Director, Infrastructure and Project Management Group

The Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG) provides policy, standards guidance and support in three UNOPS service lines of Project Management, Infrastructure and Financial Management Services (Grant Support and Fund Management). IPMG leads the design and implementation of a project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) system centered around the needs of UNOPS partners, beneficiaries and frontline personnel. IPMG also drives UNOPS efforts to leverage sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure and maximize local capacity through grant support management to achieve sustainable development. Through thought leadership, we aim to position UNOPS with its partners, foster innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development, and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes speeding up the implementation of urgent infrastructure and scaling up infrastructure service delivery, particularly in relation to climate action and energy. Our delivery approach to project management, infrastructure and grant support management prioritizes development needs, empowers institutions and communities, builds partners’ capacity, champions gender equality and social inclusion and reduces environmental impact. IPMG translates policy into practice by providing strategic direction, standards and oversight, while facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity-building for UNOPS teams globally.

Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director (DED) for Management and Policy, the IPMG Director serves as an institutional steward, responsible for formulating and implementing the strategic vision that guides UNOPS’ global infrastructure and project management practice.  

The role acts as a world-class expert and senior advisor to executive leadership, regional directors, partners, and governing bodies. 

The IPMG Director represents UNOPS’ values and leadership to Member States, donors, partners, and the UN system, ensuring a coherent technical agenda while building global networks and championing management and leadership excellence to strengthen UNOPS’ future readiness.

1. Organizational Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Serve as a senior organizational leader contributing to UNOPS’ corporate strategy, advising the Executive Director and senior management on emerging global trends, risks and opportunities in infrastructure and project management.
• Translate UNOPS’ organizational mandate into a strategic vision and multi-year plan for infrastructure and project management that leverages innovation, strengthens organizational coherence and enhances UNOPS’ global positioning
• Envision and advocate for the role of infrastructure and project management as core drivers of sustainable development and operational excellence within and beyond UNOPS.
• Ensure alignment between IPMG priorities and organizational goals, while championing initiatives that strengthen leadership capacity, institutional resilience, and long-term impact.

2. Functional Stewardship, Policy Leadership and Organizational Standards

• Lead the development, implementation and continuous evolution of global standards, policies, governance structures, and risk frameworks that define UNOPS’ infrastructure and project management practice.
• Exercise stewardship over the integrity, quality and performance of infrastructure and project management services across the organization.
• Promote devolved, empowered decision-making models that place accountability and authority closest to the point of delivery while ensuring coherence and organizational learning.
• Guide regional and country teams on strategic negotiations, programme design and high-impact engagements with partners, ensuring alignment with UNOPS priorities and global standards.
• Provide authoritative advice to the Executive Director, DED, Regional Directors, governing bodies and external partners on complex and politically sensitive matters.

3. People Leadership, Culture and Organizational Capacity

• As a member of UNOPS global leadership team, role-model UNOPS values and behavioral competencies. 
• Drive leadership development and talent pipelines, ensuring the cultivation of the next generation of infrastructure and project management leaders.
• Promote teamwork and collaboration across IPMG, ensuring team members have clear direction, objectives and guidance to enable them perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently. 
• Foster a positive work environment that is respectful of all. Ensure appropriate focus on team well-being, empowerment, diversity and inclusion and that the highest standards of conduct are observed.
• Champion organizational learning, continuous improvement, and a high-performance culture.

4. Partnerships, Representation, Advocacy and Influence 

• Build and sustain strategic partnerships, networks and coalitions that bring expertise, visibility and resources to UNOPS’ mandate.
• Represent UNOPS at the highest levels in inter-agency bodies, executive boards, governing bodies and major international forums.
• Engage with Member States, donors, international financial institutions, host governments and implementing partners to advance UNOPS’ strategic interests and expand  opportunities for collaboration.
• Serve as a spokesperson and thought leader on infrastructure and project management, elevating UNOPS’ profile globally.
• Strengthen collaboration across the UN system, ensuring UNOPS contributes to collective results and sector-wide standards

5. Knowledge Leadership, Innovation and Future Readiness Management

• Lead the development of UNOPS’ knowledge agenda for infrastructure and project management, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of global best practice and technological innovation.
• Drive the creation of research, evidence and strategic insights that inform policy development and strengthen organizational decision-making.
• Promote a culture of experimentation and learning that anticipates future needs and positions UNOPS to respond to global shifts

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 12 years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 10 years of relevant experience is required.

Desired

• Project management certification (e.g. PRINCE2, PMI, PEng, AIPM, MSP, CEng, etc) is desired.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in strategic and managerial leadership of project management in large international organizations or corporations.

• Demonstrated executive leadership and accountability for successfully designing, influencing and delivering multi-million dollar, multi-year portfolios of infrastructure and/or technical projects in complex, cross-regional or global settings.

• Proven senior-level experience overseeing large-scale operations and strategic technical delivery in fragile, conflict-affected, or high-risk development/humanitarian environments.

• Demonstrated senior-level capacity to exercise thought leadership and influence the strategic design, development and execution of major multi-million dollar programmes and projects by establishing, advocating for, and securing adoption of global technical standards and policy frameworks across inter-agency or sector-wide platforms.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.