Organizational Portfolio Management Office (OPMO) Manager

UNOPS strategic focus places increased emphasis on national capacity development and sustainable approaches to project management, procurement and infrastructure services.  A key objective is to be recognized as an organization that delivers world-class infrastructure and project management, which is both economically and socially sustainable, even in the most challenging environments. To achieve this goal, UNOPS has established the Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG).

Within UNOPS, IPMG’s objectives 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 group helps facilitate the successful delivery of programmes and projects around the world.

To achieve its objectives, IPMG has established three interrelated and interdependent work teams, namely, Strategic Initiatives, Standards, and Engagement Assurance. IPMG is managed overall by the Director of IPMG and supported by a Programme Support Unit. Engagement Assurance includes the following units: Organizational Project and Programme Management Office (OPMO), Risk-based Performance Assessment (RPA), and Infrastructure Design Review (Infra DR). 

In 2018, IPMG established the Organizational Portfolio Management Office (OPMO) to assist the organization identify and recommend solutions to the root cause of portfolio, programme and project level risks and issues. The OPMO operates under the IPMG Engagement Assurance team unit and works closely with the UNOPS HQ Groups and Regions in providing analysis and recommendations to enhance organizational risk management at the engagement, country, regional and organization level.

Reporting to IPMG’s Head of Engagement Assurance, the OPMO Manager is expected to play a significant role in achieving OPMO’s and IPMG objectives. A primary focus of the incumbent will be data analysis, diagnosis of risks and issues and subsequent reporting. The successful incumbent will be required at times to travel to country offices as needed to support mainstreaming of policy, standards and other project management training. Specifically, the OPMO Manager will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

1.Team Management

• In close coordination with the Head of Engagement Assurance, conduct system analysis on the health of Country Office (CO) projects and programmes, highlighting key management risks, issues, best practices and lessons learned.
• Leading the development of appropriate risk based approaches to the collation, analysis and subsequent diagnosis of data associated with the functional performance of projects, programmes and portfolios within UNOPS.
• Provide reporting on the analysis and diagnosis at the project, programme, portfolio level as required to assist the organization address risks and issues at the appropriate level.  
• Engage with country offices and other UNOPS business units as appropriate to develop and adjust standards, approaches and where appropriate policy needed to mitigate risk specific to the elements of analysis undertaken.
• Lead the development of dashboards, suggest process and system improvement recommendations.
• Liaison and support to UNOPS ERP implementation, specific to Infrastructure and Project Management functionality (including Enterprise Project Management).
• Lead social and gender inclusion assessment through the OPMO sub stream through the use of tools and guidance, with particular focus on the integration within UNOPS projects.
• Liaison and support to audit resolution and any associated content development specific to Infrastructure and Project Management activities.
• Develop and manage a functional Project Management Office capacity for IPMG, ensuring that requisite information is available to the IPMG Management team for the assurance of ongoing workstream activities.
• In consultation with the Head of Engagement Assurance, coordinate with IPMG’s Standards unit, ensuring continuous improvement of practices and processes.
• In close consultation with the Head of Engagement Assurance, lead IPMG in its responsibilities as the Secretariat of the Engagement Acceptance Committee (EAC) and assurance processes if and when necessary.

• Setting standard, personal and development objectives (PER) for self and direct reports. Ongoing assessment of task completion, which meets quality expectations;
• Achievement of the targets on IPMG Balance Score Card and workplan assigned to the OPMO Manager;
• Successfully meeting time, cost and quality expectations of the team work plan; escalate issues to Head of Engagement Assurance when applicable;
• Completing progress reports as required.

Education

• An Advanced University degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Development Studies, Project Management, International Relations/Development, Business Administration, Risk Management or other relevant discipline is required
• A Bachelor’s Degree with two additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree (total 9 years of experience)

• PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner highly desired
• PMP Certification highly desired
• Completion of PRINCE2® Foundation Certification within first 3 months of onboarding
• Completion of PRINCE2® Practitioner Certification within first 6 months of onboarding

About IPMG:

IPMG offers a unique work environment in UNOPS headquarters, in Copenhagen, Denmark, located in the UN City building, one of Copenhagen’s landmarks. UNOPS HQ offers a safe, family-friendly lifestyle environment with multiple opportunities for networking and and active lifestyle, in a city known for its excellent urban design and planning.

The IPMG team is a diverse team in terms of age, nationalities and family situations.  The team is inclusive and values social and athletic activities like team breakfast, Friday evening networking or sports such as sailing, climbing, running and squash. IPMG is very dynamic and welcomes agility, autonomy and self-drive. The work of IPMG is oriented towards exciting opportunities which have a corporate, global impact and is in touch with the whole of UNOPS. UNOPS has a hosting agreement with the Government of Denmark, and as such both national and international candidates are eligible for HQ-based positions. UNOPS officials are exempt fromDanish taxes on UN incomes. EU citizens may opt to be registered with the Danish State Administration as EU migrant worker and keep the rights associated with that status or register through UNOPS with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. EU Citizens may apply for the public Danish health insurance or special health card depending on their choice of registration, while the non-EU citizens will be registered by UNOPS under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

IPMG is very respectful of the UNOPS policy on work life balance. IPMG is keen on improving diversity in the team with a current focus on gender equality and equal representation.


About this vacancy announcement:

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only the applications meeting all the requirements in education, experience, certifications and languages as listed above will 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
• 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.