Programme Management Specialist (Maternity Leave Cover)

UNOP Somalia Country Office (SOCO) exciting career opportunity as we are committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.


UNOPS - SOCO is recruiting this position: Programme Management Specialist (Maternity Leave Cover) and qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Background Information - Job Specific:

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Joint Police Programme, the Programme Management Specialist, will form a critical part of the Secretariat team, which includes talented technical, programme and fund management staff. Programme Management Specialist will be responsible to provide day-to-day operations of the project and will be responsible for the following functional responsibilities: 

1. Programme management support. 

• Ensure effective implementation and performance of the JPP. 

• Establish and oversee systems to monitor timelines, scope and programme delivery rates. 

• Maintain JPP calendar and ensure necessary communications, including relevant documentation, are prepared in advance of key meetings. 

• Provide oversight of outstanding issues and risks, as well as agreed decisions and actions, and support colleagues to address these in a timely and effective manner. 

• Report accurately on the status of agreed work requests, identifying and raising critical issues or concerns with senior management and colleagues to support timely resolution. 

2. Knowledge and Information Management.

• Ensure relevant programme documents are maintained and up to date for knowledge management, compliance to internal and donor requirements, and ensure programme records are complete for internal and external review purposes. Establish and/or maintain an electronic knowledge and information management system with due consideration for front-end and back-end users. Ensure OneUNOPS Projects have adequate and complete documentation. 

3. Stakeholder engagement. 

• Support Head of JPP and other colleagues to establish solid working relationships with a wide range of Somali and international actors, including members of the Federal and Federal Member State (FMS) governments, JPP donors (EU, Germany, UK), UN and AU missions. 

• Facilitate information sharing and collaboration with other actors supporting security sector governance and police development in Somalia.

4. Reporting. 

• Support Head of JPP to prepare regular and high-quality narrative reports on progress towards JPP outcomes and agreed work requests. 

Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles.

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

2. Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at the workplace.

3. Champion and communicate the project's sustainability aspects with key stakeholders.

Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity.

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

2. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff.

3. 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.

• Know the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and seek to contribute within the deliverables of the project.

• 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

• The project/programme 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 Head of JPP to raise the issue to a supervisor. 

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

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Ensure that the project produces the required products within the specified tolerance of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits.  

A.  Education

• Master’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science/Security Management/Development Studies, Education, Law or other relevant discipline is required. 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science/Security Management/Development Studies, Education, Law with a combination of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.

Certifications

• PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification is an asset. 
• Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Practitioner Certification is a preferred asset 

 B. Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years’ work experience in programme management experience gained from working on substantial development programmes (including, for example, implementation of programmes and logical frameworks) is required; 
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, competing priorities and to establish effective systems to support teams to deliver at pace is desirable.
• Experienced and resilient working in fragile contexts, with an understanding of wider conflict, peace and security issues in Africa is an added advantage.
• Successful track record working on security and justice development in fragile and/or conflict affected environments in Africa is desirable.
• Experience at successfully working for/with international development agencies overseas, and of successfully engaging and managing multiple stakeholders is an asset. 
• Ability to apply political and institutional analysis and use this to influence strategic planning and programming decisions is desirable.
• Experience working with multilaterals, other development partners and civil society organizations. Experience/knowledge of Google Suite products, especially google forms, sheets, docs and slides is an asset.

C. Language Requirements 

• Fluency in written and spoken English Language is required.

• 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.

• Mogadishu 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.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us: UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity: With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization: UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

AFR helps ensure that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between projects across the entire region.

Somalia Country Office:

UNOPS Somalia Country Office (SOCO) has had a solid and continuous in-country expert presence successfully implementing programs since the mid-1990s, where it is currently undertaking various projects and initiatives in close collaboration with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), Federal Member States (FMS) and partners from the global donor community. UNOPS’ projects in Somalia focus on several key sectors that include infrastructure development, institutional capacity building, project management, advisory services, and procurement services. These projects cut across multiple sectors, including education, healthcare, national security, law enforcement, immigration services, justice, transport, and public works among others. UNOPS work in Somalia is geared towards driving growth and development in the country, a process that requires developing a close relationship with the FGS and the other development partners.
  
Through its involvement in Somalia’s development process, UNOPS is providing transparent and accountable solutions in the country’s state and nation-building process. In addition, UNOPS is also committed to implementing the United Nations Strategic Framework Somalia 2017 – 2020, with the aim of helping Somalia achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. UNOPS work within the context of these commitments means that the projects it implements in Somalia are specifically designed to provide long-term solutions in the country, leading to sustainable and inclusive growth.

What drives us is a passion to fight inequalities and to provide opportunities to those most vulnerable. This means we often work in the most challenging environments, building foundations for communities to function and people to live with dignity and respect.

To succeed here, he/she need to be able to combine creativity with the organizational skills to manage numerous different projects to tight deadlines simultaneously, as well as working with the different units to meet their expectations.