Project Management Support - Senior Officer

Background Information – UNOPS Hub in Amman 

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects on behalf of UN agencies and bilateral donors and in close coordination with the Government and national authorities. With an established presence across the region (Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon), the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development, and technical management, and provides financial, human resources, and infrastructure-related services. The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules, and regulations of UNOPS, in order to support the response to the current needs and national priorities in the region. 

UNOPS has been active in Iraq since 2004, delivering close to 50 projects worth over USD 260 million. UNOPS has a very strong relationship with the key counterparts at both central and regional government levels in Iraq. UNOPS operates from its Operational Hub in Amman, and supports its country office in Baghdad and its sub-office in Erbil.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a fully diverse workforce.

Background Information - Project Specific

The Yemen Office in the Amman Hub is currently implementing three projects with identical scope with the same funding source in Yemen. This is the fourth phase of the project where UNOPS will increase access to primary and secondary health services facilities (general hospitals, local health centers, and therapeutic feeding centers) in Yemen, by restoring the physical infrastructure of health facilities (rehabilitation, maintenance works and minor repairs) in targeted areas. In addition, UNOPS will be providing priority medical equipment and supplies to these targeted facilities along with training on the use of the medical equipment to the staff of the rehabilitated health facilities.

UNOPS will be responsible for the design and rehabilitation works of the health facilities, ensuring highest standards in design and rehabilitation works, and respect of ‘state of the art’ requirements for safety, sustainability, security, and disability access. In addition, UNOPS will be responsible to provide the targeted facilities with priority medical equipment and supplies, as well as strengthening capacities through conducting training and awareness raising activities.

The project is currently in the early stages of the implementation phase and is planned to have a project team of up to 10 personnel. The project budget is approximately $15 million dollars. 

UNOPS has been operating in Yemen since 2013, focusing on providing support in the area of infrastructure, procurement, project management, and operational support to UN entities. Currently, UNOPS is implementing a number of large-scale infrastructure-based projects aimed at restoring access to basic social services in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.  The projects focus on the following sectors: transport, water and sanitation, solid waste management, municipal services, and electricity. In addition, UNOPS has operationalized the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) for Yemen, aimed at facilitating maritime commercial traffic to Yemen’s Red Sea ports.

Local Context: 

The health services in Yemen have been severely affected due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, leaving  21.9 million people in need of access to critical health services. 49 percent of health facilities are either non-functional or partially functional and even fully functional health facilities struggle to provide health services due to staff shortages, inadequate supplies and equipment, and the inability to meet operational costs and power outages caused by lack of fuel. 

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020 has placed an additional burden on public health in general and existing facilities in particular. According to the INFORM Epidemic Risk Index, Yemen is ranked among the countries that face a ‘very high risk’ of infectious disease affecting humanitarian need. The outspread of COVID19 has led to millions of people dying from complications due to the high prevalence of the existing underlying medical conditions and caseloads of preventable diseases/illnesses, including communicable diseases such as cholera, and measles, dengue, and diphtheria, as well as non-communicable cardiac diseases (NCDs).

• Perform the role of the Deputy Project Manager for the project.

• Support the PM in ensuring timely planning and implementation of the project’s activities during the inception, implementation, and closure phases of the Project, resulting in the achievement of the project’s objectives within the prescribed scope of work, timeline, budget, and quality standards. 

• Support and liaise with PM on the project implementation progress and development and update of the approved plans (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances;

• Ensure compliance with UNOPS Organizational Directives, Administrative Instructions, and Project Management Manual during the project implementation; to ensure that quality of work packages and deliverables complies with the quality requirements defined in the Implementation Plan

• Assist in the management of the project information flows and oversee change controls, risk registers, and issue management by establishing oversight procedures; 

• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advise mitigating measures to Project Manager so that maximum benefit to partner(s) and other stakeholders is achieved.

• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into the project life span. 

• Provide inputs and review project reports and presentations for PM, as and when needed.

• Provide timely, accurate, and quality inputs needed for monitoring of the project’s performance, outputs and benefits as required by the Project Manager.

• Address relevant requests from the Project Management Office and the Head of Programme

• Prepare and issue regular project and/or financial reports in accordance with Partner requirements for reporting.

• Support the Project Manager with reporting to donors, PMO reporting and provide updates and information as required.

• Maintain progress reports as required by PMM.

• Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).

• Regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life span.

• Collect data for the Monitoring and evaluation Framework, provide M&E reports.

• Coordinate and with the relevant stakeholders to ensure project activities are carried out as planned.

• Timely collate reports used to inform the key stakeholders of interventions, and trends and conditions in the Programme Area.

• Provide visibility/promotional material in accordance with the approved communication and visibility plan.

• Liaise and coordinate with municipal authorities and other governmental counterparts, NGOs and CSOs, and targeted communities;

• Maintain effective communication and coordination with the project team;

• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building; and to ensure that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner with the project team and PMO through lessons learned in OUP. 

• Encourage routine and effective capacity building activities to be conducted

• Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) preferably in Engineering, Business Administration, Project Management, Social Science, Development Studies or other related fields is required.

• A First Level University Degree (Bachelor's Degree or equivalent) preferably in Engineering, Business Administration, Project Management, Social Science, Development Studies or other related fields with an additional 2 years of experience will be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

Contract type:  Local Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: LICA-9
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• 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 located 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.