Project Management Support Specialist (Finance & Contract Management)

Kenya Multi-Country Office (KEMCO)

Kenya Multi-Country Office (KEMCO) sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Nairobi/Kenya which manages a portfolio of engagements in multiple countries in East and South Africa. These countries include Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea and several island states. KEMC focuses on Infrastructure, Procurement, Project Management, HR and Transactional Services, and Fund Management services in those countries. Our goal is to support countries, help people in need and enable our partners through delivering on our mandate of infrastructure, procurement and project management in the countries across East and South Africa.

Background Information - Job-Specific

Biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management and enhanced water security in Lake Tanganyika basin project is a project aimed at strengthening the collaborative partnerships between the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) and the contracting States (Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia). Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) was established by the contracting States on 12 June 2003 when the contracting States adopted what they call “Convention on the Sustainable Management of Lake Tanganyika.”

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through United Nations Environment (UNEP). UNOPS will be the Project Executing Agency, and is accountable to UNEP for the overall implementation of the project. UNOPS will establish a trans-boundary Project Coordination Unit (PCU) in Bujumbura, Burundi to coordinate the day-to-day administration and operations of the project across the four riparian countries (Burundi, DRC, Tanzania and Zambia). The duty station for the position will be Bujumbura, Burundi (Family duty station).
                                                                          

The project is comprised of 4 components:

(i) Addressing identified transboundary threats to fish biodiversity

(ii) Protection of core conservation zones in protected areas

(iii) Sustainable natural resource use in protected areas and their buffer zones

(iv) Transboundary coordination, information management and M&E.

• Project Delivery and Performance
• Financial, Procurement and Contract Management 
• Monitoring and reporting
• Stakeholder engagement, Coordination and Liaison
• Quality Assurance
• Knowledge Management and Innovation 
• Personnel Management

• Support the Project Coordinator/Senior Project Manager to finalize the assessment and selection of suitable responsible implementing partners for the different project outputs and activities and prepare and conclude contractual agreements with each of the selected responsible partner institutions;

• Support the Senior Project Manager in overseeing change controls, risk registers and issue management; document and feedback lessons learned and best practices

• Support the project planning process;

• Track delivery against forecasts on a regular basis to ensure the deviation is within the acceptable tolerance range

• A Master’s degree in business administration, Accounting, Finance, Management, or related field of study is required.

• A combination of Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above

• Project Management certification (Prince 2 Foundation,  Prince 2 Practitioner, PMP or equivalent) will be an asset.

• At least 5 years of financial management or accounting experience is required in the financial management of large/multi-stakeholder donor-funded environmental/ sustainable development project environment.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of the financial, accounting, procurement and auditing procedures of UN agencies will be an asset;
• Demonstrated experience working with multidisciplinary teams will be an asset;
• Familiarity with UNOPS procedures will be an asset;
• Experience in Global Environment Fund (GEF) funded projects will be an asset.

• Fluency in French and working knowledge of English is required.

• 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.

1. Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA)
2. Contract level:  IICA-2/ ICS10
3. Contract duration :Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’