1. Development and planning
● Provide appropriate levels of programmatic management support to the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director regarding all ongoing project activities, while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.
● Provide advice and support to potential and current engagement of high value and/or risk, supporting Engagement Authorities in strengthening project governance structures and processes to enable achievement of high standards and consistency in line with UNOPS success criteria.
● Directly contribute to strategic oversight, advice and direction on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements and project documents. Ensure programmes and projects contribute to strategic objectives and targets.
● Develops and establishes resource-tracking systems for use within the Geneva office, complementary to UNOPS' online tools, to ensure effective planning, forecasting and tracking of delivery across the UNOPS Geneva Office.
● Identifies, and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to the Deputy Director and GVA management team.
2. Set-up and closure
● 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 and provide advice to management to ensure quality of delivery throughout the project lifecycle.
● Liaise closely, supporting the Head of Support Services and the Head of Finance on project operational issues, including project assets, finances, and other as required.
● For project closure purposes, acts as (or nominates and supervises) a focal point between the UNOPS Geneva Office, working in close collaboration with Portfolio Managers, Head of Support Services and Head of Finance, and donors throughout the process.
● Oversee and coordinate all project closure activities, working in close collaboration with Portfolio Managers, Head of Support Services and Head of Finance ensuring appropriate disposal of project assets, timely and effective final (operational) reporting, updating of information on the UNOPS ERP, and effective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for financial closure processes.
3. Monitoring and reporting
● Support the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director in regular review of project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).
● Maintain progress reports as required by UNOPS standard procedures.
● Identifies and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues specific to delivery forecasts, and advises mitigating measures to the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director.
● Perform routine maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programme and project activities, in line with donor and UNOPS internal requirements, and provide advice and support to portfolio managers and teams to facilitate quality delivery.
● 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, or otherwise, against such information as per UNOPS and donor requirements.
● Provide editorial support to programmes and projects, ensuring effective and timely dissemination of reports, in line with project documentation and clients' expectations.
● Coordinate and oversee the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required.
4. Stakeholder engagement
● Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies.
● Enable the formulation of UNOPS Geneva programme and project communication plans.
● Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects.
● Coordinate internal programme/project communications.
● Monitor the effectiveness of programme/project communications.
5. Quality assurance
● Support the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director so that the monitoring of projects is carried out regularly in order to ensure accomplishment of set targets and results for projects/portfolios, delivery of services as per the agreed terms and conditions and in a timely manner.
● Support the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director to ensure there is adequate risk-based internal control system and mechanisms in place which are exercised on regular basis as per the appropriate guidelines and tools of UNOPS Geneva and of UNOPS corporate policies and procedures
● Support in ensuring adequate quality management procedures are applied across projects/portfolios of UNOPS Geneva programme.
● Ensure assurance procedures are embedded into the programme management of UNOPS Geneva and are applied consistently across all projects/portfolios as per UNOPS corporate guidelines, procedures and policies.
● Work with internal audit and finance to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements.
● Identify threats and opportunities, and evaluate implications of at the organizational level.
● Provides scrutiny, challenge and support for the programme and projects boards.
● Forecast and track benefits (outcomes) to be realized.
● Ensure compliance with UNOPS defined standards for programme/project management.
● Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents and deliverables.
● Provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.).
● Represent the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation.
6. Knowledge management
● Act as a focal point for the UNOPS Geneva maturity enhancement initiatives.
● Make recommendations on policy and tools and contribute to the development of guidance material and tools that advance GVA offices strategic project management goals
● Disseminate corporate policies, guidance and best practices that impact GVA offices portfolio, programme and project management practitioners;
● Participate in, and advocate PMs' participation in, relevant Communities of Practice.
● Actively interact with PMs and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices in the Knowledge System.
● Provides feedback to Practice Leads on policy and supporting guidance working to achieve continuous improvement of UNOPS policies.
● Contributes to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.
7. Training and capacity building
● Provide support to project management practitioners on how to embed best practices of project and programme governance, risk management, project and programme management
● Support and provide training and internal consulting in project and programme management and provide project and programme development advice and assistance to GVA office and hosted entity personnel, as required, in support of IPMG initiatives and roll-outs
● Strengthen the knowledge, skills and career development of project management practitioners
● People and skills – identify skills and competence shortages to deliver the portfolio of changes and recommend suitable development.
● Extend project management advice and support to hosted entities and other relevant partners to promote high quality project delivery.
Impact of Results:
The PMO directly influences
achievement of project results by assisting the UNOPS Geneva Deputy Director to
implement effective project management methods and strategies, reduced risks,
cut costs and improve success rates.
This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of the UNOPS
Geneva office as an effective service provider in project services and
management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in
sustainable development and project services.