November 13th, 2021 at 04:41 pm
Background Information – Job-specific
Background Information – Ghana Multi Country Office (GHMCO)
UNOPS Ghana Multi Country Office (GHMCO), located in Accra, spans across West Africa, covering Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
GHMCO is responsible for managing strategic and operational risks associated with a subset of the regional portfolio of engagements, developing and delivering cost effective services contributing to partners’ sustainable results and achievements of UNOPS management results.
GHMCO has a diverse portfolio covering infrastructure, urban plan development, project management, procurement and futuristic studies.
Opened in 2015, GHMCO is one of the newest Multi-Country offices in UNOPS with a vision and drive to deliver top quality results to its partners with a sharp focus on operational excellence.
The primary role of Project Management Office (PMO) is to provide the Ghana Multi Country Office 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.
- 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 Ghana Multi Country Office toward achieving its mission-focused goals and objectives.
Functional Responsibilities
Summary of functions:
- Development and planning
- Set-up and closure
- Monitoring and reporting
- Stakeholder engagement
- Quality assurance
- Knowledge management and innovation
- Personnel management
Development and planning
- 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 Ghana Multi Country Office
- Identifies, and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to the Head of Programme.
Set-up and closure
- 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 Ghana Multi 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 Management Workspace (MWS), and effective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for financial closure processes.
Monitoring and reporting
- Prepare and issues 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 tracks 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 Managed Direct 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.
Stakeholder engagement
- 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.
Quality assurance
- 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.
Knowledge management and innovation
- Act as a focal point for the Ghana Multi Country Office maturity enhancement initiatives, using the P3M3 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.
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 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.
Impact of Results
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/Experience/Language requirements
Education
A Master’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration or related field (e.g. International Relations) is required
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 an advantage.
- Detailed knowledge of UNOPS’ project management tools, UNOPS financial and procurement rules and regulations, and financial management tools, is essential,
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 required
- Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset
Method Of Application
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Closing Date: 24th November 2021