Closing Date: 2025-02-09
Functional Responsibilities
Summary of functions:
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Project Delivery and Performance
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Procedures
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Monitoring and reporting
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Stakeholder engagement
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Quality assurance
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Knowledge management and innovation
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Personnel management
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Plan the overall project activities (project implementation plan), maintain a detailed project work plan, monitor project performance, and exercise adaptive management as appropriate to ensure delivery of the project outcomes
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Implementing the project’s strategy for public awareness, communications and mainstreaming
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Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into project life span.
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Manage the production of the required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary.
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Ensure that quality of work packages and deliverables complies with the quality requirements defined in the Implementation Plan.
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Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers
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Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages
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Monitor project progress ensuring that work packages are being executed properly
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Control project and work packages changes
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Accept goods, services or works delivered by suppliers.
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Lead contract management duties including supplier performance evaluation.
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Identify and manage in a timely manner, potential risks (including environmental and social safeguard risks) and issues and advises mitigating measures to senior management/ Project Board so that maximum benefit to partner(s) and other stakeholders is achieved; regularly update the project’s Risk Register and ensure that appropriate risk management measures are put in place.
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Provide support for completion of any assessments required by UNEP or GEF.
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Identify and report to the supervisor potential business opportunities for UNOP
2. Procedures
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Comply with all organizational policy and specifically the Project Management Manual
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Finalize the assessment and selection of suitable responsible implementing partners for the different project outputs and activities and assist the Financial and Contracts Manager to conclude contractual agreements with each of the selected responsible partner institution
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Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Project Board.
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Manage the reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreement(s) and in the Implementation Plan
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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.
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Ensure maintenance of the project files and lessons learned are recorded
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Ensure the development and implementation of project financial management guidelines and control mechanisms, in conformity with UNOPS rules and regulations.
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Work closely with the Project Financial and Contracts Manager to monitor financial resources and ensure compliance with the approved project budget and annual budgets, oversee production of quarterly and annual financial reports, and take overall responsibility for accuracy and reliability of the project’s accounting system
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Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time.
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Manage requests for financial resources through funding advances, direct payments, or reimbursement
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Understand and manage UNOPS overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project
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Understand the unique structures of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel
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Manage expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports)
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Where the Senior 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.
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For project closure purposes, provide a formal handover of the project to the closure manager
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Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during the audits and follow up on audit observations/recommendations
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Take lead responsibility for preparation of the annual PIR, and oversee and ensure timely production, quality and dissemination of all key project reporting instruments, including the Inception Report, quarterly progress reports, annual PIR, and any other reports that may be required by the PSC, GEF and UNEP in accordance with Partner and UNOPS requirements for reporting.
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Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).
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Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system.
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Ensure all project team members track and regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life span
4. Stakeholder Engagement
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Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies
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Liaise with relevant government agencies, and all responsible implementing partners to ensure effective coordination of all project activities
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Establish solid working relationships with the Project Board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholders
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Enable the formulation of project communications plans. Coordinate internal project communications. Monitor the effectiveness of project communications
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Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications.
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Ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover outputs
5. Quality Assurance
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Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects comply with audit requirements
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Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers' quality systems
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Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables
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Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.)
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Assist Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) and other public institutions that are contracted as responsible implementing partners in the riparian countries, to further develop their skills and capacities in supporting the implementation of project activities
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Coordinate activities closely with related national projects and oversee the ongoing documentation, exchange and sharing of experiences and lessons learned
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Encourage routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of staff.
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Actively interact with other Project Managers/coordinators and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices
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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
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Research and logging of lessons learned throughout the project life span.
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Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
7. Personnel Management
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Supervise and coordinate the work of all project staff, responsible implementing partners, consultants, and sub-contractors, ensuring timing and quality of all outputs in line with the approved Project Document.
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Lead and motivate the project management team, if applicable
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Ensure that behavioral expectations of team members are established
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Ensure that performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately and timely
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Select, recruit and train the team as required and take into account gender parity and diversity objectives.
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Ensure safety and security for all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards
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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.
The Senior Project Manager directly impacts o achievement of project results by 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 a a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.
Education/Experience/Language requirements
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Experience: |
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Language Requirements: | Fluency in both French and English is required. |
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.