Project Management Office (PMO)

Background Information - Afghanistan

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services.

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need.

The primary role of Project Management Office (PMO) is to provide AFCO with the structures, tools and techniques needed to ensure that it has the right programmes and projects in place, that operational and change priorities are balanced, the governance and decision making is facilitated and it 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 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 Director and Representative (Executive). The PMO strongly contributes to moving the Country Office toward achieving its mission-focused goals and objectives.

Summary of functions:

Development and planning

Set-up and closure

Monitoring and reporting

Stakeholder engagement

Quality assurance

Knowledge management and innovation

Personnel management

In conjunction with the PMO team, 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 contribute to strategic oversight, advice and direction on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements and project documents.

Ensure proper development, implementation and, as and when appropriate, amendments, of project budgets and staffing resources, ensuring synergies across the [OC/Hub/PC].

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 Country Office

Identifies, and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to the Head of Programme.

Facilitate the development of high-level programme/project plans, including the collation of lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones.

Develop, track and maintain dependencies.

Liaise closely and support 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 Country Office and donors throughout the process.

Oversee and coordinate all project closure activities, ensuring appropriate disposal of project assets, timely and effective final (operational) reporting, initiation of financial disbursements as appropriate during Defects Liability Periods, updating of information on the UNOPS system, and effective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for financial closure processes.

Prepare and issue regular project reports in accordance with donor guidelines for reporting.

Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).

Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by UNOPS standard procedures.

Identify and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues specific to delivery forecasts, and advises mitigating measures to the Head of Programme.

Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system, using UNOPS ERP system as required.

Perform routine maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programme and project activities, in line with logical frameworks.

Within the context of monitoring and evaluation, ensure all projects submit and regularly update specific milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life-cycles, and track progress, or otherwise, against such information.

Provide editorial support to programmes and projects, ensuring effective and timely dissemination of reports, in line with project documentation and clients' expectations.

Provide the Head of Support Services with necessary project analysis reports and information to support areas relevant to the project management team (i.e. Locally Shared Service Costs projections etc.).

Coordinate and oversee the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required.

Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies.

Enable the formulation of programme and project communications plans.

Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects.

Coordinate internal programme/project communications.

Monitor the effectiveness of programme/project communications.

Work with internal audit and finance to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements.

Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers' quality systems.

Ensure compliance with UNOPS defined standards for programme/project management.

Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents and deliverables.

Provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.).

Represent the Head of Programme in supporting key stakeholders to continuously identify and improve operational processes relevant to project implementation.

Act as a focal point for the Country Office maturity enhancement initiatives, using the corporate guidance as a baseline.

Ensure routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of national staff.

Participate in, and advocate PMs' participation in, relevant Communities of Practice.

Actively interact 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.

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 staff.

Promote 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.

Foster a positive work environment, respectful of both men and women, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed.

The Project Management Office (PMO) - Specialist 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.

Education:

A Master’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration or related field (e.g. International Relations).

Certification:

PRINCE2 Practitioner Certification is highly desirable.

MSP certification (Foundation and/or Practitioner) is an advantage.

Experience:

A minimum of least 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 an advantage.

Detailed knowledge of UNOPS’ project management tools, UNOPS financial and procurement rules and regulations, and financial management tools, is asset,

Strong experience with data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems.

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.

Language Requirements:

Full working knowledge of English is essential.

Fluency in one or more additional official UN languages is an advantage.

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.

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.