Project Manager - Explosive Risk Awareness

Peace and Security Cluster

The UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Head of Cluster is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Head of Cluster who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Cluster on behalf of its clients.

Background: UNMAS Syria Response In July 2018, UNMAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Syria that provides the legal basis for an UNMAS presence within Damascus to conduct humanitarian mine action operations in line with humanitarian principles.

UNMAS provides leadership of the mine action sector, working to reach affected civilian populations through the expansion and provision of mine action services inside Syria, strengthening participatory approaches to programming, and mainstreaming risk education into wider humanitarian activities. Given the limited access that international mine action actors have inside Syria and the reliance on national actors to identify issues and deliver mine action responses, coordination and capacity building of Syrian NGOs and civil society on protection has been identified as one of the priorities.
Background: Explosive Hazards Risk Awareness
Expected outcome: A civilian humanitarian capacity is in place to implement explosive hazards risk awareness activities

Activities: Community Based Risk Awareness

Community based risk awareness seeks to reduce the risk of death and injury from explosive hazards by raising awareness and promoting safe behaviour at community level. In the proposed context, risk awareness can be conducted in the form of:

• Tailored risk awareness at community level;
• Definition of risk awareness methodology and development of risk awareness material and     training curriculums adapted to the Syria context and to the targeted audience
• Development of a national risk awareness capacity to conduct risk awareness activities
• Community liaison, via Syrian civilian focal points or volunteers;
• Public Information campaigns.

Reporting to the Head of Syria Office and working closely with the UNMAS Syria Response management team, the Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s), provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries and ensures compliance with agreed humanitarian prioritization of activities..  He/she is expected to meet and exceed the organizations performance and delivery goals.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The project manager is responsible to produce/read the project initiation documents (PID), Legal Agreement and have a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the project(s) products are capable of meeting the business cases for both UNOPS and the client. Success of the project(s) and hence Project Manager will be based on the Success Criteria of UNOPS engagements which are linked to the below responsibilities.  The project manager is responsible for all aspects of the project life cycle. S/he must be able to apply, with some degree of autonomy, the below duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria:

Stakeholder Management:

• Ensure accurate, complete, representative and timely substantive reporting on the project, its activities, and key milestones to all stakeholders in collaboration with the Programme unit. Manage communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products
• Advise the Head of Syria Office on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance)
• Manage the information flows between the management hierarchy and the project(s)

Ensure the project is accurately and appropriately represented to external audiences, under the strategic guidance of the Head of Syria Office. This includes via various consolidated and participatory processes (annual and multi-annual budget planning, HRP and within the UN coordination infrastructure), as well as with UN agencies, funds and programmes, government counterparts, donors, and other key stakeholders. Delivery and Performance:

• With the support of the Head of Syria Office and senior management team, work with key government, UN and member state stakeholders to define project implementation modalities, outcomes, outputs and activities.
• Ensure all project activities are conducted in compliance with humanitarian principles and a humanitarian prioritization process for implementation of activities is agreed by key stakeholders, including Governmental, UN agencies, funds and programmes and donors in line with these key principles.
• Manage the delivery toward project outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources, as well as initiating corrective action where necessary;
• Develop and maintain project plans
• Implement approved project plans (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set at the programme level, and in line with the programme strategy
• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into project life cycle.
• Manage the production of the required products, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources , including, but not limited to, personnel and equipment, in line with approved budgets, and in pursuit of the delivery of project objectives; and initiating corrective action where necessary
• Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers
• Authorize Work Packages
• Advise the Head of Syria Office of any deviations from the plan, including through the identification and management of risks and issues, ensuring maximum benefit to clients and stakeholders;
• Manage and review product quality and ensure products are accepted;  with the technical guidance of Operations and Support Services
• Monitor and evaluate performance of service providers
• Identify and report potential business opportunities and threats for UNOPS to the Head of Syria Office, in the pursuit of transparency, excellence and results;

Procedures:

• Follow the Project Management Cycle Instructions and ensure that all organizational policy is complied with (Organizational Directives and Administrative Instructions)
• Prepare/adapt the following plans for approval by the Head of Syria Office:  I. Project Initiation Documentation; II. Stage/Exception Plans and relevant Product Descriptions
• Prepare the following reports:

                                i.  Highlight Reports

                               ii.  End Stage Reports

                              iii.  Operational Closure Checklist

                              iv.   End Project Report

                               v.   Handover Report

• Maintain the Electronic Blue File as per OD12.
• Ensure that all expenditure comply with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR).
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time.
• Understand and manage UNOPS overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project
• Understand the unique structures of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel
• Manage and remain accountable for expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports)
• Where the Project Manager has no delegation as a committing officer, s/he retains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to carry out the relevant commitments and disbursements.

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice
• Actively interact with other PMs and the PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the Knowledge System.
• 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 and incorporate lessons learned from others as per planning format, to improve future delivery and quality, and to strengthen the knowledge sharing mechanisms within UNMAS and UNOPS, as well as with clients and other key stakeholders.

Personnel Management: if applicable

• Lead and motivate the project management team and ensure they are fully appraised of the goals, orientation, outputs, and key time and resource constraints of the project, are included and consulted in the decision-making process as required, and are valued as key contributors in the delivery of the project objectives;
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established, set benchmarks for performance, and undertake systematic and regular review of personnel performance, including disciplinary measures if and when required
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted
• Guide, empower and develop staff for the project, with consideration for individual training and development needs within the overall delivery of the project;
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS personnel contract modalities (including ICA and Staff)
• Select, recruit and train team as required by project plans

Other tasks as defined by the Head of Syria Office.

 Core Values and Principles:

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles i.   Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management
  ii.   Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place
  iii.   Champion and communicate project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity  i.   Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the project plans
   ii.   Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff
   iii.    Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts

• Partnerships and Coordination Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the project’s place in the UN system  i.  Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant project actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations or other relevant partners)

• Accountability for results  and the use of resources  i.  The project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a project or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the PM to raise the issue with a supervisor

• Excellence  i.  Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

Education:

• Advanced University Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline, with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience; or
• University Degree (bachelor’s degree / first level) in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline with a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience; or
• Military Experience (or relevant Police Experience) at the Staff Officer level combined with 11 years of relevant experience.

Work Experience:

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in project management related field;
• A minimum of 1 year of experience in humanitarian mine action is required;
• Experience in delivering Risk Awareness Projects is desired;
• Computer literacy is required;
• Experience with the UN is desired
• PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification is Preferred
• PRINCE2 Foundation Certification is Preferred

Languages:

• Fluency in English (writing, speaking and reading) is required;
• Knowledge of Arabic is strongly desired.
• Knowledge of another UN official language is desired.

• 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.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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.

Contract type: Fixed Term Staff Contract Contract level: P3 (ICS-10)
Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability'

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.