Head of the Infrastructure Support Services Center

Jerusalem Office – UNOPS Project Management and Infrastructure Centre of Excellence

Since the opening of the Jerusalem Office in 2006, UNOPS has significantly strengthened its operations in Palestine. Our expert knowledge, skills and management systems contribute to the sustainable development of public infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, including Area C and East Jerusalem.

The ISSC (Previously called Centre of Excellence for Project Management and Infrastructure) was established in 2015 following a decision by the Executive Office in recognition of Jerusalem Office’s ability, capacities and maturity in infrastructure and project management. Its mandate is to provide infrastructure and project management services to the organization at global level, including MR and Jerusalem office. The ISSC’s strategic vision is to retain a pool of infrastructure and project management specialists as an asset for this organization and the continuous development in its mandated infrastructure service. It was decided by the Executive Director that the ISSC should be located in Jerusalem and work closely with the corporate practices. 

Since 2015, the ISSC has been operating in continuous coordination with HQ and country offices to assist in achieving the desired results, so that they can further support their partners' projects around the world. It provided consulting; support services, leadership, and advocacy to support the Organization optimize quality of applications. 

 Purpose and Scope of Assignment 

The Head of Infrastructure Support Services Center reports directly to the Director of the Jerusalem Office who provides direction and general supervision. The Head of Infrastructure Support Services Center is responsible for the ISSC development planning and preparation and for managing all services related to the relevant infrastructure projects and programmes to achieve results in the area/s of responsibility. The role contributes to the development and implementation of strategies to enhance the competencies and position of UNOPS in sustainable project management and services to partners, stakeholders and UN system partners. 

Functional Responsibilities: 

Under the direct supervision of the Director of Jerusalem Office, the Head of Infrastructure Support Services Center shall be responsible of the below duties: 

 Managing the Infrastructure Support Services Center: 

● Provide leadership, financial control, advice and guidance for infrastructure work undertaken by the ISSC. 

● Monitor and supervise the timely and cost-effective implementation of the ISSC’s infrastructure and project management services according to UNOPS goals and partner/client expectations, approved budget, and full cost recovery. 

● Develop and implement the ISSC governance framework, yearly business plan, budget, and cost recovery plan. 

● Manage and oversee the preparation of the ISSC services proposals, delivery plans, and risk assessment. 

● Plan and propose to the Regional office/Country office directors, required ISSC resources (human and financial). 

● Submit cost recovery and expenditure forecasts based on the approved yearly business plan, and budget. 

● Determine pricing strategies of the different infrastructure and project management services based on UNOPS pricing policy, estimated time efforts, and models to ensure an appropriate balance between cost recovery and expenditure and development capacity for the ISSC team within UN mandate and spirit. 

● Manage and oversee the financial aspect of the work including processing of cost recovery transactions to ensure that ISSC is self-sufficient to operate throughout the year; takes responsibility for managing budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met within the agreed costs. 

● Manage ISSC resources in accordance with UNOPS standards of ethics, integrity and accountability framework and financial sustainability. 

Qualifications and Experience 

a. Education: 

  Advanced University Degree in Engineering, Project management or relevant related field.

 Bachelor degree is accepted in lieu of Master degree with additional 2 years of experience. 

A Technical/Professional Diploma in combination with an additional 4 years (11 in total) relevant, national experience

 b. Work Experience: 

➢ At least (7) Seven years of relevant experience that combines strategic and managerial leadership in engineering infrastructure in a large international and/or corporate organization. 

➢ Experience in complex infrastructure projects, as well as a background knowledge of sustainability is required. 

➢ Experience in the development infrastructure sector is highly desired. 

➢ Knowledge of sustainable and resilient approaches in infrastructure is highly desired.

➢ Work Experience with an international Organization and/or UN Agencies is an asset. 

c. Languages: 

➢ Fluency in English and Arabic is required. 

d. Certification: 

➢ PRINCE2® Foundation/Practitioner is an asset, but required completion within the first 6 months of onboarding. 

➢ Programme/Project Management Professional (MSP® or PMI-PgMP/PMI-PMP) is an asset. 

Contract type: ICS - Local ICA 

• 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. 

• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.