Programme Management Office (PMO) Specialist

East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across  North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.

In 2023, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 76 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, and fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering, and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself. 

Operational Context

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme Management Office (PMO), the incumbent will work to ensure that relevant UNOPS policies, processes, and methods are followed and practiced across all projects within the newly established MCO, with emphasis on the UNOPS PNG portfolio. The function of the PMO is to provide appropriate oversight to projects, advice and guidance to Project Managers and Project Executives, and increase the overall maturity of project and programme management in the MCO. The incumbent will actively contribute to moving EAPMCO toward achieving its mission-focused goals and objectives. 

1. Development and planning

2. Set-up and closure

3. Monitoring and reporting

4. Oversight, advice, and quality assurance

5. Knowledge management and innovation

 Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide appropriate levels of programmatic management and administrative support to the Head of PMO regarding all ongoing project activities in PNG, while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.
• Directly contribute to strategic oversight, advice, and direction on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements and project documents.
• Ensure proper development, implementation, and amendments of project budgets and staffing resources, ensuring synergies across the EAPMCO.
• Develop, establish, and contribute to tracking systems for use within the PMO, complementary to UNOPS' online tools, to ensure effective planning, forecasting, and tracking of delivery across the EAPMCO.

• Review new engagements and amendments including advising on the feasibility of new projects proposed, budget development and reporting, pricing, and signing of legal agreements.
• Oversee and advise engagement and project set-up in oneUNOPS projects and provide on-going guidance.
• Facilitate the development of high-level programme/project plans, including the collation of lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones. 
• Develops, tracks, and maintains dependencies and provides advice to management to ensure quality of delivery throughout the project lifecycle.
• For project closure purposes, acts as (or nominates and supervises) a focal point between the EAPMCO and donors throughout the process.
• Oversee and coordinate all project closure activities, ensuring appropriate disposal of project assets, timely and effective final (operational) reporting, initiation of financial disbursements as appropriate during Defects Liability Periods, updating of information and effective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for financial closure processes.

• Perform routine maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programme and project activities.
• Within the context of monitoring and evaluation, ensure all projects submit and regularly update specific milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life-cycles, and track progress, or otherwise, against such information.
• Maintain progress reports as required by UNOPS standard procedures.
• Provide editorial support to programmes and projects, ensuring effective and timely dissemination of reports, in line with project documentation and clients' expectations.
• Support the Head of the PMO (and relevant Country Managers) with necessary project analysis reports and information to support areas relevant to the project management team in the UNOPS PNG portfolio
• Coordinate and complete internal UNOPS reporting (MCO, Regional Office, Corporate) and external UN reporting (UNINFO, UNCT, etc.)
• Support with development, tracking, and reporting of country strategies 
• Develop, track, and report against key performance indicators for projects, PMO, and countries 
• Support and coordinate the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required.

• Complete regular quality assurance activities on all projects in the UNOPS PNG portfolio including ensuring compliance with UNOPS defined standards for programme/project management.
• Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents and financial and programmatic deliverables.
• Provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.).
• Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system, using the UNOPS ERP system as required.
• Identify, and anticipate potential risks and issues and advise mitigating measures to the Head of PMO in a timely manner.
• Support the development of stakeholder profiles, stakeholder engagement strategies, and project communications plans.
• Advise projects and programs on various implementation challenges and project management best practices; guide users on UNOPS tools, templates, and systems as required.
• Support key stakeholders (including Country Managers, Project Executives, Head of Program, Head of PMO) to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation.

• Ensure routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of staff.
• Participate in, and advocate PMs' participation in, relevant Communities of Practice.
• Actively interact with PMs and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned, and best practices in the Knowledge System.
• Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learned are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.

The incumbent directly impacts the achievement of project results by assisting the Head of PMO to implement effective project management methods and strategies, reduce risks, cut costs, and improve success rates. The incumbent, on behalf of the PMO, will improve the maturity of project management within the MCO. This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of the UNOPS as an effective service provider in project services and management and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

• An advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Project Management, Business Administration, International Development, Engineering - civil & infrastructure or related fields

• A first university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in above-mentioned fields with an additional two (2) years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification is desirable.

• MSP certification (Foundation and/or Practitioner) is an advantage.

• Minimum five (5) years of relevant and progressive professional experience, specifically in the field of Project Management with experience in successful implementation and/or oversight of programmes and projects.

• Previous experience of working within a PMO environment or handling PMO functions is an asset.

• Previous experience working in an Engineering and/or Construction Management role is an asset OR experience working in the field of Infrastructure Project Management  in a developing country is an asset

• Experience in project assurance is an advantage

• Experience working on energy programmes (especially solar power), health infrastructure, water & sanitation, and waste to energy is an asset 

• Previous experience with the United Nations (and related organizations), or knowledge of UN project management tools, UN financial and procurement rules and regulations, and financial management tools, is an asset

• Proven experience with data analysis, management reporting, project management tools, and information management systems is an asset.

• Previous experience in the Pacific would be an advantage

• Full working knowledge of English is required.

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

• Contract type: InternationalICA
• Contract level: ICS 10 / IICA-2
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
• Port Moresby is a hardship family duty station.

• 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.