Deputy Project Manager

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is looking for an experienced Deputy Project Manger to work with our team across West Africa especially in our Sierra Leone Country Office.

Whether it’s fighting Ebola by securing works contracts for new isolation wards, procuring life-saving medical equipment for the most vulnerable or helping establish West Africa’s largest renewable energy micro-grids, the work you do at UNOPS is about building a future we all can believe in.

If you have experience leading teams, are excited to expand our sustainable project management initiatives, are great at facilitating technical teams to develop specifications, are always ready to get hands on with the work and can lead partners through best practice in Project Management with Prince 2 certification, then this is your opportunity.

Things happen quickly at UNOPS and we are looking for enthusiastic team players who are ready to not only keep up but blaze a path forward. The sub-regional office based in Accra, Ghana is UNOPS newest and covers the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. As a central resource for the United Nations and its member governments, UNOPS is a global organization that is focused on making a local difference with some of the world’s top services in Project Management, Infrastructure and Procurement.

What drives us is a passion to fight inequalities and to provide opportunities to those most vulnerable. Come help us build the foundations for communities to function and people to live with dignity and respect. 

General Background

The Deputy Project Manager is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations of the project(s) and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries.  He/she is expected to meet and exceed the organizations performance and delivery goals.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Deputy Project Manager is responsible to have a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the project(s) products are capable of meeting the business cases for both UNOPS and the client. Success of the project(s) and hence Deputy Project Manager will be based on the Success Criteria of UNOPS engagements which are linked to the below responsibilities. 

The project would rely on a number of external suppliers for its successful delivery, managing tight timeline with some flexibility. The Deputy Project Manager is responsible for supporting the Project Manager in all aspects of the project life cycle.  S/he must be able to apply, with some degree of autonomy, the below duties and responsibilities of the project success criteria:

Stakeholder Management:

• Establish solid working relationship with the project board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholders;
• Establish solid working relationship with the project Steering Committee members
• Coordinate communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products;
• Advise the Project Manager and client on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance);
• Manage the information flows between UNOPS and the Ministry of Energy (MOE) and the Project Board/Hub Director, Project team and Programme Management Office (PMO).
• Take responsibility for the Steering Committee and Project Board secretariat functions

Delivery and Performance:

• On behalf of the Project Manager, coordinate the development and maintenance of project plans;
• Coordinate the implementation of approved project plans (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the project board;
• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into project life cycle.
• Coordinate the production of the required products, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary
• Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers;
• In consultation with the Project Manager, authorize Work Packages;
• Alert the Project Manager and Head of Programme (as required) of any deviations from the plan. 
• Identify and manage risks so that maximum benefit to client and stakeholders is achieved
• Support the Project Manager in reviewing product quality and ensuring products are accepted;
• Monitor and evaluate performance of service providers;
• Identify and report potential business opportunities for UNOPS to the Country Manager;
• Identify and report threats to UNOPS internal business case to Country Manager

Procedures:

• Follow the Project Management Cycle Instructions and ensure that all organizational policy is complied with (Operational Directives and Operational Instructions);
• Prepare/adapt the following plans for approval by the Project Board:  I. Project Initiation Documentation; II. Stage/Exception Plans and relevant Product Descriptions;
• On behalf of the Project Manager, prepare the following reports:

                                i.           Highlight Reports

                              ii.            End Stage Reports

                             iii.            Operational Closure Checklist

                             iv.            End Project Report

                              v.            Handover Report

• Maintain the following: i. Project Document Archive; ii. Procurement, HR and Finance files as required by those practices.
• Coordinate with the project manager and Project Support Officer (PSO) to ensure that all expenditure comply with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR);
• Support the Project Manager in managing budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time;
• Support the Project Manager in understanding and managing UNOPS overheads, allocate charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project;
• Understand the unique structures of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel;
• Manage and remain accountable for expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports)
• Where the Deputy Project Manager has no delegation as a committing officer, s/he retains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to carry out the relevant commitments and disbursements.

Knowledge Management:

• Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice
• Actively interact with other Project Managers and the Project Management community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the Knowledge System;
• Provide feedback to 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:

• Actively support the PM to lead and motivate the project management team;
• Support the PM to ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established;
• Support the PM and Resources Pool Managers to ensure that performance reviews are conducted;
• Identify outstanding staff and bring them to the attention of the Project Manager;
• Establish a thorough understanding of UNOPS personnel contract modalities (including ICA and Staff);
• Support the selection, recruitment and training of the team as required by project plans
• Perform the Team Leader role, unless appointed to another person(s)
• Perform Project Support role, unless appointed to another person or corporate/programme function
• Ensure safety and security for all personnel and comply with UNDSS standards

Core Values and Principles:

• 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 project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity:

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

                  ii.  Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff

                  iii.  Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts

• Partnerships and Coordination Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the project’s place in the UN system:

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

• Accountability for results  and the use of resources:

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

• Excellence:

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

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

-          Stakeholders satisfaction

-          Effective project governance

-          Timeliness and accuracy of reporting

-          Accuracy of project planning (delivery according to plans)

-          Unqualified audit

General: 

• Master's Degree in Project Management, Law, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, Energy Management or other relevant discipline.

• Applicants with Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management, Law, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, Energy Management or other relevant discipline with 7 years of relevant experience will be considered. 

• A significant experience associated with relevant academic credentials and / or certifications may
  compensate for absence of university education.

• PRINCE 2 Practitioner Certification is added advantage (within one year after signing this TOR)

• Successful candidate must complete the UNOPS Project Management Foundation course (within one year after signing this TOR)

B. Work Experience

• 5 years of progressively responsible experience in infrastructure development is required. 
• Knowledge of and/or past experience in the energy sector is an advantage;
• Competent in the use of all commonly used computer software – spreadsheet and other computer programmes;
• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage;

C.  Language

• Fluency in both written and oral English is required.

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. 

• 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.