Regional Infrastructure and Project Management Specialist

Africa Region, Office of the Regional Director 

The Office of the Regional Director for Africa, which is currently located in Copenhagen but will soon be relocated to Nairobi, leads a geographically defined portfolio of engagements, strategy and business development for the region, follows management of operations, and ensures appropriate risk management. 

The Africa region (AFR) currently consists of five Multi-Country Offices located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya. These Multi-Country Offices cover all of the African continent, including Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone countries. Currently the Africa Region (AFR)  is implementing a wide range of infrastructure, procurement and transactional projects in over 40 countries. 

Within UNOPS, the objectives of the Infrastructure and Project Management Group’s (IPMG) and Shared Service Centre’ (SSC) Project Management & Infrastructure (PMI) unit are to serve the organization’s personnel and partners by broadening their infrastructure and project management capabilities, while disseminating best-practices in both of these areas. Through this work, the two groups help facilitate the successful delivery of programmes and projects around the world. The incumbent will play a meaningful role working within the Africa Region (AFR) while working closely with IPMG and SSC’s PMI unit.

The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical advice and support in infrastructure and project management to the UNOPS offices across the Africa Region in line with the Regional Strategy. 

This role will support the Africa region with quality assurance, support and advice regarding the implementation of infrastructure projects, and partnerships development. The incumbent will support the partnership's development agenda in Africa through their expertise, regional contacts and ability to demonstrate a depth of experience in their field. 

The Regional Infrastructure and Project Management Specialist will be a critical link between AFR and its operations in the field, as well as IPMG and SSC´s PMI unit. This position will report to the Regional Africa Director. The incumbent will be required to work in a collaborative manner, with colleagues at all levels across the organization.

• An advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent such as MEng, MASc) in Civil Engineering (CEng, PE, P. Eng.), Architecture, Construction Management or relevant field is required
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's or equivalent such as BEng, BASc) or professional certification in combination with 2 additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree 

• A minimum of 5 years’ progressive work experience in an Engineering and/or Construction Management role is required
• A minimum of 2 years’ progressive work experience in Project Management is required
• Experience dealing with government officials is required
• Experience working in developing countries (especially Africa) in an international environment is highly desired
• Experience working in and providing creative technical solutions for post-conflict and/or , post-disaster environments is an asset
• Experience working on energy programmes (especially solar power), health infrastructure, water & sanitation and waste to energy is an asset 

• Certification in a recognized project management methodology, e.g. PRINCE2® or PMP is highly desirable

• Fluency in English is required
• Fluency in French is required

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: ICA 2 (ICS-10)
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to satisfactory performance and funding available

• 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. 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.