Project Manager (Open to all applicants)

Job Description

Background

UNDP Bangladesh’s Democratic Governance programming aims to accelerate effective governance so that all citizens can openly and peacefully contribute to Bangladesh’s development story. It focuses on making the country inclusive, capable, rule-based accountable, and transparent by 1) strengthening effective and accountable governance that responds to the need of people in addressing equitable and improved access to justice and rule of law, 2) strengthening civil society and promoting participatory governance to ensure that the voice of all citizens are heard, and 3) enhancing civic, political and economic empowerment of women and youth.

The Government of Bangladesh, through its 8th Five Year Plan (2021–2025), prioritizes enhancing access to justice under Key Area 2a: Justice and the Rule of Law. The Plan commits to strengthening NLASO’s capacity to reach poor and marginalized groups, fostering partnerships with NGOs and CSOs for broader legal aid coverage, and conducting diagnostic assessments to inform innovative, needs-based legal aid delivery. These efforts aim to reduce case backlogs and ensure inclusive, equitable justice.

UNDP Bangladesh will be implementing Digital Legal Aid in Bangladesh project in partnership with Ministry of Law to promote rule of law and human rights in Bangladesh. The project has two specific objectives:

• Improve efficiency of gender sensitive legal aid services for the most marginalised and disadvantaged communities in the eight target districts. 
• Increase access to gender-sensitive legal aid, mediation, and justice services, including online dispute resolution (ODR) for prospective litigants and legal aid seekers, especially women, minorities, and disadvantaged people with a positive impact on advancing gender equality. 

Digital Legal Aid in Bangladesh project is looking to recruit a Project Manager who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project and ensure achievement of the programme results and outputs, provide technical and managerial oversight as part of the project management team and ensure efficient delivery, build new partnerships and increase resource mobilization. The successful candidate will ensure that project activities are aligned with sustainable development principles and coordinate with other projects in the Democratic Governance portfolio and other UNDP units.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of Assistant Resident Representative/Programme Analyst of the DG Cluster, and in close collaboration with the Senior ROL Advisor, the Project Manager will perform the above-mentioned responsibilities in coordination with team other cluster members.

This position involves delivering high-quality technical support and will be responsible for the overall strategic and operational leadership of the project. This includes overseeing planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of results aligned with the approved Project Document and UNDP’s development priorities.

The incumbent will manage project finances, supervise personnel—including staff and consultants—and ensure effective coordination with UNDP internal units, government counterparts, development partners, and other relevant stakeholders. A key focus will be on building inclusive partnerships, facilitating policy dialogue and advocacy, strengthening national capacities, and supporting resource mobilization efforts.

In addition, the role emphasizes proactive stakeholder engagement, robust knowledge management, and continuous alignment of project interventions with UN values and UNDP’s strategic frameworks. The incumbent is expected to foster an enabling environment for innovation, accountability, and sustainable impact.

Under the direct supervision of the Assistant Resident Representative/Programme Analyst, Democratic Governance Cluster, and in close coordination with the Senior Advisor on Rule of Law, Justice, and Security, the Project Manager will carry out the following key responsibilities:

Lead the strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the project to ensure the delivery of expected outputs and outcomes in line with the approved Project Document.

• Managing and coordinating the implementation of the respective activities based on the project document. 
• Developing comprehensive/detailed project work-plans that include all project activities and roles and responsibilities of the project teams and setting-out corresponding milestones.
• Monitoring the progress of implementation of project activities and financial delivery.
• Organize, facilitate, participate in and follow-up with meeting related to Project Management, and keep track the progress of recommendations and agreements. 
• Organize, facilitate, participate in and follow-up with meeting related to the Project Board, and keep track the progress of recommendations and agreements.
• Managing and monitoring project risks initially identified, submitting information on the new risks and possible mitigating measures to the Project Board for consideration and updating the status of these risks by maintaining a Project Risk Log.
• Assuming responsibilities in line with the office Internal Control Framework and act as a `first authority` for Project transactions.

Manage project finances, supervise staff and consultants, and coordinate closely with UNDP units, government counterparts, development partners, and other stakeholders.

• Oversee the operations of the project.
• Ensuring adherence of project activities to the existing financial, procurement and administrative processes that are in line with prevailing UNDP rules and regulations and, at the same time, observing the project timelines.
• Preparing project progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks issues, expenditures…) and ensuring timely submission of the reports to the relevant instances, such as the project boards and relevant Development Partners.
• Managing project tracking in Quantum in accordance with UNDP procedures. 

Maintaining collaborative working relationships among key project partners and Development Partners, through effective communication, consultation and reporting 

• Maintaining strong relationships with the implementing partners and other relevant partners.
• Maintaining regular coordination and quality assurance of expert inputs and products as well as among project partners to ensure coherence and complementarity of project activities.
• Identifying opportunities for deepening the cooperation and recommending adequate approaches to dealing with different stakeholders based on information on all relevant stakeholders gathered during projects’ implementation.
• Maintaining regular communication on relevant project issues with the local and international counterparties, consultants and experts and ensuring quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs.
• Maintaining effective linkages with current and potential development Partners.
• Submitting reports to UNDP, programme partners and development partners in a quality and timely manner.

Aligning the project with UN values and UNDP priorities:

• Ensure the principles of no one left behind in all project activities.
• Ensure that gender equality is pursued in all project activities and reflected in work plans, budgets, reports, research, analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail. 
• Ensure that accessibility for persons with disabilities is reflected in all project activities.
• Consult regularly with other UNDP projects and programs on related activities where synergies are possible. 
• Communicate project goals and activities clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s).

• Organize training, workshops, and capacity building activities in a consultative manner, 
• Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners.
• Promote advocacy on development trends and opportunities to collaborate in coordination with the project partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization. 

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making 

People Management 

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: 

General (across the functions)          

• Public relations - Ability to build and maintain an overall positive public image for the organisation, its mandate and its brand, while ensuring that individual campaigns and other communications and advocacy initiatives are supported in reaching the public

Partnership management     

• Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding - Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms
• Resource mobilization - Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements

2030 Agenda: People              

• Gender - Gender Mainstreaming

2030 Agenda: Prosperity       

• Inclusive Growth - Poverty and Human Development

Business Direction & Strategy           

• System Thinking - Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Development          

• Knowledge Generation - Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master´s Degree or equivalent) in Law/Public Administration/Development Studie/Governance/Public Policy or any relevant related field is required; OR
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (with Master´s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of relevant experience in Law/Public Administration/Development Studie/Governance/ Public Policy or any relevant discipline is required.

Required skills

• Substantive expertise in e-governance project management is required;
• Demonstrated ability in managing resources and budgets, and financial reporting required. 

Desired additional skills

• Minimum 3 years of relevant professional experience in the legal or judicial field or safety and security. Previous experience working with international organizations, bilateral agencies are desired;
• Previous experience working with Government agencies, judiciary, police administration, High-level government officials is an advantage.
• Experience in project monitoring, result-oriented reporting and documenting of the project output are desired.
• Proven experience of sharing knowledge, experience and learning to the stakeholders.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages

Required Language

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Bengali is required 

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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