National Programme Manager

The “Enhancing Good Governance and Social Inclusion at Local Level in Serbia” Programme (Swiss PRO) will improve local capacities primarily in 99 municipalities in Šumadija and Western Serbia, and South and Eastern Serbia regions to apply good governance (GG) principles in local policies and regulations and thus increase social cohesion. The Government of Switzerland has allocated CHF 6.9 million for the Programme, with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) responsible for its implementation, in cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM).

The Programme has to fulfil two main goals:

1. To contribute to the enhancement of organisations and officials’ knowledge and skills
2. To positively change the scope and quality of public services rendered to citizens, especially to those from excluded groups.

Both goals will lead to improved regulations, institutional, technical and human capacities for the enhancement of e-services. In addition, capacity building will be provided to local civil society organisations (CSOs) as well as institutions dealing with social inclusion and gender equality.

Overall, this will contribute to the improved rule of law at the local level, increased accountability, transparency and efficiency and effectiveness of the local governments (LSGs), and ultimately improvement of quality of life of citizens, especially excluded citizens.

The Programme will coordinate its activities with the key line-national-level institutions, while observing the national strategies, laws and relevant development documents, which will contribute to sustainability, ensure national ownership and develop national capacities. The content and the scope of the Programme will significantly complement the European Union Support to Municipal Development – EU PRO Programme.(1)

Under guidance and supervision of the Programme Manager, the National Programme Manager is responsible for all aspects of the Programme life cycle, the delivery of the required outputs, development and implementation of the Programme’s governance framework, development and delivery of plans, monitoring of progress, preparation of reports, contribution to stakeholder engagement, but also the day-to-day management of the Programme. He/she is expected to contribute strongly to the Programme’s overall performance and fulfilment of objectives.

In particular, the National Programme Manager must have a thorough understanding of the Programme Document and Legal Agreement, terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the Programme’s products are capable of meeting the business case. The success of the Programme will be based on the Success Criteria of UNOPS engagements which are linked to the below responsibilities.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Establish strong working relationship with the donor, line ministries of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, national-level institutions, beneficiary local governments and other key stakeholders
• Ensure stakeholders are aware of the Programme activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover of products
• Advise the Programme Manager and the Programme Sub-Steering Committee on issues that may impact the achievement of outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post Programme requirements)
• Manage the information flows between the Programme Sub-Steering Committee and the Programme
• Manage communications and visibility aspects of the Programme, ensuring that the stakeholders and beneficiaries are aware of the Programme activities, results and impact.

Delivery and Performance:

• Develop and maintain Programme plans and ensure their implementation
• Manage the preparation of the required products, taking responsibility for the overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective actions where necessary
• Allocate the work packages to the personnel and authorise start, quality and end of work packages
• Identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to the client and stakeholders is achieved
• Advise the Programme Manager and the Programme Sub-Steering Committee of any deviations from the plans
• Manage and review quality of implemented activities and ensure products are accepted
• Ensure performance of service providers is monitored and evaluated
• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into the Programme life cycle
• Ensure close cooperation with the EU PRO Programme and contribute to the implementation of complementary activities

Procedures:

• Ensure respect of the UNOPS Project Management requirements and ensure that all organisational policies are complied with (Organizational Directives and Administrative Instructions)
• Prepare/adapt the following plans for approval by the Programme Sub-Steering Committee: I. Project Initiation Documentation; II. Stage/Exception Plans and relevant Product Descriptions
• Prepare the following reports:

                      i.        Inception Report

                    ii.        Bi-annual Reports

                   iii.        Annual Reports

                   iv.        Final Programme Report

                     v.        Operational Closure Checklist

                   vi.        Handover Report

• Ensure maintenance of the following: i. oneUNOPS document repository; ii. Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by those practices as per the Organizational Directive 12
• Work with the Programme and Operations Team to ensure that all expenditure complies with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR)
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time
• Understand and manage UNOPS overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the Programme
• Understand the unique structure of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel
• Ensure respect of the UNOPS configuration management requirements
• Contribute to high visibility of the Swiss PRO, while in particular ensuring visibility of the donor’s funding contribution  

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in the UNOPS’ Communities of Practice
• Actively interact with other project/programme managers, the Project Management Office and the project management community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices on the Knowledge System
• Provide feedback to the Practice Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
• Complete lessons learned as per reporting format
• Incorporate lessons learned from others as per planning format

Personnel Management:

• Lead and motivate the core Programme team and other Programme personnel
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted following the organisational deadlines
• Identify outstanding personnel capable of taking on more responsibility and bring them to the attention of the management with recommendations for future career development
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS’ personnel contract modalities
• Promote learning and development opportunities for the Programme team

Core Values:

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles

                      i.        Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management

                    ii.        Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place

                   iii.        Champion and communicate the Programme’s sustainability aspects with the key  stakeholders

• Understand and respect national ownership and capacity building

                      i.        Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the Programme plans

                    ii.        Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local personnel

                   iii.        Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts

• Partnerships and Coordination

                      i.        Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the programme’s place in the UN system

                    ii.        Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant Programme actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organisations or other relevant partners)

• Accountability for the results and the use of resources

                      i.        The Programme management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a Programme or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the National Programme Manager to raise the issue to the supervisor

• Excellence

                      i.        Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of the best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.

Education

• Advanced University Degree preferably in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science, Social/Development Studies, or other relevant discipline is required
• University Degree (bachelor’s degree/first level) with a combination of two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
• Complete the UNOPS’ Project Management Foundation course (within one year after signing this Terms of Reference)

Work Experience

• Two years (or more based on academic credentials) of experience in project development and management, with focus on monitoring, reporting, development and coordination in local governance/development field is required.
• Experience in dealing with the ministries and donors is an asset
• Experience of developing and implementing projects at the local level in Serbia is an asset

Language Requirements

•  Fluency in Serbian and English is required

Certifications

• PRINCE2® Practitioner certification will be considered as an asset

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.
• 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 supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.