Project Management Office (PMO) - Specialist

Provide appropriate levels of programmatic management and administrative support to the portfolio, programme and projects teams regarding all ongoing project activities, while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.

Directly contribute to strategic oversight, advice and direction on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements and project documents, including supporting the MCO Director and HoSS, as well as the management team, with the organization of management, team and issue specific meetings. Ensure reports from such meetings are availed and provided in a timely manner.

Support MCO Director, HoSS and management with the establishment, monitoring and delivery of business and programme level strategies, plans, targets, indicators and work plans/budgets.

Facilitate identification, development, launch and inception of projects, programmes and initiatives across MCO, as needed and requested by the MCO Director, HoSS and management.

Ensure proper development, implementation and, as and when appropriate, amendments, of project budgets and staffing resources, ensuring synergies across the MCO.

Develop and establish resource tracking systems for use within the PMO, complementary to UNOPS' online tools, to ensure effective planning, forecasting and tracking of delivery across the MCO.

Identifies, and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to the MCO Director and management team.

Facilitate the development of high-level programme/project plans, including the collation of lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones.

Develop, track and maintain dependencies at the programme and portfolio project levels, and provide advice to PMs, as relevant.

Work closely and support the Head of Support Services, finance unit, BD focal points and other relevant officials in project setup and closure activities.

For project closure purposes, act as a focal point between the Multi Country Office and donors, as and where required.

Serve as a focal point and engagement closure manager where assigned to facilitate project closure activities, ensuring appropriate disposal of project assets, timely and effective final (operational) reporting, initiation of financial disbursements as appropriate during Defects Liability Periods, updating of information on the UNOPS ERP systems, and effective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for financial closure processes.

Support management to ensure regular project and corporate reports are issued in accordance with donor guidelines and corporate standards.

Facilitate implementation of corporate standards, initiatives and requirements across MCO in coordination with the MCO Director and management team.

Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).

Ensure project documents including plans and progress reports are maintained as required by UNOPS standard procedures.

Coordinate the effective preparation and organization of office, portfolio and project level quality assurance and board meetings, and facilitate follow up as required.

Coordinate organizational risks and issues management at the business unit level and advise MCO management on mitigating and remedial actions. Provide risk and issue management support to programmes and project teams..

Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery and project closure data, audit and compliance issues, as well as business unit, operational, and project level issues, risks and lessons learned within the dashboard systems, using UNOPS ERP systems and others, as required.

Perform routine maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programme and project activities, in line with logical frameworks.

Within the context of monitoring and evaluation, ensure all projects submit and regularly update specific milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life-cycles, and track progress.

Provide editorial support to programmes and projects, ensuring effective and timely dissemination of reports, in line with project documentation and clients' expectations.

Provide the Head of Support Services with necessary support, facilitation and analysis to support MCO’s management functions, as well as effective project delivery and operations.

Coordinate and oversee the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required.

Facilitate development of stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement/communications strategies and plans at the office, programme and project levels, as per donor and corporate requirements.

Help coordinate stakeholder engagement and communications, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects.

Help coordinate internal programme/project communications.

Monitor the effectiveness of programme/project communications, and provide management with advice on potential improvements.

Work with HoSS, and internal audit and finance teams to ensure the programme, portfolio and projects comply with audit requirements.

Work with the operations units and personnel to ensure alignment with programme and project needs/requirements.

Ensure compliance with UNOPS standards for corporate/programme/project management.

Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents, plans and reports.

Provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.) as and where required.

Assist the MCO Director and management team in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation.