Project Management Support - Officer

UNOPS Kenya Multi Country Office (KEMCO) manages a growing portfolio of engagements, including associated strategic and operational risks. The KEMCO sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Nairobi/Kenya which manages a portfolio of engagements in multiple countries in East and South Africa. This includes primarily transactional projects in partnership with the Nairobi based UN Agencies, UN-Habitat and UNEP, and multiple ‘operational’ projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and several island states.The Project will fall under the purview of the UNOPS KEMC. This specific project will be based in Mozambique and will facilitate the peace secretariat.

Background Information – Project

Mozambique Peace Secretariat Administrative Support Services Project provides the requisite back end support to the Peace Secretariat. Managed out of the UNOPS KEMC office in Nairobi, the Project will have one dedicated personnel who will be embedded within the secretariat to facilitate all administrative, operational and financial support to the secretariat team.

The Project Management Support – Officer reports to the Transactional Project Manager who provides broad supervision and guidance. The role is responsible for supporting the Transactional Project Manager with the day-to-day operations of the mission and coordinating mission progress and implementation. He/she maintains a close eye on the operational and financial performance, identifies probable issues that may need attention, supports in problem analysis and solution identification as necessary, coordinate resolution as per action-items assigned, drafting required correspondences to stakeholders concerned and preparation of mission reports.  The role can often be required to work in complex and challenging environments with limited resources.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Project Implementation
• Financial and procurement management
• Project Monitoring and Reporting
• Coordination and liaison 
• Knowledge management and innovation
• Operational and logistical support

Project Implementation

• Support the Project Manager in ensuring UNOPS Policies and Procedures, Financial Rules and Regulations (FR&R) are adhered to for efficient project implementation and progress;
• Monitor project financials and advise the Project Manager accordingly;
• Track expenditure and take relevant action when required to revise budgets (realignment and amendment);
• Monitor and record best practices and innovative approaches within UNOPS FR&R; identify and show alternative options according to activity needs; 
• Managing information flows and overseeing change controls, risk registers and issue management; document and feedback lessons learned and best practices;
• Supporting the project planning process;
• Maintenance of all supporting project financial documents for audit and review processes;
• Management of work packages within the project as and when required;    
• Assist the Project Manager in monitoring of the project quality indicators and undertaking monthly assurance tasks on behalf of the Project Manager;
• Supervise Project Assistant(s) within the Team, to ensure work efficiency and quality at all times.

Financial and procurement management

• Maintain all supporting project financial documents for audit and review processes.
• Ensure accurate data entry into UNOPS ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to  ensure real time tracking and asset management under the project activities;
• Monitor project budget and financial expenditure and all administrative procedures in line with the work plan;
• Process direct payments and advance requests and prepare project budget revisions.
• Produce financial reports; including developing financial monitoring and reporting formats as per UNOPS requirements;
• Support the Project Manager by monitoring budgets, preparing budget forecasts and cash flows and reporting on expense obligations to ensure that deliverables are met;
• Review weekly activity reports and quarterly financial reports with respect to outputs based on work plans and budget forecasts;
• Alert the Project Manager of any financial shortfalls and over-expenditures;
• Propose budget revision and initiate corrective action when necessary;
• Coordinate vendor communications, meetings, and reports as necessary;
• In consultation with the relevant stakeholders, assist in preparing amendments of Agreements and Budget revisions when applicable.

Project monitoring and reporting

• Provide substantive inputs to assist the Project Manager in the preparation of project reports and documents;
• Maintain records of project files and other supporting documents;
• Maintain the following records: Quality Register, Configuration Item Records and all other registers/logs delegated by the Project Manager;
• Support the Project Manager in maintaining the following: (i.)  Electronic Blue File and (ii.) Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by Organizational Directive (OD) 12;
• Manage the compilation, consolidation and analysis of relevant data of the mission;
• Assist the Project Manager in the preparation of project completion reports and ensure compliance with contractual obligations;
• On behalf of the Project and as directed by the Project Manager, participate in periodic visits to the project sites within Mozambique to review compliance with recognized procedures.

Coordination and Liaison

• Contract management of all contracts (Procurement, HR, Service Contracts etc) under the Project;
• Liaise with finance and logistics/procurement units in tracking commitments and disbursements;
• Proactively coordinate/liaise with support units on all administrative matters related to contract management;
• Liaise with the Programme Management Office (PMO) Team Members to complete project assurance related tasks.

Knowledge management and innovation

• Support the compilation of lessons learned as per defined reporting format;
• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building;
• Contribute to expertise in tools and techniques

Operational and Logistic Support

• Assist the Project Manager in monitoring all HR requirements and related activities under the Project;
• Assist in the preparation of Terms of Reference (ToR) for required inputs in the projects (individual and institutional consultancy services, procurement of goods and services, organization of training, seminars, etc.), with expert and/or client support as required;
• Providing induction briefings to newly recruited staff and render support to consultants in the course of their assignment;
• In accordance with UN and UNOPS Security Policies, manage travel for all personnel in the Project Team;
• Organize all project and stakeholder meetings as and when necessary, and maintain records of these meetings;
• Identify operational, administrative, financial and other bottlenecks that may impede project delivery-recommend solutions and take appropriate remedial action in consultation with the Project Manager;
• Establish and monitor an internal control system for all administrative actions;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Project Manager.

• A minimum of 2 years relevant experience, especially in the field of Project Management and Operations Management is required.
• Experience and demonstrated knowledge of UN rules and procedures in Procurement, Finance, HR Management and administrative rules and regulations will be an added advantage.

• Excellent command of English language (oral and written) is required.
• Knowledge of Portuguese language will be an asset

Contract type:International Individual Contractor Agreement

• 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
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• 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.

The position is based in a family duty station

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.