Project Analyst

Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
Location:
Grade: Junior level - P-2, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Public Policy and Administration
Closing Date: Closed

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Within these three core areas of expertise, UNOPS provides its partners with advisory, implementation and transactional services, with projects ranging from building schools and hospitals, to procuring goods and services and training local personnel. UNOPS works closely with governments and communities to ensure increased economic, social and environmental sustainability for the projects we support, with a focus on developing national capacity.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts, always satisfying or surpassing partner expectations.

We employ more than 6,000 personnel and on behalf of our partners create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of offices, we oversee activities in more than 80 countries.

Background Information - Job-specific

As a member of the Sustainable Project Management Practice Group (SPMPG); our aim is to develop Projects and programmes which comply with strict criteria concerning environmental, social scope and planned results before initiation. We want to do this by ensuring our teams are embedded in cross-cutting initiatives which gain strong community support in the project planning and implementation phases.

The successful candidate will be responsible for a number of items on the SPMPG workplan and may be assigned to one of the 6 workstreams, which include: Portfolio, Training/People & Operations, Implementation Support, Partnerships Support, Standards/Knowledge Management & Tools, Risk Management or GRI Reporting on Sustainability; and be required to successfully deliver based on workplan deadline date. As well, the incumbent will be required to complete PRINCE2® Foundation if not already obtained within the first 3 months of start date.

Functional Responsibilities

Project Management Support and Planning:
• Ownership of various tasks, work packages and projects as outlined and assigned in the annual work plan for the sustainable project management practice
• Responsible for meeting and setting goals, targets and performance standards; reporting on own progress against work plan.
• Provide practical advice and guidance to Project/Team Managers on UNOPS Project Management (PM) templates and tools;
• Attend the Project Management Foundation Course, implementing all lessons learned and PRINCE2® methodologies
• Provide analysis and substantive reporting on various projects within the practice
• Advise project personnel on corporate policy, guidelines, and UNOPS best practices related to Sustainable Project Management;
• Ensure compliance with all policies, guidelines and instructions set out by the practice and organization
• Liaise with UNOPS practices, Operations Centres (OCs) and Project Centres (PCs) on defining needs and support in terms of project management and provide suggestions/solutions for improvements; willingness to travel on mission to various UNOPS based location(s) on an as needs basis and as required
• Substantive monitoring and evaluation of UNOPS projects, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions;
• Participation in project risk assessment committees
• Respond to inquiries from the stakeholders regarding UNOPS best practices;
• Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice (COP);
• Day to day tasks as assigned.

Reporting & Tools:
• Identify areas for improvement and provide maintenance of the SPMPG workspace on the intranet; continuously update SPMPG workspace with the most current information; support the on-going maintenance of the SPMPG workspace;
• Willingness and ability to learn all project management tools; providing guidance and assistance as required
• Develop SPMPG workspace with new case studies, client profiles, UNOPS best practices, and share with the organization;
• Interaction with internal clients and regional offices to integrate and harmonize approaches;
• Drafting of articles, presentations, e-mails and other communication on PM practices and tools to share with the organization through available channels;
• Support improvements to existing and new project management tools with focus on usability for project managers and field offices;
• Provide input in implementation and metrics of PRINCE2® and UNOPS PM methodology;
• Provide institutional knowledge of client projects and status for Operation Centre Directors and Regional Directors.

Knowledge Management & Training Support: • Maintenance, update and support of PM Body of Knowledge
• Review and update of knowledge articles as required as well as creation of knowledge articles
• Support all training initiatives within the practice as required

Competencies

• Strong Time Management Ability
• Exceptional Communication Skills, both verbal and written
• Goals oriented and driven
• Creativity and Innovation
• Excellent analytical ability
• Organizational Ability and Quality Orientation
• Teamwork Skills;
• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
• Commitment to Diversity

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:
Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in any relevant area is required. However a combination of Bachelors degree with two additional years of work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Certification in Prince 2 foundation is an huge asset

Experience: Minimum 1 year experience within Project Management is required.
Minimum 1 year experience in Reporting is required.
Intermediate proficiency with MS Powerpoint and creating presentations is required.
Experience with MS Excel, MS Sharepoint and MS Excel will be considered an asset
Language:
Fluency and proficiency in English is required. Proficiency in French or Spanish is an asset

Additional Considerations

For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the job.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

Based on organizational needs at the time of recruitment, applicants accepted into this UNOPS roster pool may be considered for job at the advertised job level or its equivalent. The successful candidate(s) may be offered a contract governed by the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules or UNOPS individual contractor agreement.

This vacancy is now closed.
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