Project Management Support - Senior Officer

Since opening in 2019, the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) in Vienna has served as a hub for operations across 12 countries in South-East Europe, Türkiye, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. AUMCO delivers technical expertise, operational support, and sustainable infrastructure solutions for governments, donors, and international financial institutions. Flagship initiatives include Blueing the Black Sea—a GEF and World Bank partnership to reduce pollution and promote sustainable development—and Türkiye’s post-earthquake recovery programme, enhancing protective services for women and children. In Albania, projects revitalise cultural heritage and advance digital justice, while in Kosovo, new university infrastructure supports higher education. In Georgia, AUMCO facilitates the Eastern Partnership European School and strengthens rule of law and digital health access. Across Central Asia, activities range from health system strengthening in Uzbekistan to hazardous waste management in Tajikistan. AUMCO also supports UNOPS’ global Water, Environment, and Climate portfolio, reinforcing its role as a regional and thematic centre of excellence.

Established in 2020, the UNOPS Office in Albania supports national efforts to improve economic and social conditions in the wake of the November 2019 earthquake. Through its flagship initiatives, UNOPS is contributing to the rehabilitation of cultural heritage sites and the digital transformation of the justice sector. By combining project management, infrastructure development, and technical expertise, UNOPS aims to strengthen Albania’s resilience, enhance public services, and promote sustainable development. The Albania office also plays a role in fostering connectivity and advancing healthcare standards across the country.

The Project “Support to the Rule of Law through digital transformation: Advancing  Case Management and Business Intelligence capabilities in Albania ” is designed to contribute to the enhancement of the Rule of Law system by increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the judiciary institutions in Albania and bringing  the system for promotion and protection of human rights in line with the best EU practices. The project will take four years for implementation. The Project Support Senior Officer  will be supervised by the Project Manager and work in the core team of the project consisting of the international Project Manager, an international Change Mgt and Communication Specialist, and three local ICT specialists. 

The Project Support Senior Officer will support the Project Manager in the development, delivery, and performance of the project, ensuring the effective implementation of project plans, monitoring progress, and maintaining quality assurance. The incumbent will also contribute to knowledge management and innovation within the project.

1. Project Development, Delivery and Performance 

• Develop, complete and update implementation plans.

• Implement the approved plan (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the SPAK Working group  

• Manage the development/delivery of the required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary.

• Manage testing and acceptance of  delivered system functionalities 

• Monitor project progress ensuring that work packages are being executed properly

• Control project and work package changes.

• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to senior management/and SPAK working group Project Board

• Undertake project closure activities in close cooperation with relevant internal and external stakeholders.

2. Procedures 

• Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Project Board.

• Manage the reporting obligations defined in the SPAK Chief prosecutor implementation order, in the Implementation Plan.

• Ensure proper documentation of all processes and functionalities including user manuals for all categories of end users 

3. Monitoring and reporting

• Prepare and issue regular project reports 

• in accordance with reporting standards.

• Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, schedule and quality).

• Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system.

4. Quality assurance

• Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables.

• Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.).

5. Knowledge management and innovation

• Encourage routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of staff.

• Research and logging of lessons learned throughout the project life span.

• Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies.

Required

• Advanced University Degree (Master's degree or equivalent) preferably in Project Management, Finance, Economics, Human Resources, Business Administration, Supply Chain management, International Relations, Social Sciences and/or any other relevant field of study  in combination with two (2) years' relevant experience is required;
• First-level University degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) combined with two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree.

Required

• A  minimum of 2 years of relevant working experience in combination with a Masters Degree and 4 years of experience in combination with a Bachelor's Degree. Relevant experience is defined as progressive experience in programme/project development or management related to the international development sector in either public or private sector organizations;
• Experience in implementing and delivering projects for international organisations.

Desired

• Experience with coordinating multiple stakeholders, ideally in an international setting is an advantage

• 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.