Programme Management Office (PRMO) - Senior Officer

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Dakar, Senegal, the West Africa Multi-Country Office (WAMCO) delivers high-quality project management, infrastructure, and procurement services across 16 countries in West Africa and the Sahel, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Togo. Aligned with UNOPS’ mission, WAMCO supports partners in peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, and sustainable development. WAMCO’s portfolio spans key sectors such as health, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture, water and sanitation, environment, infrastructure, justice, and peace and security. Notable projects include the construction of pre-preschools for early childhood development in Senegal (in partnership with KOICA and UNICEF), capacity-building for national agencies on disaster risk reduction and resource management, and the development of rural mini-grid electrification systems in Sierra Leone. Through these initiatives, WAMCO contributes to inclusive growth and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the region.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.  

Background Information - Job-specific

About the Region

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

About the Country/Multi-Country Office

Based in Dakar, Senegal, the West Africa Multi-Country Office (WAMCO) delivers high-quality project management, infrastructure, and procurement services across 16 countries in West Africa and the Sahel, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia,Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria,Sierra Leone and Togo. Aligned with UNOPS’ mission, WAMCO supports partners in peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, and sustainable development. WAMCO’s portfolio spans key sectors such as health, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture, water and sanitation, environment, infrastructure, justice, and peace and security. Notable projects include the construction of pre-preschools for early childhood development in Senegal (in partnership with KOICA and UNICEF), capacity-building for national agencies on disaster risk reduction and resource management, and the development of rural mini-grid electrification systems in Sierra Leone. Through these initiatives, WAMCO contributes to inclusive growth and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the region.

The functions and services of the Programme Management Office include : 

Contribution to Strategic Planning/Portfolio : Ensuring UNOPS is focused on doing the right projects by supporting management decision-making. 

Contribution to Delivery: Ensuring UNOPS is doing projects the right way, through the effective delivery of the programme and projects. 

Contribution to Best Practices: Applying UNOPS standards in project management, encouraging consistent working practices and ensuring appropriate application.

The role of the PMO - Senior Officer is to support the Head of PMO, the Head of Programme and the Senior Management to exercise Governance over the MCO Portfolio.  S/he provides Oversight, Advisory and decision-enabling functions to assigned portfolios in the Multi-Country Office.  The PMO - Senior Officer supports the facilitation of the successful and consistent delivery of projects in their assigned portfolios while facilitating a balanced MCO-wide Outlook of the portfolio.

S/he guides the projects and Project Managers in applying best practice in order to capitalize on the model of excellence of UNOPS.  The successful candidate provides continuous guidance and limited support to Project Teams, while ensuring that the entire portfolio team is knowledgeable and works collectively towards the organization’s strategic goals and commitments to our partners.

1. Development & Planning

Provide support to project management teams in facilitating the implementation of appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures

Assist in coordinating the development, consolidation and tracking progress of other Units’ plans

Support PMs and PMSOs with the establishment, monitoring and delivery of business and programme level strategies, plans, targets, indicators and work plans, verifying budgets against forecasts, ensure this is done properly

Ensure projects in the development of Gender Action Plan; and monitor that the plans are followed through

Develop and establish resource tracking systems for use within the PMO, complementary to UNOPS' online tools, to ensure effective planning, forecasting and tracking of delivery across the Country Office.

Ensure the project team to identify and anticipate potential risks and issues in a timely manner, and escalate to the HoP and management team as necessary

Work closely and support the project team in project setup, implementation and closure activities

Establish standards and monitor the use of configuration management systems in the Country Office

Monitor and ensure that projects have project implementation plan, HR plan, procurement plan, quality management plans, stakeholder engagement plan, and the plans are properly followed through.

2. Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

Ensure regular project and corporate reports are issued in accordance with client, donor and corporate guidelines and standards

Facilitate implementation of corporate standards, initiatives and requirements across the Country Office in coordination with the WAMCO PMO team lead

Regularly review project status and monitor progress through output tracking tables, assist and advise PMs for any irregularities observed

Assess projects’ health against key performance indicators (scope, cost, schedule, quality and risk); and escalate issues in a timely manner

Monitor project documentations are complete and up to date including plans and progress reports are maintained as required by UNOPS standard procedures

Ensure timely UNOPS internal reporting requirements

Coordinate the effective preparation and organization of office, portfolio and project level quarterly assurance,

Assist in the coordination of organizational risks and issues management at the business unit level and advise Country Office management on mitigating and remedial actions. Provide risk and issue management support to programs and project teams

Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery and project closure data, supporting the PMO team lead in the development of quarterly and periodic analysis, as well as tracking of business unit, operational, and project level 

issues, risks and lessons learned within the dashboard and other UNOPS systems, as required

Ensure that all projects have a result framework and dashboard for monitoring outputs and activities

Within the context of monitoring and evaluation, ensure all projects submit and regularly update specific milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life-cycles, and track progress

Monitor the Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) country focal has prepared HSSE plans and reported periodically

Monitor and review project’s monthly progress reports; and identify cross-cutting issues that require action and follow up.

3. Stakeholder Engagement

Ensure that all projects has a dedicated stakeholder management and communication plan

Assist the PM in the stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies 

Enable the formulation of programme and project communications plans

Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects

Coordinate internal programme/project communications

Monitor the effectiveness of programme/project communications.

4. Quality Assurance

Work with internal audit and finance to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements

Support the operations units and personnel to ensure alignment with programme and project needs/requirements

Contribute towards full compliance with UNOPS standards for corporate/ programme/ project management

Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents, plans and reports. Provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.) as and where required

Assist the Project Manager, Project Coordinator and PMO team lead in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation

Assist knowledge management efforts through documentation of best practices, regularly organizing and facilitating lessons learnt and closure workshops

Implement capacity building activities for the project team on identified gaps.

5. Knowledge and innovation Management

Support the Country Office and WAMCO Programme Leadership Team in improving local hub working practices particularly in the areas of:

Planning & Schedule Management

Performance Monitoring through enhanced Project Control Metric Regime and Performance Management Interventions to facilitate enhanced project and programme levels of service

Contract & Risk Assurance.

Ensure routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of national staff

Participate in, and advocate PMs' participation in, relevant Communities of Practice

Actively interact with PMs and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices in the Knowledge System

Provides feedback to Practice Leads on policy and supporting guidance working to achieve continuous improvement of UNOPS policies 

Contributes to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.

The Project Management Office (PMO) - Senior Officer directly impacts on achievement of project results by assisting the Head of Programme to implement effective project management methods and strategies, reduce risks, cut costs and improve success rates. 

 This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of the UNOPS as an effective service provider in project services and management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services. 

Required

Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Project Management with 4 years of relevant experience OR 

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Project Management with 2 years of relevant experience is required.

Desired

PRINCE2 Practitioner certification is highly desirable.

Required

Relevant experience is work in project management.

Desired

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

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired

• Experience with data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems is a strong advantage

• Experience working in developing countries (especially Africa) is a strong advantage Experience working in an international environment is highly desired 

• Experience dealing with government officials is an advantage 

• Experience working on infrastructure project is an advantage 

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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.