Senior Project Manager

Project Information:

In December 2021, the World Bank approved the US$50 million Yemen Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (YELCP) with objectives to provide climate resilient road access and employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to food insecure rural population of Yemen. YELCP will be implemented through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in partnership with the Rural Access Program (RAP) as a local implementation partner. The financing instrument of the project is Investment Project Financing with an operational life of three years and eleven months. The last twelve (12) months are set aside for management to carry out the Defects Notification Period (DNP).

The Project will finance the rehabilitation of lifeline rural access roads in selected areas in Yemen to contribute toward addressing road access to food and other humanitarian needs, and unemployment, whilst laying the foundation to (i) build resilience to climate change induced vulnerabilities, (ii) reduce gender gaps, and (iii) build the capacities of RAP and RMF through a dedicated capacity building program.The Project has four components as follows:

Component 1: Rural and Village Access Roads Improvement and Maintenance

Sub-Component 1.A: Rehabilitation of Lifeline Rural Access Roads

Sub-Component 1.B: Employment-Intensive Road Maintenance

Component 2:  Strengthening Management Capacity of Transport Sector Public Institutions

Component 3: Project Implementation and Monitoring Support, Studies and Preparatory Activities

Component 4.  Contingent Emergency Response

Local Context: 

The project will be implemented in Yemen during the conflict, and as it involves rehabilitation of lifeline corridors and rural access roads, numerous risks are considered. The project's implementation strategy will thus carefully balance a series of significant considerations, guided by informed contextual analysis and local political economy dynamics. The programming will be conflict-sensitive in every step. The overall risk to the achievement of the Project’s development objectives is ’High’ as the Project will be implemented in a challenging conflict context.

Besides its long experience working in FCV context globally, UNOPS has a strong presence in Yemen and the capacity to reach out to the most affected beneficiaries. With years of experience working in Yemen, UNOPS has demonstrated strong capacity and readiness to implement investment projects in extremely challenging circumstances. UNOPS has preparedness and mobilization mechanisms in place, which enable optimal emergency procurement, and is well informed about the market response locally and internationally. 

UNOPS will implement the Project through its Yemen Country Office in Sana’a and the Operational Hub in Amman. A dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) will be established to provide support in project management, technical aspects, procurement, financial management and financial sector aspects, communications, (M&E), social and environmental issues, logistics, administration, information technology (IT), and security will be handled by the Sana’a Office with close support on a day-to-day basis from Amman. UNOPS global staff will be drawn in on a need basis. Project oversight will come from UNOPS Regional Office and Operational Hub in Amman, as well as UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Senior Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s) and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries. Senior Project Manager acts on behalf of the Project Board to manage the project on an ongoing basis during the Implementation Stage. The main responsibility of a Project Manager  is to ensure that the project outputs are delivered within the specified project tolerances of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits. He/she is expected to meet the organization’s performance and delivery goals.

Senior Project Manager has the authority to assign, as per the Project Plan, work packages to Team Managers and approve deliverables produced by them.

Senior Project Manager is responsible for creating the Implementation Plan, using the Project Initiation Document (PID), Legal Agreement and having a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders, to ensure the project(s) outputs are capable of meeting the business cases for both UNOPS and the partner(s). Success of the project(s) and hence of the Project Manager will be based on the defined Success Criteria. 

1. Project Delivery and Performance

2. Procedures 

3. Monitoring and Reporting

4. Stakeholder Engagement

5. Quality Assurance

6. Knowledge Management and Innovation 

7. Personnel Management

• Advanced University Degree from a reputable University, preferably in Civil Engineering, Roads Engineering, or other relevant fields is required.

• University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in Civil Engineering or Road Engineering) with a combination of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience  in Civil Engineering, Roads Engineering, or other relevant fieldsmay be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.

• Certified Senior Project Manager - International Project Manager Association (IPMA Level B) or Project Management Professional (PMP - PMI) or PRINCE2® is desired.

• PRINCE2 Practitioner is an asset, but required completion within first 6 months of onboarding.

• A minimum of seven (7) or more years of progressive experience in infrastructure, construction  development and management, preferably in road engineering with focus on project management in either public or private sector organizations is required.

• Previous experience in road rehabilitation/construction is desirable.

• Previous experience in the development sector is desirable.

• Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary teams is an advantage.

• Past experience in delivering technical assistance and/or institutional capacity building is an asset.

• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage.

• Experience with an international organization and/or UN agencies is an asset.

• Full proficiency (Fluency) in English is required.

• Fluency in one or more additional official UNOPS languages is an advantage.

Contract type: Fixed-Term Appointment (Staff)
Contract level: P-4
Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

• 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.

• This position is stationed in Sana'a, Yemen which is a non-family duty station.
  
  

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.