Project Manager

Although the Bissau-Guinean Constitution is founded on democratic governance principles, expressed in the consecration of people as the holder of sovereignty, the rule of law as an affirmation of the primacy of legality, the separation of powers and respect for human rights, the participation of citizens, and a multi-party system of government, deep challenges persist when looking at the reality of governance in Guinea-Bissau. The challenges stem primarily from intertwined causes, including the political instability that has been affecting the country since its independence, the legacy of colonial and post-independence forms of centralized government systems, and the political-military dynamics.

Guinea-Bissau ranked 41st position on the Ibrahim African Governance Index (IIAG) in 2020, showing worrying signs of recent decline, according to the latest report published in November 2020. Good governance reforms are thus urgently needed to improve processes and institutions in order for the State to meet the needs of the Bissau-Guinean citizens. In particular, there is a need to support the rule of law and the legislative power to meet long-term state-building, institutional capacity, and national development objectives.

The UNDP Country Office (CO) in Guinea-Bissau, as key government’s partner in the area of governance, has been developing and implementing various projects in a variety of governance related domains, including rule of law and justice, anti-corruption and accountability, decentralization and local governance, electoral and parliamentary support as well as civic engagement. Additionally, taking into consideration the UN mission transition, UNDP has been adapting to the new environment by reinforcing some of its capacities in the governance domain.  

Following the underlying Japan’s New Approach for Peace and Stability in Africa (NAPSA) principle of Africa’s ownership in conflict prevention and mediation as well as addressing the root causes of conflict through stabilization and institution building, UNDP is implementing a new “Project on building strong institutions for sustaining peace”, with the generous support of the Government of Japan.

This project aims to support good governance in Guinea-Bissau by strengthening the rule of law and the capacity of the National Assembly to deliver on its oversight role, which would impact on the stability and strengthen the democratic process. Recognizing the value of the UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to protect and promote of women’s rights and gender equality and the UNSCR 2419 on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) to recognise the positive role young people can play in negotiating and implementing peace agreements and conflict prevention, the project will also foresee to support parliamentarians on their role in supporting the WPS and YPS agendas.

In this context, UNDP is recruiting a “Project Manager” to coordinate and manage the overall intervention of the above-mentioned project in order to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of the agreed project activities while achieving all objectives set out in the project document. Under the direct supervision of the Head of Governance Unit at UNDP, the Project Manager will also work in close collaboration with the Chief Technical Advisor on Rule of Law, the UNDP Governance Unit and other Programme Units, other UN Agencies, UNCT and local and national counterparts.

Summary Key Functions:

1. Ensure the implementation of project activities
2. Provide programmatic assurance
3. Ensure operational oversight
4. Facilitate knowledge building and management

1. Ensure the implementation of all project activities and achievement of all project deliverables

• Ensure the overall day-to-day management and implementation of project outputs and activities as outlined in the project document;
• Provide strategic guidance and management oversight to ensure project implementation is on track in order to ensure the project achieves the planned results in accordance with relevant plans;
• Prepare Annual Work Plans (AWP) and mid-year, annual and final narrative reports;
• Liaise with partners to ensure smooth implementation of all project activities;
• Establish annual results, on-going feedback and mid-term and final assessments in line with UNDP Rules and Regulations;
• Identify and obtain any support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the project;
• Ensure project meets expectations with respect to quality, budget, delivery timelines, and strategy;
• Provide project management support to national implementing partners.

2. Provide effective programmatic assurance and implement assurance activities

• Monitor progress of implementation and update, when relevant, the AWPs;
• Monitor timely implementation of planned activities, assess the progress toward and the achievement of planned targets;
• Organize regular reviews to track implementation, inform on the progress in project execution (programme and financial) and coordinate revisions and corrective action;
• Monitor the implementation and revisions of the project M&E plans and ensure that project's monitoring mechanisms are designed and implemented according to UNDP standards;
• Provide control quality of AWP and project revisions, ensure that activities, targets and benchmarks are formulated according to UN/UNDP regulations and meet the programmatic standards and agreements with the partners;
• Support preparation and review, as required, project reports (quarterly, annual and final) and ad-hoc documents to ensure that project reports are consistent with relevant standards and ensure timey submission.

3. Ensure effective operational oversight and implement oversight activities

• Ensure that a Risk Management Framework and accompanying comprehensive risk mitigation measures are developed, implemented and that frameworks are regularly updated;
• Regularly report on project risks to the Project Coordination Team and Project Board;
• Ensure that governance processes and procedures for the project are correctly followed and that governance activities such as Project Coordination Team and the Project Board meetings are organized according to an established calendar and their summaries are elaborated;
• Ensure a timely and adequate follow-up on the recommendations coming from the different governance bodies;
• Plan and implement reviews and/or external independent validations as required;
• Oversees the UNDP's corporate systems (ATLAS) are kept updated;
• Monitor budget execution rates and provides continuous feedback to CO and the projects on rate of financial delivery;
• Ensure that financial plans are in place and regularly updated;
• Advice and prompts action in case of under-delivery and lack of/delay of financial planning.

4. Facilitate knowledge building and management

• Establish and maintain a usable, auditable and well-communicated records of the project;
• Identify and capture lessons learnt and best practices within the project and develop and draft knowledge outputs;
• Advice on and support the development of communication strategies to position its contents with national and international audiences;
• Analyse new and emerging policy and strategy initiatives at national (national laws and regulations) and international (UN-system) levels, prepare briefings and advice UNDP Management on the implications for the implementation framework of the project;
• Actively promote a knowledge sharing and learning culture between the projects and the CO.

Core:

Education: Master’s Degree or equivalent in Development Studies, Political Sciences, Economics, Social Sciences, Law, Public Administration, Peace building, International Relations or related field;

• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in governance, rule of law and sustaining peacebuilding programmes

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Workforce diversity

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