Project Associate

Enhancing Diagnostic Response capacities in Hospitals and Demining Capacities in Ukraine

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, in 2014, the health situation has been deteriorating and the United Nations agencies have pointed to the destruction of health facilities, lack of water and power supplies.(1) More than 1.35 million people were internally displaced (IDPs), which contributed to the escalation of the humanitarian crisis, due to shortages of food, health services, shelter and medicines. The UN prioritised the enhancement of access to quality preventive and curative health services, including medication and health technology.

Since the beginning of the conflict in East Ukraine, 21,880 people were wounded and 9,470 killed, up to 2,000 of the fatalities were civilians. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, since mid-2014 around 250 people were killed and 470 injured by anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, cluster munitions and improvised explosive devices. Assistant Secretary General, Ivan Šimonović reported that OHCHR recorded 69 civilian deaths or injuries in June 2016.

In addition, mines and other explosive remnants of war are slowing the recovery of areas, which are beyond the frontline, blocking access to fields for farmers, preventing the return of displaced families and obstructing the repair of damaged infrastructure.

Furthermore, The ASG also noted that mines and unexploded ordnance remain a major threat to civilians and strongly advocated for coordinated demining activities by all parties to the conflict (2).

In order to support the capacity of Ukraine health and demining services to conduct their professional protection activities, the Embassy of Japan (EoJ) decided to procure and deliver, through UNOPS, medical and demining equipment. The project should also be viewed as a significant assistance and contribution toward capacity building of Ukraine Health services of Ministry of Defence and demining services of State Emergency Service.

The project will contribute to stabilisation efforts in Ukraine, by improving the over-burdened Ukraine health services provided by the MoD and enhancing the demining capacities of the State Emergency Services (SES) to ensure safety of those living and working in the conflict zone.

The project will directly benefit:

- 250,000 patients in the hospitals selected by the Government of Ukraine including civilians, military personnel, veterans of the Armed Forces

- 3,300 medical personnel in hospitals (1,300 doctors and 2,000 support staff)

- More than three million inhabitants living in the conflict zone; more than 500 members of SES demining teams

Enhancing Ukraine's Border Security

Protecting refugees in the border region and ensuring their safety in the Ukraine territory is largely the responsibility of the Ukraine Border Guard Service (UBGS). Therefore, it is an obligation of the UBGS and customs officers to also ensure border security and prevent the movement of illegal infiltrators, drugs, weapons and/or extremists. 

In order to improve the working conditions and support the capacity of the UBGS and customs officers to safely undertake their activities, the Project will procure and deliver, through UNOPS, necessary equipment and the first aid kits.

In addition to the capacity building, the Project should provide valuable assistance to the UBGS in fight against the organised crime, terrorism, illegal migration and human trafficking, but also provide the assistance to Ukrainian authorities in implementing their strategies and establishing an effective and efficient law enforcement system.

The project will directly benefit the UBGS and custom officers along with all their potential clients. The population of Ukraine in general and Ukrainian authorities and institutions will be the indirect beneficiaries.

The Project Associate works closely with and under supervision and guidance of the Project Manager to ensure the “Enhancing Diagnostic Response capacities in Hospitals and Demining Capacities” and “Enhancing Ukraine's Border Security” in Ukraine Projects are successfully implemented. The Project Associate is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Projects and provides services to the donors, partners, suppliers and beneficiaries. He/she is expected to contribute strongly to the Projects’ performance and delivery goals.

In particular, Project Associate needs to have a thorough understanding of the Project Document and Legal Agreement, Financial & Procurement management, terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the Projects products are capable of meeting the business cases.

He / She must be able to apply, with directions, the below duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria:

Stakeholder Management:

• Support and build strong working relationship with the donors, line ministries of the Government of the Ukraine, beneficiaries and other key stakeholders
• Support the coordination and management of communication and ensure stakeholders are aware of Project activities.
• Ensure good governance concept, principles and practices are incorporated into the activities where applicable, in accordance to the Project objectives and methodology

Performance and Implementation:

• Preparation and maintenance of project files, including internal and external project reports.
• Maintain the responsibility for the information flows, change controls, update the risk registers and issue management by establishing document control procedures
• Coordinate and liaise with the Project Manager on the implementation progress. 
• Advise the Project Manager of any deviations from the plan and update plans.
• Work with Project Manager to identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to client and stakeholders is achieved.
• Ensure the provision of the required products, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary
• Monitor performance of suppliers
• Review product quality and ensure products are accepted
• Organization, direction and supervision of all administrative, financial and logistical activities of the projects under her/his responsibilities
• Initiation of procurement of goods and services; requesting quotations, examining cost estimate, evaluating cost effectiveness of pricing.  Active follow-up from procurement to delivery.
• Process direct payments when required.
• Coordinate vendor communications, meetings, and reports as necessary
• Maintain all supporting project financial documents for audit and review processes

Procedures:

• Ensure that all procedures are in compliance with Organisational Directives and Administrative Instructions
• Ensure that all expenditure complies with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR).
• Ensure accurate data entry into UNOPS ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
• Contribute to high national and international visibility of UNOPS, donors and other stakeholders involved in the Project
• Where no delegation as a committing officer exists, he/she retains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to carry out the relevant commitments and disbursements.

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in the relevant UNOPS’ Communities of Practice
• Provide feedback to Practice Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
• Complete lessons learned as per reporting format
• Incorporate lessons learned from others as per planning format

Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.

• High school diploma is required
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Logistics, Management, Procurement or similar field will be considered as an asset

Work Experience

• Seven years of progressive experience in the field of project management support and/or support in operations management/procurement is required in combination with a high school diploma. BA or MA degree may substitute for some years of experience.
• Experience and demonstrated knowledge of UN rules and procedures in Procurement, Finance and administrative rules and regulations will be an advantage
• Direct experience in similar projects in Ukraine is not required but desirable
  

• Prince 2 Foundation is an asset
• CIPS certificate level 2 or 3 is desirable

Language Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required
• Fluency in Ukrainian and Russian is required

Driving license 

• Driving license with clean driving record will be considered as an asset

• Demonstrates commitment to UNOPS' mission, vision and values, including cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Excellent analytical, organizational and inter-personal skills
• Strong administrative and organizational skills
• Public speaking clear and focused, with ability to effectively communicate complex ideas to a non-specialist audience
• Formulates written information clearly and persuasively
• Accountability for management of time, establishing clear performance goals, standards, and responsibilities
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Initiates and sustains relationships with key constituents 
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UNOPS
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Willing to share knowledge and experience, while actively working towards continuing personal learning
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
• Strong IT skills

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our 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.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.