Project Manager

In Uzbekistan, low-carbon rural housing presents an opportunity to address climate change threats to rural populations.  Projected climate threats include increased air temperature, changing rainfall patterns (and increased drought frequency), and increase of extreme events, such as heat waves. Well-constructed rural housing that provides comfortable indoor climate for residents and affordable heating and cooling options directly reduces exposure to these climate threats. Housing improvements in resource efficiency could reduce energy and water use, easing the acute stress on diminishing water resources and reducing utility expenditures for households--thus reducing the vulnerability to climate change. While housing units can be constructed as low-carbon buildings that utilize energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, the construction of entire housing developments also presents an opportunity to address local infrastructure and planning issues.

The UNDP/GEF and Government of Uzbekistan project on “Market Transformation for Sustainable Rural Housing in Uzbekistan” will comprehensively address these barriers via a combination of policy and financial de-risking instruments and targeted financial incentives to key market players, such as homeowners. The project seeks to transform the rapidly growing rural housing sector in Uzbekistan towards a more sustainable and low-carbon development pathway by designing, piloting and scaling-up a green mortgage market mechanism aimed at boosting demand for low-carbon housing among the Uzbek rural population.

The UNDP project objective is to provide Uzbekistan’s rural population with improved, affordable and environmentally friendly living conditions, and the project is structured into four components:

1. Component 1: Green mortgage market mechanism to scale-up demand for low-carbon housing;
2. Component 2: Efficient designs and domestic supply chains for low-carbon housing and settlements;
3. Component 3: Policy and regulatory reform to enable the scale-up of low-carbon housing and settlements;
4. Component 4: Marketing and promotion of low-carbon rural housing and settlements.

Under the direct supervision of the Sustainable Development Cluster Leader, the Project Manager is fully responsible for operational management of the project according to the project document, UNDP corporate rules and procedures and for fulfilling the following functions.

• Responsible for day-to-day management, administration and decision-making for the project;
• Oversee planning process for the project and ensure its implementation in accordance with the signed project document;
• Responsible for ensuring that the project produces the results specified in the project document, to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost;
• Manage the realization of project components and outputs through activities;
• Ensure that project contributes to the promotion of gender equality by reaching, involving and benefiting both women and men in its activities (gender mainstreaming);
• Provide direction and guidance to project team(s)/responsible party (ies);
• Identify partnership strategies with regard to providers of specialised expertise and possible co-financiers, and assists in resource mobilisation for project components;
• Identify and obtains any support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the project;
• Liaise with any suppliers;
• Prepare timely reports of project progress in line with UNDP and donor requirements;
• Perform other duties related to the scope of work of the PM as required.

Running a project

• Plan the activities of the project and monitor progress against the initial quality criteria;
• Mobilize goods and services to initiative activities, including drafting TORs and work specifications;
• Manage requests for the provision of financial resources by UNDP, using advance of funds, direct payments, or reimbursement;
• Manage and monitor the project risks, submit new risks to the Project Board for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; update the status of these risks by maintaining the Project Risks Log;
• Be responsible for managing issues and requests for change by maintaining an Issues Log;
• Prepare the quarterly and annual financial and progress reports and submit the reports to the Project Board and UNDP, including through ATLAS system;
• Prepare the Annual Review Report (UNDP format) and Project Implementation Report (GEF format) and submit reports to the Project Assurance team and GEF; based on the ARR, prepare the Annual Work Plan (AWP) and Annual Plan of Activities and Procurement Plan for the project years;
• Monitor the implementation of project components, analyses problems that hamper their implementation and takes appropriate measures to ensure timely delivery of required inputs and achievement of project-wide results;
• Monitor financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports, including proper utilization of funds and delivery, budget revisions, availability of funds, reconciliation of accounts, establishment of internal control mechanisms. Act as a focal point to liaise with auditors and ensures follow-up actions. Ensures the accuracy and reliability of financial information and reporting;
• Sign annual CDRs with UNDP and the Implementing Partner national agency;
• Monitor and facilitate advocacy and mass media outreach activities, writing of success stories, newspapers coverage, PR campaigns;
• Organize workshops, seminars and round tables to introduce project outputs to all stakeholders involved. Render support to related UNDP thematic activities such as publications, sharing of knowledge and group discussions;
• Liaise with other UNDP and UNDP-GEF funded projects to implement possible synergies and reports to UNDP Programme Officer and NPC on conducted activities;
• Undertake resource mobilization activities to be built on the project achievement that contribute to project scaling-up and replication

Closing a Project

• In cooperation with the UNDP CO and national project experts, develop a suitable project exit strategy during the last year of the project, and present it for approval to the UNDP Regional Center in Istanbul;
• Ensure proper operational, financial and programmatic closure of the project;
• Prepare Final Project Review Reports to be submitted to the Project Board and the Outcome Board;
• Identify follow-up actions and submit them for consideration to the Project Board;
• Manage the transfer of project deliverables, documents, files, equipment and materials to national beneficiaries;
• Prepare final CDR for signature by UNDP and the Implementing Partner.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Self-development, initiative-taking;
• Acting as a team leader and facilitating team work;
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Creating synergies through self-control;
• Managing conflict;
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others;
• Informed and transparent decision making

Functional Competencies:

Communications and Networking

• Has excellent oral communication skills and conflict resolution competency to manage inter-group dynamics and mediate conflicting interests of varied actors;
• Has excellent written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize project outputs and relevant findings for the preparation of quality project reports;
• Maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high ranking members of national and international institutions, government and non-government.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the team through leadership and personal example;
• Actively mentoring project staff under her/his supervision;
• Leadership and Self-Management;
• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Competent in leading team and creating team spirit, stimulating team members to produce quality outputs in a timely and transparent fashion.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to participate in strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to participate in formulation of strategies and their implementation;
• Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Understands the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Leadership and Self-Management

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills.

Education:

• Master’s degree or higher in one of the following areas: civil engineering, construction engineering, or energy engineering, business administration, finance, economics or public policy;
• Master's degree might be substituted with Bachelor's degree in above fields with 2 additional years of relevant work experience.

Experience:

• Proven track of at least 3 years of progressive working experience in relevant fields (5 years, if Bachelor’s degree). Practical experience in project management, civil engineering, banking, financial management, and public and business administration. Working experience in international organizations, especially within UN system, is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent command of spoken and written English, Uzbek and Russian are essential and required.

Others:

• Sound experience in the project management associated with climate change mitigation, environment protection and sustainable development and corresponding UN conventions and treaties;
• Knowledge of and experience in gender mainstreaming is an asset;
• Proven experience in working and collaborating with governments;
• Initiative and strong leadership skills;
• Result and client-orientations;
• Strong analytical, communication, writing, presentation and communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, ability to work in a team and to work under pressure and with tight deadlines, ethics and honesty;
• Ability to use information and communication technology as a tool and resource;
• Willingness to travel as appropriate.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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