Contract Management Specialist

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNOPS operates across 23 countries, delivering high-impact solutions that drive sustainable development. UNOPS focuses on building and improving resilient infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public facilities, sanitation systems, and housing—to enhance quality of life and foster inclusive growth. UNOPS also supports public health by procuring essential medicines and medical equipment, ensuring broader access to healthcare services. By strengthening institutional capacities, UNOPS promotes transparent, efficient, and equitable public management. As a trusted partner to governments and development stakeholders, UNOPS aligns its interventions with national priorities, helping countries advance the Sustainable Development Goals through practical, results-driven support.

The Barbados Country Office (CO) functions as a strategic hub to support Caribbean nations in implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), helping regional leaders advance a global agenda on climate justice and financing.  The primary mandate of the Barbados Country Office is to Speed Up and Scale Up engagements across 17 Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), ensuring that partner expectations are met with agility and precision. Through dedicated operational presence, UNOPS Barbados Country Office streamlines complex regional logistics and fosters stronger collaboration with sovereign governments and financial institutions in the Caribbean. The office focuses on delivering high-value solutions aligned with the region’s priorities, including the economy, nature and climate, human capital, infrastructure and capacity development.

The Caribbean Resilient Infrastructure Implementation and Skills Exchange (RIISE) Facility is established as a regional mechanism designed to support governments in implementing climate-resilient infrastructure. The Facility provides demand-driven technical assistance, strengthens institutional capacity, and facilitates knowledge and skills exchange across countries in the region. 

The Facility is envisioned as a five-year initiative, initially serving countries in the Eastern Caribbean eligible for Official Development Assistance, namely Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Through a growing number of short‑ and medium‑term technical assistance assignments and surge deployments, the Facility is expected to strengthen the capacity of ministries, project implementation units, and utilities responsible for delivering climate‑resilient infrastructure in these countries. 

The Facility will be implemented through a United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Hosted Entity Partnership, which will provide the institutional platform required for the Facility’s establishment and early operations.

The functions/responsibilities/key results of this job description are generic and may not always be applicable, nor be comprehensive, for all assignments and/or missions under this job title. The specific tasks and deliverables for each retainer assignment may vary and will be detailed in the terms of reference developed for each assignment by the RIISE Secretariat.

The RIISE Facility delivers demand-driven technical assistance primarily through two service modalities: the Rapid Helpdesk, which provides short-term remote advisory support for urgent queries, and Surge Deployments, which involve medium-term engagements designed to support the effective resolution of complex project implementation needs. While RIISE operates on a "remote-first" delivery approach—utilizing digital collaboration tools by default to optimize responsiveness and cost-efficiency—the Consultant must possess the availability and willingness to travel for on-site deployments across participating Caribbean countries. In-country field presence remains a fundamental requirement for complex assignments where direct hands-on engagement, collaborative work with government counterparts, and on-site technical assessments are critical for effective delivery.

While the contract modality for this Vacancy Announcement is an ICA retainer contract on a project or assignment basis, UNOPS may offer, on a need basis, full-time employment for a specified consecutive period of time (up to one year maximum, with possible extensions), with the possibility to move between the two contract modalities subject to operational needs and the incumbent’s acceptance of the proposed assignments

The specific tasks for each assignment may vary from one assignment to another assignment. Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the RIISE Secretariat and designated Supervisor, the Specialist will be called upon for specific projects to fulfill one or more of the following key tasks:

1. Specialized Contract Management and Advisory

• Interpret, analyze, and provide strategic advice on all matters related to contract management.
• Oversee and supervise specific contractual interpretations, ensuring an in-depth understanding of mechanisms and deadlines to provide timely responses.
• Analyze and issue opinions on the applicability of contractual clauses based on the specific case.
• Evaluate and propose modifications to contractual terms, coordinating with the project team when necessary.

2. Impact, Cost, and Time Analysis

• Perform cost estimations and evaluate financial impacts resulting from the application of specific contractual clauses.
• Conduct technical analyses and calculate time and cost impacts related to contractual aspects.

3. Technical Supervision and Coordination

• If applicable, conduct technical site visits to inspect specific aspects of contract management and verify compliance with technical specifications based on applicable regulations.
• Attend follow-up and discussion meetings regarding contract management.
• Coordinate directly with the project teams upon identifying any relevant legal issues.

4. Dispute and Claims Management

• Manage, evaluate, and respond to claims submitted by contractors, assessing their validity based on contractual terms, technical specifications, and project records.
• Prepare supporting documentation and defense strategies for dispute resolution processes.
• Participate in negotiations, mediation, or arbitration to resolve disputes effectively, minimizing negative impacts on the project's budget and schedule.

5. Reports and Reporting

• Generate and submit detailed reports or technical criteria on the managed contractual interpretations.

6. RIISE Assignment Deliverables

a. Primary Assignment Reports (Modality-Specific)

• RIISE Helpdesk Report: For short-term Rapid Helpdesk assignments, the incumbent must deliver the response and advisory inputs using the standardized RIISE Helpdesk Report Template.
• Assignment Closure Report / Final Technical Report: For Surge Deployments and other medium-term assignments, a comprehensive report must be submitted by the incumbent within 10 working days of the assignment’s end.

b. Mandatory Components of the Final Technical Report

Regardless of the assignment, final technical outputs must adhere to RIISE’s Deliverable Standards and include, as applicable, the following components:

• Knowledge Transfer Summary: A mandatory section documenting the specific skills, methodologies, tools or capabilities shared with and transferred to government counterpart staff during the assignment.
• Safeguards and Risk Summary: A concise summary of relevant safeguards and risk issues identified, measures recommended or implemented, residual risks and any required follow-up actions.
• Actionable Recommendations & Limitations: Clear recommendations accompanied by prioritized action items, responsible parties where applicable, and an explicit section noting the limitations and assumptions taken into account during the assignment.

c. Administrative Closure Deliverables

• Intellectual Property (IP) Handover Confirmation: A mandatory administrative document that the expert must secure before the assignment can be financially closed. It must be signed by the government counterpart, confirming that all relevant technical outputs (reports, drawings, specifications, data) have been successfully transferred to the requesting government.

7. Travel 

• Official travels may be required during the assignment;
• The BSAFE course must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
• The Contract Management Specialist is responsible for ensuring they have all required vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by local authorities. 
• The Contract Management Specialist is required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under: https://dss.un.org/dssweb/

This recruitment aims to fill a retainer position. Depending on actual needs, the hiring unit may decide to recruit endorsed qualified professionals for contracts with different working conditions (short/long term, part/full-time, retainer, regular or ongoing positions).

Required

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Law, Business Administration, Contract Management or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required;  OR 
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above related fields with 7 years of relevant experience. 

Desired

• Training or certification training in FIDIC conditions of contract (e.g., Red, Yellow, or Silver Books).
• Training or certification training or certification in Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms (e.g., Dispute Adjudication/Avoidance Boards, mediation).

Required

• Relevant work experience is defined as experience in contract management and/or administrative procurement. 
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in managing public works contracts with international funding sources is required.

Desired

• Professional experience in construction law, claims administration, and dispute resolution for large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Proven knowledge of international procurement standards and multilateral development bank regulations (e.g., IDB, CDB, World Bank, EIB).
• Proven experience in the practical application of FIDIC Contracts in complex infrastructure projects. 
• Prior experience in Caribbean countries (particularly OECS Member States). 

• 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.