UNOPS recruits a PMO Team Leader in Senegal

UNOPS hiring a PMO Team Leader in Senegal.

Background Information – UNOPS

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.

Background Information – Senegal

Located in Dakar, the UNOPS office in Senegal has developed a strong working relation with the Governments of West Africa and international partners over the years. It provides technical support in strategic development areas including elections; procurement and related capacity building; environmental protection, as well as infrastructure rehabilitation and development.

Your responsibilities as PMO at UNOPS

The primary role of Project Management Office (PMO) is to provide Hub with the structure, tools and technical skills needed to ensure effective Programme and Projects management, coordination and implementation. The PMO ensures that :

  •  Operational and change priorities are balanced
  • The governance and decision making is facilitated and
  • The Hub has the resources and capability to deliver them consistently well

The functions and services of the PMO include:

  • 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 PMO Team Lead is to ensure that project management policies, processes and methods are followed and practiced according to the organization standards, while acting as the overall Project Assurance capacity within the business unit on behalf of the Head of Programme (Executive). The PMO Team Lead strongly contributes to moving the Hub toward achieving its mission-focused goals and objectives.

The Role will require the selected candidate to travel 1/3 of her/his time across the Hub.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme, the PMO Team Lead has the overall following responsibilities:

1. Development and planning

  • Provides appropriate levels of programmatic management and administrative support to the Programme Management regarding all ongoing project activities, while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures
  • Directly contributes to strategic oversight, advice and direction on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements and project documents
  • Oversee and ensures proper development, implementation and, as and when appropriate, initiates amendments of project budgets and staffing resources, ensuring synergies across the Hub
  • 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 Hub.
  • Identifies, and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to the Head of Programme

2. Set-up and closure

  • Facilitates the development of high-level programme/project plans, including the collation of lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones
  • Ensures an effective mechanism is in place to develops, tracks and maintains dependencies Liaises closely and supports the Head of Support Services in all project assets and finance related issues
  • For project closure purposes, acts as (or nominates and supervises) a focal point between the Hub and donors throughout the process
  • Oversees project closure activities, ensuring appropriate disposal of project assets, timely and effective operational closure process and reporting,
  • Ensure financial disbursements are initiated as appropriate during Defects Liability Periods, updating of information using UNOPS ERP System and ensure effective handover of operationally closed projects to Support Services for financial closure processes

3. Monitoring and reporting

  • Ensure timely submission of project reports in accordance with donor guidelines for reporting
  • Regularly reviews portfolio status, evaluating key performance indicators  Identifies and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues specific to delivery forecasts, and advises mitigating measures to the Head of Programmes.
  • Provides routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system, using UNOPS ERP system as required
  • Oversees routine maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programmes and project activities, in line with logical frameworks
  • Within the context of monitoring and evaluation, ensures all projects submit and regularly update specific milestones and targets for the duration of projects’ life-cycles, and tracks progress, or otherwise, against such information
  • Provides the 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.)
  • Coordinates and oversees the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required

4. Stakeholders Engagement

  • Develops stakeholder profiles and facilitates the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies
  • Enables the formulation of programmes and project communications plans
  • Coordinates stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects
  • Coordinates internal programmes/projects communications
  • Monitors effectiveness of programmes/projects communication.

5. Quality Assurance

  • Works with internal audit and finance to ensure the Programme complies with audit requirements
  • Works with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers’ quality systems
  • Ensures compliance with UNOPS defined standards for programme/project management
  • Coordinates quality reviews of programme/project documents and deliverables
  • Provides quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.)
  • Represents the Head of Programme in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementations.

6. Knowledge Management and Innovation

  • Acts as a focal point for the Hub maturity enhancement initiatives, using the P3M3 as a baseline
  • Ensures routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of national personnel
  • Participates in, and advocates PMs’ participation in, relevant Communities of Practice
  • Actively interacts with PMs and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices in the Knowledge System
  • Provides feedback to Practice Leads on policy and supporting guidance working to achieve continuous improvement of UNOPS policies
  • Contributes to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner

7. Personnel Management

  • 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 personnel
  • Promotes 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
  • Fosters a positive work environment, respectful of both men and women, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed
Impact of Results 

The PMO Team Lead directly impacts on achievement of project results by assisting the Head of Programme to implement effective project management methods and strategies, reduced 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.

Job requirements

  • Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above)Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
  • Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.
  • Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).
  • Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.
  • Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.
  • Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.
  • Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

  • A master’s degree in Project Management, Business Administration or related field (e.g. political sciences and other related social science)
  • A combination of Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above
  • Work experience A minimum of 5 years of relevant and progressive professional experience, specifically in the field of Project Management with experience of successful implementation and/or oversight of Programmes and projects
  • Previous experience of working within a PMO environment is required
  • Experience in supervising a team in multicultural environment  is required
  • Detailed knowledge of UNOPS’ project management tools, UNOPS financial and procurement rules and regulations, and financial management tools, is a strong advantage
  • Proven experience with data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems is required

Language    Full working knowledge of French and English is required

Certifications

PRINCE 2 Foundation Certification is required
Programme/Project Management Professional (MSP®) ou PMI-PgMP/PMI-PMP ou P3O is an advantage

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Individual Contract Agreement (ICA) Contract level: International ICA 2
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance’

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Considerations

  • Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
  • Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
  • Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
  • Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
  • Work life harmonization – UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
  • UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
  • For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
  • The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Application deadline: 2020-02-23