Project Management Support Associate

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

 ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

On 24 February 2022, the military of the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, with strikes across the territory of Ukraine. Since then, Russia’s invasion imposes a severe humanitarian and socio-economic toll, global energy and food crisis, large-scale destruction of the country's infrastructure, and disruptions in the provision of critical services and degradation of social fabrics and communities’ ties, triggering one of the world’s most significant forced displacements. 

Severe attacks on energy and critical infrastructure facilities leave millions of people without electricity, water or heating supply, struggling to access water, food, health services, materials to repair homes, among others. The continued attacks cause substantial damage to the country’s economy and agricultural production, and also affect the poorest countries worldwide.

UNOPS support to partners spans the humanitarian-development nexus from emergency response to building back better, across the housing, health, education, transport, energy and mine action sectors, through infrastructure, procurement and technical assistance / project management interventions, with the ultimate aim of supporting the country on its EU accession and in its achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Background Information - Job-specific 

Under the supervision and guidance of the Project Manager, the Project Management Support Associate works closely with Project Managers to implement and deliver activities in line with approved action plans. She/he provides support to the effective and efficient implementation of the Programme through a range of actions contributing to the planning, management, and monitoring of project activities. The Project Management Associate provides services to donors, partners, suppliers, and beneficiaries, and is expected to contribute strongly to the projects’ performance and delivery goals.

In performing her/his work, the Project Management Support Associate promotes a client, quality, and results-oriented approach, and works closely with the Support Services and projects personnel to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.

1. Stakeholder Management: 

1. Establish positive and fruitful working relationships with all members of the Programme Team, Beneficiaries, and Clients, as appropriate, providing support and guidance on specific and general administrative and project undertakings at the appropriate level.

2. Delivery and Performance:

1. Support the Project in administrative proceedings, contract management, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of activities, preparation and follow-up of procurement plans, and budget/expenditures-related inputs.

2. Organize and provide logistical support for events, meetings, training, workshops, and study trips.

3. Carry out administrative duties by collecting data, sorting, filing, and sending out project files, record keeping and archiving of project-related activities, and distributing and circulating working documents to stakeholders in electronic and hardcopy versions.

4. Provide technical assistance to Project beneficiaries in order to ensure fulfillment of products’ quality criteria, enhance outcomes, and address sustainability.

5. In close collaboration with Project Managers, contribute to the coordination of the work of retainers and service providers needed for implementation of the activities 

6. Provide support to the Programme communication and visibility activities

3. Operations and Procedures:

1. Follow the Project Management Manual Instructions and ensure awareness of and relevant respect of the organizational policy compliance (Organisational Directives and Administrative Instructions).

2. Contribute to the development of Programme reports and plans as envisaged by the Programme’s Description of Action, while in particular considering progress against the indicators in the Result’s framework matrix.

3. Contribute to the identification and assessment of risks and issues. Implement mitigation measures in accordance with the Risk Management Strategy. Contribute to the identification and sharing of the Programme’s lessons learned and best practices.

4. Contribute to efficient and effective use of Programme and UNOPS tools for monitoring project performance, outputs, and benefits.

5. Support operations tasks including screening, indexing, classifying, storing and disseminating information and/or reports and material ensuring conformity with relevant procedures and integrity.

6. Organize and provide support for the procurement processes including preparation of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents for travel + related services + office equipment, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, and their preliminary evaluation. Preparation of POs.

7. Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.

4. Monitoring and Progress Controls

• At least 80% of targets in quarterly plans related to services development activities are fulfilled 

• Activities, falling under responsibility, are successfully implemented, operationally and financially closed within the contractual deadlines

• Timely contribution for all project reports 

• Risks and issues in the implementation of project activities that fall under the responsibility of the Associate are identified, communicated in line with the set of tolerances, and recorded in UNOPS monitoring tools

• Secondary education is required.

• Bachelor’s degree preferably in economics, social sciences, development studies or a related field  is desirable and may substitute for some of the required years of experience.

• A Master's Degree in economics, social sciences, development studies or a related field is considered an asset and/or industry certification and may substitute for some of the required years of experience.

Certification:

• Projects in Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) Foundation Certification is desirable.

• Minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience with completion of secondary/high school in general administrative OR project implementation OR procurement, OR operations support services in national and/or international public or corporate organizations is required. 

• Minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience with completion of secondary/high school in general administrative OR project implementation OR procurement, OR operations support services in national and/or international public or corporate organizations is required.

• Experience with the EU or the UN, or another international organization is desirable

• Proficiency in computers and office software packages and experience in handling web-based management systems is required.

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: Local ICA Support 
Contract duration: 12 months

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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 ( they take around 4 hours to complete)  in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.