Project Manager

Taking into account major regional challenges recognised by the European Commission’s (EC) strategy for 'A Credible Enlargement Perspective for and Enhanced European Union (EU) Engagement with the Western Balkans' (Strategy) , such as reform of public administration, better implementation of fundamental rights, social inclusion and regional cooperation, the Government of Norway has decided to fund a sub-regional programme “Norway for You” covering Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, to be implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). However, due to the political and operational specificities of each country, it has been decided to implement separate projects in Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro.

The Project in Serbia is designed to be flexible and respond to local needs as they are identified. Focus will be increasing employment opportunities for vulnerable population and providing support to social cohesion and inclusion in the less developed areas, and will work on local infrastructure enhancement, all contributing to a more balanced socio-economic development of primarily under-developed areas of Serbia.

The Government of Norway has allocated funding for the implementation of the Project in Serbia during 24 months.

There are four results that the Project will achieve:

• Result 1: Improved Access to Employment of the Most Vulnerable and Marginalised Groups (in Particular Women and Youth in Rural Areas)
• Result 2: Enhanced Social Inclusion
• Result 3: Improved Living Conditions and Local Infrastructure
• Result 4: Information Security of the Government of Serbia Strengthened

The key stakeholders and the direct beneficiaries of the Project are the local self-governments (LSGs) and their institutions and organisations, regional development agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs), business support organisations (BSOs), as well as individual beneficiaries, especially women and youth. The final beneficiaries are the inhabitants of the underdeveloped areas where the Project will be implemented.

The Project Manager is responsible for all aspects of the Project life cycle, the delivery of the required outputs, development and implementation of the Project’s governance framework, development and delivery of plans, monitoring of progress, preparation of reports, contribution to stakeholder engagement, but also day-to-day management of the Project. She/He is expected to contribute strongly to the Project’s overall performance and fulfilment of objectives.

In particular, the Project Manager must have a thorough understanding of the Project Document and Legal Agreement, terms, conditions, and respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the Project’s products are capable of meeting the business case. The success of the Project will be based on the Success Criteria of UNOPS engagements which are linked to the below responsibilities:

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Establish strong working relationship with the donor, line ministries of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, national-level institutions, beneficiary local governments and other key stakeholders
• Ensure stakeholders are aware of the Project activities, progress, exceptions and are in position to accept handover of products
• Advise the Programme Manager and the Programme Steering Committee on issues that may impact the achievement of outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post Project requirements)
• Manage communications and visibility aspects of the Project, ensuring that the stakeholders and beneficiaries are aware of the Project activities, results and impact

Delivery and Performance:

• Develop and maintain Project plans and ensure their implementation
• Manage preparation of the required products, taking responsibility for the overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective actions where necessary
• Allocate the work packages to the personnel and authorise start, quality and end of work packages
• Identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to the client and stakeholders is achieved
• Advise the Programme Manager and the Programme Steering Committee of any deviations from the plans
• Manage and review quality of implemented activities and ensure products are accepted
• Ensure performance of service providers is monitored and evaluated
• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into the Project life cycle
• Ensure good governance and gender equality principles and practices are incorporated into the activities where applicable, in accordance with the Project’s objectives and methodology

Procedures:

• Ensure respect of the UNOPS Project Management requirements and ensure that all organisational policies are complied with (Organizational Directives and Administrative Instructions)
• Prepare/adapt the following plans for approval by the Programme Steering Committee: I. Project Initiation Documentation; II. Stage/Exception Plans and relevant Product Descriptions
• Prepare the following reports:

                      i.        Inception Report

                    ii.        Quarterly Reports

                   iii.        Annual Report

                   iv.        Final Narrative Report

                     v.        Operational Closure Checklist

                   vi.        Handover Report

• Ensure maintenance of the following: i. oneUNOPS document repository; ii. Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by those practices as per the Organizational Directive 12
• Work with the Programme and Operations Team to ensure that all expenditures comply with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR)
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time
• Understand and manage UNOPS overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the Project
• Understand the unique structure of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel
• Ensure respect of the UNOPS configuration management requirements
• Contribute to high visibility of the Project, while in particular ensuring visibility of the donor’s funding contribution  

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in the UNOPS’ Communities of Practice
• Actively interact with other project/programme managers, the Project Management Office and the project management community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices on the Knowledge System
• Provide feedback to the Practice Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
• Complete lessons learned as per the reporting format
• Incorporate lessons learned from others as per the planning format

Personnel Management:

• Lead and motivate the core Project team and other Project personnel
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted following the organisational deadlines
• Identify outstanding personnel capable of taking on more responsibility and bring them to the attention of the management with recommendations for future career development
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS’ personnel contract modalities
• Promote learning and development opportunities for the Project team

Core Values:

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles

                      i.        Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management

                    ii.        Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place

                   iii.        Champion and communicate the Project’s sustainability aspects with the key stakeholders

• Understand and respect national ownership and capacity building

                      i.        Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the Project plans

                    ii.        Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local personnel

                   iii.        Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts

• Partnerships and Coordination

                      i.        Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the Project’s place in the UN system

                    ii.        Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant Project actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organisations or other relevant partners)

• Accountability for the results and the use of resources

                   iv.        The Project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a Project or processes are not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the Project Manager to raise the issue to the supervisor

• Excellence

                     v.        Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of the best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

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

• Advanced University Degree preferably in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science, Social/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline is required
• A relevant combination of academic qualifications and extensive experience related to the nature of the position may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Complete the UNOPS’ Project Management Foundation course (within one year after signing this Terms of Reference)

Work Experience

• Two years (or more based on academic credentials) of experience in project development and management, with focus on monitoring, reporting, development and coordination in local governance/development field is required.
• Experience in dealing with the ministries and donors is an asset
• Experience of developing and implementing projects at the local level in Serbia is an asset  

Language Requirements

•  Fluency in Serbian and English is required

Driving license

• Driving license and ability to travel independently is required

• PRINCE2® Practitioner certification will be considered as an asset

• 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.
• 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.

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.