Head of Project Management Office (Internal Vacancy Announcement)

UNOPS South 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 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 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, 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. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

The primary role of the Head of Project Management Office (PMO) is to provide facilitation, guidance, advice and oversight to ensure the effective portfolio management, including towards the development, delivery and closure of projects in line with UNOPS standards and contribution goals, as well as the respective legal agreements and stakeholder expectations. This includes the rollout of the respective structures, tools and techniques to facilitate project implementation, governance, monitoring and quality assurance.

Under the supervision of the Head of Programme, the Head of PMO is responsible for  the following:

• Strategic Planning/Portfolio Support: Ensuring UNOPS is focused on doing the right projects by supporting management decision-making.

• Delivery Support: Ensuring UNOPS is doing projects the right way, through the effective  delivery of the programme and projects. 

• Best Practices: Applying UNOPS standards in project management, encouraging consistent working practices and ensuring appropriate application. 

The primary role of the Head of PMO is to ensure that project management policies, processes and methods are followed and practised according to the organization standards, while acting as the overall Project Assurance capacity within the business unit on behalf of the Director and Representative (Executive). The Head of PMO directly impacts on achievement of project results by assisting the Head of Programme to implement effective project management methods and strategies, reduce risks, cut costs and improve success rates.  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. 

Under direct supervision of the Head of Programme, the Head of PMO will be responsible for the following: 

Summary of Key Functions

1. Development and planning 

2. Set-up and closure

3. Monitoring and reporting

4. Stakeholder engagement

5. Quality assurance

6. Knowledge management and innovation 

7. Personnel management

8. Training and Capacity Building

• In conjunction with the PMO team, provides appropriate levels of programmatic management and administrative support to the Head of Programme and to the MCO Director regarding all ongoing project activities, while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.

• Provide advice and support to potential and current engagement of high value and/or risk, supporting Engagement Authorities in strengthening project governance structures and processes to enable achievement of high standards and consistency in line with UNOPS success criteria.

• 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, as and when appropriate, amendments, of project budgets and staffing resources, ensuring synergies across the EAPMCO.

• Develops and establishes resource tracking systems for use within the PMO, complementary to UNOPS' online tools, to ensure effective planning, forecasting and tracking of delivery across the EAPMCO.

• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advise mitigating measures to the Head of Programme.

• Support the drafting of budget, budget revision, submission of EAC and drafting of LA for new projects and amendments.

• Facilitate the development of high-level programme/project plans, including the collation of lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones.

• Develop, track and maintain dependencies and provide advice to management to ensure quality of delivery throughout the project lifecycle.

• Liaise closely and support the Head of Programme and Head of Support Services in all project assets and finance related issues.

• For project closure purposes, it acts as (or nominates and supervises) a focal point between the EAPMCO Offices, working in close collaboration with Portfolio Managers, Head of Support Services and Head of Finance, 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 on the UNOPS Management Workspace (MWS), and effective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for financial closure processes.

• Support the UNOPS EAPMCO HoP/CMs in regular review of project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).

• Prepare and issue regular project reports in accordance with donor guidelines for reporting.

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

• Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by UNOPS standard procedures.

• Identify and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues specific to delivery forecasts, and advises mitigating measures to the  Project Executive (HoP/CMs/MCO Director)

• Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system, using UNOPS ERP system as required.

• Perform routine maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programme and project activities, in line with logical frameworks.

• 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.

• Provide editorial support to programmes and projects, ensuring effective and timely dissemination of reports, in line with project documentation and clients' expectations.

• Provide the Head of Programme and Head of Support Services with necessary project analysis reports and information to support areas relevant to the project management team (i.e. Locally Managed Direct Costs projections etc.).

• Coordinate and oversee the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required.

• Monitor the implementation of the Countries Strategies and the MCO Strategies.

• Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies.

• Enable the formulation of programme and project communications plans.

• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects.

• Coordinate internal programme/project communications.

• Monitor the effectiveness of programme/project communications.

• Support the UNOPS EAPMCO HoP so that the monitoring of projects is carried out regularly in order to ensure accomplishment of set targets and results for projects/portfolios, delivery of services as per the agreed terms and conditions and in a timely manner. 

• Work with internal audit and finance to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements.

• Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers' quality systems.

• Ensure compliance with UNOPS defined standards for programme/project management.

• Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents and deliverables.

• Ensure adequate quality management procedures are applied across EAPMCO projects/portfolios and provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.).

• Forecast and track benefits (outcomes) to be realised based on the EAPMCO Benefit Management system and future corporate guidance.

• Represent the Head of Programme in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation.

• Support the Head of Programme to ensure there is adequate risk-based internal control system and mechanisms in place which are exercised on a regular basis as per the appropriate guidelines, EAPMCO SoPs and  corporate policies and procedures.

• Represent EAPMCO HoP in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation.

• Act as a focal point for the EAPMCO maturity enhancement initiatives.

• Make recommendations on policy and tools and contribute to the development of guidance material and tools that advance EAPMCO strategic project management goals

• Ensure routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of national 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. 

• Provide feedback to Practice Leads on policy and supporting guidance working to achieve continuous improvement of UNOPS policies. 

• Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.

• Exercise control of all staffing issues within the PMO team including recruitment, on-boarding and staff performance reviews.

• Directly contributes to the development and maintenance of budget and resource availability tables in conjunction with project managers and relevant project staff.

• Promote and support a learning culture by empowering individuals and teams to identify critical learning needs and plan/provide easy access to learning opportunities to maintain personnel competency and flexibility.

• Foster a positive work environment, respectful of both men and women, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed.

8. Training and capacity building

• Provide advice and support to project management practitioners on how to embed best practices of project and programme governance, risk management, project and programme management 

• Support and provide training and internal consulting in project and programme management and provide project and programme development advice and assistance to EAPMCO personnel, as required, in support of IPMG initiatives and roll-outs

• Strengthen the knowledge, skills and career development of project management practitioners

• People and skills – identify skills and competence shortages to deliver the portfolio of changes and recommend suitable development. 

• Postgraduate (Advanced) accredited university degree (master or equivalent) in Business Administration, International relations, Public Relations, Project Management or related field is required.
• Bachelor’s degree with an additional two (2) years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

• Minimum  seven (7) years of relevant and progressive professional experience, specifically in the field of Project and Programme Management with experience of successful implementation and/or oversight of programmes and projects in combination with an advanced degree is required. 
• Minimum two (2) years previous experience of working within a PMO environment is required.
• Experience in project assurance is an advantage.
• Experience in infrastructure projects is an asset. 
• Experience in procurement projects is an asset.
• Detailed knowledge of UNOPS’ project management tools, UNOPS financial and procurement rules and regulations, and financial management tools is an asset.
• Proven experience in data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems is an asset.

Languages:

• Full working knowledge of English is essential. 
• Fluency in one or more additional official UN languages is an advantage.

Certification

• PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification is an asset.
• MSP certification (Foundation and/or Practitioner) is an advantage.
• MoR certification is an advantage.

• Contract type: International ICA
• Contract level: ICS 11 / IICA 3
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘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.

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.