Transactional Projects Manager - for roster purposes

Established in 2009, UNOPS Ethiopia Office has been providing services to various partners, including the government of Ethiopia, UN agencies such as WHO, UNHCR and WFP, and other international organizations. In 2014, the UNOPS Executive Director decided to establish the UNOPS Ethiopia Operational Hub (ETOH), which manages and coordinates the UNOPS activities in Ethiopia, as well as Sudan and Djibouti.

UNOPS ETOH activities range from tailor-made administration, operations, human resources and logistics support for implementation of development and humanitarian projects; infrastructure and procurement management services; and advisory services to partners to facilitate effective procurement, supply and financial management.

UNOPS ETOH is seeking a Transactional Projects Manager who will be responsible for overseeing the transactional projects portfolio of the Ethiopia Office. These projects focus on providing key goods and services to various UNOPS partners in Ethiopia, such as UN organizations and government ministries. The Transactional Projects Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s) and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries.  The Transactional Projects Manager is expected to meet and exceed the organizations performance and delivery goals. S/he will be responsible for supervising the project personnel including Project Managers, PSO Coordinators and Procurement Logistics Officers and provide overall guidance to ensure the success of relevant projects.

The Transactional Projects Manager will be responsible for managing the relevant portfolio of projects, including their delivery, issues and risks. This will require that s/he prepares and follows up on implementation plans, and oversees the status of various procurement and supply-chain activities.

The project(s) rely on a number of external partners and suppliers for its successful delivery, who are expected to work with firm deadlines. The incumbent is responsible for managing all aspects of the project life cycle, as well as these partners/suppliers. S/he must be able to apply, independently, the below duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria.

Stakeholder Management:

• Establish solid working relationship with the project board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholder
• Produce project initiation documents (PID), Legal Agreements, and develop 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
• Ensure success of the project(s) based on the success criteria of UNOPS engagements, which are linked to the below responsibilities 
• Manage communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products
• Advise the client 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 Project Board/OC Director and the project(s)

Delivery and Performance:

• Develop and maintain project plans
• Implement approved project plans (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the project board
• 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 and initiating corrective action where necessary
• Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers
• Authorize Work Packages
• Advise the Project Board and OC Manager of any deviations from the plan
• Identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to client and stakeholders is achieved
• Manage and review product quality and ensure products are accepted
• Monitor and evaluate performance of service providers
• Identify and report potential business opportunities for UNOPS to supervisor
• Identify and report threats to UNOPS internal business case to supervisor

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 Project Board:  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 following: i. Electronic Blue File; ii. Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by those practices 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
• Incorporate lessons learned from others as per planning format

Personnel Management:

• Lead and motivate the project management team
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted
• Identify outstanding staff and bring them to the attention of the OC Director
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS personnel contract modalities (including ICA and Staff)
• Select, recruit and train team as required by project plans
• Perform the Team Manager role, unless appointed to another person(s)
• Perform Project Support role, unless appointed to another person or corporate/programme function
• Ensure safety and security for all personnel and comply with UNDSS standards

Monitoring and Progress Controls

Ensure that the project(s) produces the required products within the specified tolerance of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits. The Project Manager is also responsible for the project producing a result capable of achieving the benefits defined in the Business Case. Contribute to the overall business targets and needs.

A.  Education

• Advanced University Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Development Studies, Supply-Chain Management or other relevant discipline.
• University Degree (bachelor’s degree / first level) with a combination of 2 additional years of relevant professional experience  in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline, may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.

B. Work Experience

• Seven years (or more based on academic credentials) of progressive experience in project development required, with focus on project implementation, partner management, monitoring and reporting.
• At least five years of progressive procurement experience required, involving purchasing of high-value goods & services for complex projects.
• Experience in managing teams and units, particularly in the area of project and/or procurement management, highly desirable.

C.  Key Competencies

• PRINCE2® Foundation certification and PRINCE2® Practitioner certification would be an asset, but required completion within first 6 months of onboarding
• CIPS 2 and above and/or other procurement certification highly desirable
• Complete the UNOPS Project Management Foundation course, and UNOPS Procurement Operations Training (within one year after signing this TOR)

• Creativity and Innovation: Is able to challenge mind-sets and think outside the box, as well as improvise in dynamic situations. Exhibits original and innovative thinking in his/her work. Is solutions-oriented.
• Change-Orientation: Recognizes the need for change, stimulates innovation, and is able to deal with ambiguity and resistance. Incremental change and continuous improvement are more viable approaches in UNOPS than revolutionary change.
• Result-Orientation: Is focused and ambitious. S/he displays tenacity, resilience, and has the capability to tolerate stress. They have effective planning and organization skills.
• Strategic-Orientation: Demonstrates business insight and sees the big picture. He/she is aware of trends and is able to come up with a vision.
• Decision-Making: Shows risk awareness and is able to evaluate options and solutions. S/he exercises judgment in making sound decisions. They are decisive.
• Communicates with Impact: Makes a positive personal impact in all forms of communication. Listens actively and is able to articulate own thoughts convincingly in both verbal and written form. Makes effective presentations.
• Networking Skills: Builds internal and external partnerships and alliances for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and services for mutual benefit.
• People, Performance, and Development: Facilitates personal and professional development by giving others constructive feedback, coaches, mentors, manages, and empowers for performance, competence, and career development.

1. Contract type: Local Individual Contractor 
2. Contract level: LICA 11
3. Contract duration: Ongoing contracts (subject to satisfactory performance and fund availability)

• 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.

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.