Project Management Support - Senior Officer

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.

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the Government and people of Afghanistan through delivery of projects and services in line with the government’s national priorities. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS AFCO is implementing a number of projects in a range of sectors including infrastructure (roads, bridges, justice and security, health, and water supply) development, procurement services, HR services, capacity building, and humanitarian protection, amongst others, on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan, the international donor community, and other UN agencies.

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to the achievement of the development outcomes sought by the Government of Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the reconstruction and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO’s services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve significantly the lives of all Afghans in need

Established in 2015, Resolute Support (RS) is a NATO-led, non-combat mission with a mandate to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), who assumed nationwide responsibility for Afghanistan’s security following the conclusion of the previous NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission. 

The purpose of RSHQ is to help the Afghan security forces and institutions develop the capacity to protect its citizens in a sustainable manner and to manage/improve security enhancements within Kabul city. The purpose of the UNOPS/RSHQ engagement is to support NATO for both the ANA Trust Fund Office (NATFO) and Kabul Security Force (KSF) funding streams, which includes procurement of goods and services, contract management, maintenance of equipment, physical security enhancements, construction projects and construction work packages, as well as coordination and facilitation of RSHQ operations, programs and activities (non-kinetic only).

1. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Project Manager, the incumbent is required to monitor all aspects of project progress and implementation, identify operational and financial problems at the county level. This will be done with the main focus on project Implementation, budget management and project closure  at the local level.

Functional Responsibilities

1. Project Implementation

2. Project monitoring and reporting

3. Stakeholder management, coordination and liaison

4. Knowledge management and innovation

1. Project Implementation

• Responsible for ensuring the successful implementation of the project at the field level

• Provide oversight, support and supervise the project teams 

• Monitor, coordinate, and communicate strategic objectives of the project 

• Facilitate communications for project-related issues

• Work with project staff members to develop a greater understanding of the project and any issues that arise

• Develop and foster relationships among UNOPS, clients and donors, and other stakeholders

• Collect, analyze, and utilize data and feedback to identify opportunities to improve the relationship between UNOPS and stakeholders

• Compile reports about particular incidents, events, or updates from the project sites 

• Proactively solve conflicts and address issues that could occur between parties

• Carry out any other duties and projects as required 

1. Project monitoring and reporting

• Provide substantive inputs to assist the Senior Project Manager in the preparation of project reports and documents

• Assist the Senior Project Manager in ensuring compliance with contractual obligations.

• Visit project sites periodically each month and prepare a report on each one of them to inform management action towards meeting set standards

• Review the project field staff work plans and reports

1. Stakeholder management, coordination and liaison

• Ensure that UNOPS adequately engages with the project’s donors and end-users, as well as government agencies on project implementation

• Liaise and build relationships with the relevant local authorities and any other partners in order to implement and improve the quality of project activities

• Support the coordination and management of communications

• Participate in meetings with UN agencies and other Stakeholders, as required and/or delegated by the Senior Project Manager

1. Knowledge management and innovation

• Support the compilation of lessons learned from project activities 

• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building

• Frequently brief and consult with the Senior Project Manager to mitigate any risks associated with the project implementation

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Logistics, Project Management, Emergency Management, Business Administration, International Relations, or related field is required.

• A High School Diploma combined with 8 year of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the Bachelor’s degree.

Experience 

• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in Project Management and/or Operations is required..

• Experience in humanitarian emergency operating contexts, including humanitarian coordination mechanisms, donors, security, and operations management is an asset;

• Experience in stakeholder management and partnership development is an asset

• Experience working in post-conflict or conflict situations is an advantage;

Languages 

• Fluency in written and oral English required.

• Knowledge of Dari/Pashto desired. 

Key Competencies 

• Demonstrable organizational, negotiation and problem-solving skills

• Able and willing to travel within Afghanistan, including insecure and volatile areas; while adhering to the UN DSS Guidelines and MOSS / MORSS Compliance.

• Ability to overcome challenges and work in difficult work environments/conditions.

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• 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
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.