Project Management Support – Associate

The Norwegian Support to the Western Balkans Development “Norway for You - Serbia” is a project financed by the Government of the Kingdom of Norway and implemented by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). 

Overall objective of the Project is to contribute to a more balanced socio-economic development in Serbia by increasing employment opportunities, support social cohesion and improve local infrastructure in the less developed areas. Special focus will be given to inclusion of youth, women and vulnerable groups in the labour market. Also, the Project will strengthen information security of the Government of Serbia.

Project is designed to be implemented on the territory of underdeveloped areas in Serbia, in total 91 local self-governments classified in third and fourth group of development (1). 

There are five results that the Project will achieve:

• Result 1: Improved Access to Employment 
• Result 2: Enhanced Social Inclusion
• Result 3: Improved Living Conditions and Local Infrastructure
• Result 4: Information Security of the Government of Serbia Strengthened
• Result 5: Process of EU Integration of the Republic of Serbia Supported

The key stakeholders and the direct beneficiaries of the Project are 91 local self-governments (LSGs) from the third and the fourth group of development and their institutions and organisations, regional development agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs), business support entities (BSEs (2)), 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, as well as line ministries of the Republic of Serbia, such as the Ministry of European Integration, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, and the Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services.

All Project activities will be undertaken in partnership with the Government of Serbia, in cooperation with the national and local institutions, with the aim of allowing them to respect the legal requirements and, where relevant, EU accession criteria. This will ensure national ownership and help develop national capacities. Activities will also have good governance, human rights, gender equality, environment and climate and anti-corruption as transversal themes.

(1) In line with the Regulation on the Single List of Development of Regions and Local Self-Governments, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 104/2014. 

(2) Business Incubators including co-working spaces and hubs, Endowments, Clusters, Accredited Regional Development Agencies, Business Associations, Science or Technology Park, Chamber of Commerce and Research Institutes and Academic Organisations (Academies, Universities).

The Project Associate works closely with and under supervision and guidance of the Project Manager to provide support to the effective and efficient implementation of the Project through a range of actions contributing to planning, management and monitoring of Project activities. The Project 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 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.

The Project Associate will undertake the following activities/responsibilities:

• Maintain professional relationship with the business community, civil society organisations and other local stakeholders within the Project’s area of responsibility 
• Contribute to development of the Project reports and analysis 
• Organise trainings, information sessions and other events related to promotion of the Call for Proposals (CfPs) in order to support potential beneficiaries to adequately respond to the CfP
• Participate in evaluation of project proposals as per request from the Project Manager 
• With guidance from the Project Manager, manage grant implementation as defined by the description of the CfPs
• Support the Project in administration, contract management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of activities
• Assess and ensure alignment of implemented activities with approved project proposals in terms of technical scope, engagement of resources, budget expenditure and agreed timeframe
• Provide technical assistance to the Project beneficiaries in order to ensure fulfilment of products’ quality criteria, enhance outcomes and address sustainability 
• Provide inputs to Project work, financial, and procurement plans 
• With guidelines from the Support Services team and the Project Manager, follow up and if needed  contribute to development of documentation required for procurement processes and engagement of consultants 
• Manage grant contracts, follow up on grant contract budgets, as well as interim and final reporting in the assigned territory of the Project’s area of responsibility 
• Review of financial and administrative aspects of grants 
• Contribute to establishment and maintenance of archives 
• Provision of the relevant information related to the recent developments in the grant implementation field 
• With the guidance from the Project Manager, coordinate work of retainers and service providers needed for implementation of the activities supporting the grantees 
• Contribute to identification and assessment of risks and implement mitigation measures in accordance with the Risk Management Strategy 
• Contribute to qualitative and quantitative analysis of “Norway for you – Serbia” Project results 
• Draft inputs for the reports as envisaged by the Project’s Description of Action, while in particular considering progress against the indicators in the Result’s framework matrix
• Contribute to the identification and sharing of the Project’s lessons learned and best practices 
• Contribute to efficient and effective use of Project and UNOPS tools for monitoring of project performance, outputs and benefits 
• Provide support to the Project communication and visibility activities
• Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.

Education 

• Secondary education is required.
• Bachelor’s degree preferably in economics, social sciences, or development studies is an asset.

Work Experience 

• Six years of experience in the project implementation field is required. Bachelor’s degree may substitute for some years of experience. 
• Experience in implementation of projects targeting SMEs and/or BSOs and/or CSOs is an asset.
• Experience with the EU or the UN, or another international organisation is an asset.

Language Requirements

•  Fluency in Serbian and English is required.

Certification

• Projects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) Foundation Certification – preferred.

Driving License 

• Driving license and ability to travel independently is required.

• 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.
• 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
• 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.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been active in Serbia since 2000, and the operations of UNOPS Serbia Project Office (RSPO) have since 2017 expanded to North Macedonia and Montenegro.

UNOPS has been a reliable partner primarily of the Government of Serbia, and later of the Governments of North Macedonia and Montenegro, in providing support for demanding socio-economic reforms and facilitating accession to the European Union.

Currently, the RSPO is implementing 12 projects focused on sustainable socio-economic development, social cohesion, creating environment for employability, business and infrastructure growth, increased security, improved education, enhanced social inclusion either via enabling durable housing solutions or providing access to health, education and jobs for the most vulnerable population. All projects have good governance and gender equality as transversal themes. UNOPS projects are contextualized within the broader Sustainable Development Goals framework and objectives.