Senior Project Manager

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.

• GEF Secretariat approved PIF; 
• SESP pre-screening (of PIF);
• Comments from GEF Secretariat, Council, STAP;
• Annotated UNDP-GEF Project Document Template and associated guidance included therein
• UNDP policies and procedures; 
• UNDP-GEF guidance notes on GEF project development (which will be provided by the RTA) and
• GEF policies, in particular GEF polices on: Project Cancellation; Fee Policy for GEF Partner Agencies; Project and Program Cycle; and Minimum Fiduciary Standards for GEF Partner Agency (in particular sections dealing with the required separation of oversight and execution support services). All GEF policies are available here.  

The Project Development Advisor will be the GEF PPG Team Leader and will be responsible for quality assurance and timely preparation of all reports and documentation, including the finalized UNDP Project Document (ProDoc) and CEO Endorsement Request, with all mandatory and project specific Annexes and supporting documentation. S/he will be responsible for managing all consultants on the GEF PPG Team and coordinating the Team’s work.

The National Project Development Specialist will be the GEF PPG Team Leader and will be responsible for quality assurance and timely preparation of all reports and documentation, including the finalized UNDP Project Document (ProDoc) and CEO Endorsement Request, with all mandatory and project specific Annexes and supporting documentation. S/he will be responsible for managing all consultants on the GEF PPG Team and coordinating the Team’s work.

Responsibilities and Deliverables of the assignment include:

• Management of the GEF PPG Team
• Define and submit a detailed methodology and work plan in consultation with the SGP National Coordinators and other consultants with clear delegation of responsibilities for the PPG Team Leader and other National Consultants (NCs);
• Ensure that project development is participatory, gender-responsive and based on extensive stakeholder engagements; and
• Verify and ensure that all project components are technically sound and cost effective.

Component A: Preparatory Technical Studies and Reviews

With inputs from the national consultants, as detailed in their respective TORs:

• Compile baseline/situational analysis for the medium-size project (MSP). This will include a precise definition of baseline projects, activities, budgets, goals and co-financial links to GEF outcomes; definition of GEF incremental value per outcome and output; and presentation of results of the incremental cost-analysis in matrices as appropriate;
• Lead and oversee the stakeholder analysis and consultations, with support from national consultants, and ensure that they are complete and comprehensive including consultations with the private sectors such as social enterprise, tourism associations and government agencies;
• Ensure the preparation of the gender analysis and ensure its findings are meaningfully integrated into the project’s strategy, theory of change and results framework;
• Ensure action points, including risk assessments, from the UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP) at the PIF stage (“pre-screening”) are fully implemented during the PPG, and update that screening in an iterative process throughout the PPG, and as appropriate;
• Oversee the identification of the project sites, with documentation of selection criteria and making sure that geo-referenced data and maps are clearly presented both for targeted protected areas and broader landscapes, as applicable;
• Ensure the design of appropriate project knowledge management processes and platforms, ensuring appropriate linkages to existing mechanisms and knowledge sharing in project landscapes;
• Lead and oversee the identification of opportunities for private sector engagement and co-financing;
• Ensure the preparation of partner capacity assessments and discussions on management arrangements early in the PPG process;
• Oversee the consultations with partners regarding financial planning; and
• Ensure completion of any additional studies that are determined to be needed for the preparation of the ProDoc and all other final outputs.

Component B: Formulation of the ProDoc, CEO Endorsement Request and Mandatory and Project Specific Annexes

With inputs from the national consultants, as detailed in their respective TORs, and based on international best practice:

• Develop, present and articulate the project’s theory of change;
• Develop the Results Framework in line with UNDP-GEF policy;
• Develop a detailed Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Budget;
• Oversee and ensure the preparation of a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Plan;
• Oversee and ensure the preparation of a Gender Action Plan and Budget;
• Oversee and ensure the updating of the SESP based on assessments undertaken during Component A, and ensure the development of required environmental and/or social management plan(s) as required;
• Oversee the preparation of the required GEF tracking tools (METT) and GEF Core Indicators and ensure these are supported by robust and validated data;
• Secure all co-financing letters;
• Prepare the indicative procurement plan (with UNDP CO support);
• Secure and present agreements on project execution and management arrangements and ensure that the project aligns to UNDP-GEF guidance on UNDP execution support;
• Ensure the completion of the required official endorsement letters; and
• Synthesize all analyses, studies, etc. that are prepared under Components A and B to produce the draft UNDP-GEF ProDoc, GEF CEO Endorsement, and all mandatory and project specific Annexes, using the templates.

Component C: Validation Workshop

• Lead the validation workshop to present, discuss and validate the final draft ProDoc and mandatory and project specific annexes, with a special focus on the SESP and any management plans;
• Oversee all necessary revisions that arise during the workshop; and
• Ensure completion of Validation Workshop Report.

Final Deliverables:

• Consolidation of all technical and consultation inputs and comments including from national stakeholders, UNDP, GEF Secretariat, STAP and GEF Council, into a well written and concise UNDP ProDoc with all required sections and Annexes, in line with the standard UNDP-GEF ProDoc template and annotated guidance;
• Completion of the GEF CEO Endorsement Request;
• Finalized SESP (and stand-alone management plans as required);
• All documentation from GEF PPG (including technical reports, meeting minutes, etc.); and
• Validation Workshop Report

• Component A: Preparatory Technical Studies and Reviews: Intermediate report (due by 30 August 2020; 33% payment);
• Component B: Formulation of the ProDoc, CEO Endorsement Request and Mandatory and Project Specific Annexes (due by 30 September 2020; 33% payment):
• Component C and Final Deliverables (due by 30 October 2020; 34% payment):

Education

• Advanced university degree (master or equivalent) with seven years of relevant experience.

Work Experience

• Minimum seven  years of experience in the area of environment or sustainable development;
• Experience preparing project documents for UN entities, particularly for UNDP and GEF projects is highly desirable;
• Experience with formulation of GEF-funded project proposals is desirable;
• Experience in biodiversity conservation and in community livelihoods diversification is desirable;
• Experience working on related initiatives is highly desired, especially in the Andes.

• Fluency in English and Spanish is required

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) Lumpsum
Contract level: LICA-11
Contract duration: 4 months

• 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
• 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.