Thursday, August 25, 2011

Project Manager at UN Office for Project Services in El Fasher, Sudan

Project Manager at UN Office for Project Services in El Fasher, Sudan

UNOPS helps its partners in the United Nations system meet the world’s needs for building peace, recovering from disaster, and creating sustainable development. UNOPS is known for its ability to implement complex projects in all types of environments around the globe. In an effort to promote organizational excellence, UNOPS seeks highly qualified individuals for the following position:

Vacancy Details

Vacancy Code
UNOPS/2011/SDOC/CSS/VA052

Post Title
Project Manager

Post Level
IICA - Level 3 (International Individual Contractor Agreement)

Position status
Non – Rotational

Project Title
Water Resources Development Projects in Darfur

Org Unit
AFO – SDPC

Duty Station
El Fasher, Darfur, SUDAN (non-family)

Duration
6 – 12 months (with possibility of extension)

Closing Date
September 22nd, 2011

Background

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) - Sudan Project Centre (SDPC) is based in Khartoum. UNOPS operations are largely focused on assisting partners with the implementation of physical infrastructure projects including designing, constructing and rehabilitating roads, airstrips, Urban Water supply infrastructure, and Dams and other Water storage Infrastructure. UNOPS also procures goods and services for a number of partners and provides logistics and operational support to institutions in Sudan with the overall objective of building peace and supporting national development objectives.

UNOPS – SDPC works with various United Nations partners, as well as bi-lateral donors and International Financial Institutions including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union (EU), Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank.

Under the direct supervision of the UNOPS Sudan Head of Office, the Project Manager will be based in Darfur, Sudan. The Project Manager is responsible for the coordination of the project team(s) and for ensuring that all work for allocated projects is of high quality and completed within the timeframe set by the donor.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of Head of Office of UNOPS – SDPC, the incumbent is required to perform the following duties and responsibilities:
  • Project Structure
  • Establish and maintain effective structures and processes for the delivery of the Project and its Implementation Plan, within the overall SDPC structure.
  • Manage the time and contributions of the project team in close collaboration with the SDPC main support office, and other support centers as necessary.
Planning
  • Develop detailed work plans for the Project(s) with clearly defined activities and specific results-based outputs for the implementation of the Project(s) within the priorities of Government of Sudan and guided by the UNOPS.
  • Prepare annual budgets to support the implementation of annual workplans based on the overall budget in the Project(s) Documents and other resources to be mobilized.
Technical and Managerial
  • Lead the work of the Project and oversee the implementation of specified activities in the work plans of water resources development projects in Darfur
  • Ensure timely implementation and reporting by implementing partners.
  • Advise on and implement good environmental practices and controls during construction and mitigate environmental impacts of the works.
  • Advise on and implement effective gender controls in the planning and implementation of the project.
  • Liaises with community leaders and Government Authorities to maintain local stakeholder participation and support.
  • Liaises with the Project Management coordinators of other sister agencies to coordinate project activities and mobilize access to sharing of equipment and resources.
  • Latest project management principles are to be implemented in order that allocated projects are successfully delivered on time, within budget and to the required quality.
  • Actively interact with clients to solicit feedback and gauge client satisfaction.
Capacity Building
  • Provide training and technology transfer to national staff and counterparts and contractor’s staff and advise on good project management and construction practices.
  • Promote appropriate technology and appropriate technical standards and construction methods taking social needs and requirement for technical and management capacity development of national counterparts into consideration. . Reporting
  • Prepare and issue regular Project Reports in accordance with donor guidelines for reporting.
  • Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by UNOPS standard procedures.
Other
  • Identify and develop new business potential.
  • Actively work with clients on proposed new projects, identifying client requirements and taking action to meet requirements.
  • Contribute to resource mobilization for the implementation of Project(s) from bilateral donors and multilateral agencies and other relevant sources where necessary.
  • Attend coordination meetings as required; Arrange and host donor and official site visits.
  • Perform any other duties deemed necessary by the Head of Office.
The incumbent will be responsible to abide by the security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

Required Selection Criteria

Competencies
  • Professionalism, integrity and commitment to project demands.
  • Strong analytical skills.
  • Accountability.
  • Planning and Organizing.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Aptitude for political sensitivities.
  • Team player.
Education/Experience/Languages
  • Master degree in Engineering, Project management or other relevant discipline.
  • Post graduate qualifications in water resources development related fields will be desirable.
  • Minimum 11 years of relevant experience of which at least 7 years must be at managerial level (Additional 2 years of relevant work experience, in combination with a relevant Bachelor’s degree, can substitute for the requirement for Master degree).
  • Experience in the investigation, design and implementation of water resources development infrastructure projects will be an advantage.
  • The candidate must be thoroughly proficient in written and spoken English.
  • Competent in the use of all commonly used computer software – spreadsheets and other computer programs.
  • Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage.
  • Certification in Prince2 or Project Management Professional (PMP) methodologies highly desirable.
  • Experience of working in Sudan is desirable.
  • Experience of working with UNOPS is desirable.
Submission of Applications

Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via e-mail to vacanciesSDOCInt@unops.org Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email.

Additional Considerations
  • Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
  • Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.
For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org.