Programme Management Specialist

Background Information - Job-specific

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 Nepal context:

During 2015 – 2022 UNOPS Nepal has engaged closely with the Government of Nepal and several development partners in the reconstruction efforts of the government of Nepal including assessment of damaged buildings and enrolment of beneficiaries into housing grant schemes. UNOPS supported homeowners engaged in the reconstruction process, modernization and improvement of policing services, retrofitting damaged houses and reconstruction of disability-friendly schools, and delivering some essential equipment to support COVID-19 response efforts. The functional objective of UNOPS Nepal is to deliver its projects efficiently and effectively in alignment with government priorities following UNOPS rules and regulations, to achieve the outcomes sought by the Government and funding partners, and to contribute to the achievement of SDGs.

While ensuring gender, diversity, and inclusion are mainstreamed in all its projects, UNOPS Nepal is currently working on several new engagements to support the government of Nepal under Health, Rule of Law, Climate Change, DRR, Urban development, procurement support among others and create new opportunities and jobs for the people of Nepal.

In alignment with government priorities, the UNOPS Nepal country office looks forward to providing long-term strategic and advisory support to the country by enhancing the capacity of national and sub-national governments and partners within all three tiers of government. By prioritizing evidence-based planning, capacity building, and developing model projects for creating sustainable and inclusive cities, UNOPS Nepal country office also aims to build strong relationships with urban municipalities at the local level. Aiming to create a sustainable city by promoting a green and resilient, climate adaptive, and socially inclusive development approach the assignment will focus on prioritizing the municipalities for its future interventions.

1. Programme Implementation

● Serve as the primary focal point of the Cities 4 Women: Inclusive and Climate Resilient Urbanization in Nepal project, and will be responsible for reporting to the Country Manager on the technical, financial, and operational coordination of Cities4Women project to ensure timely and partner-oriented services delivery and support issue resolution arising from the implementation processes.

● Provide lead on building and maintaining relationships with the country stakeholders in the public and private sectors as well as with civil society, fostering partnerships and collaboration with the development partners and actors active in the urban sector and providing guidance and suggestions regarding program directions, challenges, and opportunities.

● Facilitate mobilization and leveraging of financial and other resources as well as participation in programmatic and resource mobilization activities of the Cities4Women project to sustain and scale up its initiatives.

● Facilitate and support knowledge management, sharing and exchanging of knowledge on lessons learned and best practices of Cities4Women, identifying knowledge sharing and profiling opportunities for Cities4Women project and its programs, assisting in the delivery of knowledge events, and identifying communication, profiling and media coverage opportunities for Cities4Women project.

2. Coordination Functions:

● In coordination with the Project Manager, provide guidance and suggestions for the Cities4Women project and its activities and objectives, challenges, and opportunities based on local knowledge and developments;

● Promote and maintain effective teamwork within the Cities4Women project team and other UNOPS colleagues, taking proactive measures to ensure team building and harmony;

● Take responsibility for the implementation of the Cities4Women project’s annual work plan, striving toward the set delivery and resource mobilization targets;

● Lead the drafting of the Cities4Women project’s annual administrative and operational program and budget proposals and reports;

● Support programmatic and administrative reporting on the Cities4Women project’s activities in accordance with its monitoring and reporting requirements under its Results-based Management Framework and UNOPS reporting requirements;

● Support setting annual performance targets and objectives for the Cities4Women project team, assessing performance and providing feedback.

3. Programme/Portfolio Development and Management:

● Under the guidance of the Country Manager, lead the formulation and implementation of the Cities4Women project’s country work plan and its periodic review and updates and ensure alignment with the Cities4Women project’s regional work plan;

● Under the guidance of the Country Manager,, oversee the implementation of the Cities4Women project’s fund allocations, and maintenance of the financial integrity of the programme by ensuring adherence to the Cities4Women project’s standard operating procedures and UNOPS rules and regulations, and ensuring timely and effective use of Cities4Women project resources;

● Lead quality control measures in the implementation of a portfolio of project activities, arrange for periodic project monitoring field visits, provide technical and operational support and guidance to Cities4Women project’s implementing partners, monitor project implementation progress and results, contribute to the effective monitoring and evaluation of Cities4Women project program and projects;

● Support the organization of periodic stakeholder workshops and project development sessions among partners in energy transition, private sector and civil society organizations and local communities, and potential applicants and other stakeholders to inform about the Cities4Women project and its initiatives;

● Identify and foster programs, projects, policy linkages, and coordination between the Cities4Women project program and aligned programs under the Cities4Women project, and broader programs in the urban and natural resource sector funded by development partners planned or underway in the country, and those of other governments, donors, and development partners;

● Report periodically to the Country Manager on program implementation status, emerging risks, and issues in a timely manner; including support annual monitoring reporting, financial reporting, audit, and support updating the relevant UNOPS and Cities4Women project databases.

4. Resource Mobilization and Partnerships:

● Determine a strategy, establish and maintain close working relationships with stakeholders as well as facilitate visibility of the Cities4Women project;

● Analyze the interests and priorities of key donors and other development partners, develop/update and implement the resource mobilization and partnership strategy to mobilize resources, and develop partnerships with the government, donors, and other partners to best leverage Cities4Women project resources and develop program-level partnerships;

● Support Country Manager on emerging opportunities, due diligence processes and funding negotiations;

● Support the Cities4Women project with its resource mobilization activities, including securing co-financing and project-level partnerships, and assist in identifying opportunities and resources for sustaining and scaling up projects;

● Be the focal point, or delegate accordingly, for key stakeholders within the UN system, Cities4Women project funders, the development partner community, and government beneficiaries.

5. Knowledge Management:

● Document impact/success stories, lessons learned, and best practices in Cities4Women project program/project development, implementation, and oversight;

● Identify country, regional, and global knowledge relevant to the Cities4Women project, develop and distill best practices, and facilitate dissemination and incorporation within Cities4Women project programs and to counterparts and partners;

● Support capacity building and networking of implementing partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange, and promote uptake through knowledge platforms, knowledge fairs, etc.

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) preferably in Resource Management, Business Administration, Political Science, International Relations, Engineering, or related fields is desired.

A first-level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and 2 additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of experience working in projects/programmes is required;

A minimum of 2 years of experience working in the urban and/or natural resource sector is required;

Proven capacity to interact with a variety of stakeholders, including governmental and non-governmental partners, other UN agencies, and international donors is desirable;

Experience in writing comprehensive project reports, and scientific articles is desirable.

Language:

Fluency in English and Nepali 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.

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.