Background Information
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.

Job-Speci?c Information
The primary role of the Project Management O?ce (PMO) is to provide the O?ce 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, that the governance and decision making is facilitated and that 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 e?ective 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 the Project Management O?ce (PMO) – Senior O?cer 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.


Functional Responsibilities
The Project Management Office (PMO) – Senior Officer will, under the guidance of , and in cooperation with, MCO PMO Specialist contribute to consistent implementation of the UNOPS project management method and standards across Project portfolio.
The Project Management Office (PMO) – Senior Officer will periodically review projects’ performances and help in identification of gaps in policies and practices; and support the development of corrective actions. he/she shall be responsible for the following duties including, but not limited to.
• Development and planning
Set-up and closure
• Monitoring and reporting
• Stakeholder engagement
• Quality assurance
• Knowledge management and innovation
• Personnel management


Development and planning
• Support the Head of Programme in providing appropriate levels of programmatic management and administrative support to all ongoing project activities.
• Contribute to the maintenance and implementation of appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.
• Maintain oversight and make substantive contributions to ensure that project management activities are in line with service agreements and project documents.
• Ensure proper development, implementation and, as and when appropriate, amendments, of project budgets and sta?ng resources.
• Ensure e?ective planning, forecasting and tracking of delivery across the Country O?ce though appropriate tracking systems used within the PMO.
• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and propose mitigating measures to the Head of Programme.

Set-up and closure
• Facilitate the development of programme/project plans, including the collation of lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones.
• Liaise closely and support the Head of Support Services in all project assets and ?nance related issues.
• For project closure purposes, act as (or nominates and supervises) a focal point between the Country O?ce and donors throughout the process.
• Coordinate all project closure activities, ensuring appropriate disposal of project assets, timely and e?ective ?nal (operational) reporting, initiation of ?nancial disbursements as appropriate during Defects Liability Periods, updating of information on the UNOPS Management Workspace (MWS), and e?ective handover of closed projects to UNOPS HQ for ?nancial closure processes.


Monitoring and reporting
• 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.
• Provide routine oversigh and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system, using UNOPS ERP system as required.
• Perform routine maintenance and implementation of e?ective 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 speci?c 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 e?ective 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.).
• Oversee the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional O?ce and HQ Teams, as required.


Stakeholder engagement
• Develop stakeholder pro?les and contribute to the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Provide support to the formulation of programme and project communications plans.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring e?ective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects.
• Coordinate internal programme/project communications.
• Monitor the e?ectiveness of programme/project communications.
Quality assurance
• Work with internal audit and ?nance to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements.
• Work with procurement/purchasing sta? to ensure e?ective interface with suppliers’ quality systems.
• Ensure compliance with UNOPS de?ned standards for programme/project management.
• Coordinate quality reviews of programme/project documents and deliverables.
• Provide quality control for management products (project documents, reports, etc.).

Knowledge management and innovation
• Ensure routine and e?ective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of national sta?.
• Participate in, and advocate Project Managers’ participation in relevant Communities of Practice.
• Actively interact with Project Managers and the wider Project Manager community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices in the Knowledge System.
• Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.
Personnel Management
• Maintain budget and resource availability tables in conjunction with project managers and relevant project sta?.
• Continuous assessment of the performance and e?ectiveness of Supervisees.
• Ensure principles of human rights, gender equity, peace, voice and accountability, ‘doing no harm’ and aid e?ectiveness in all activities.
• Create, foster and role model a culture of respect and zero tolerance for discrimination, abuse of authority, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ensure accountability for actions and perform duties in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans, as expected by UNOPS policies, standards and commitments.

Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education
• An advanced university degree (e.g. Masters) in Civil Engineering or Engineering or Architecture or Construction Management or Project Management is required.
• A ?rst-level university degree (e.g. Bachelor) in Civil Engineering or Engineering or Architecture or Construction Management or Project Management or other relevant ?eld in combination with two (2) additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
Certi?cation
PRINCE2, PMI Project Management Professional, or other internationally recognized certi?cation is an asset.


Work Experience
• A minimum of 2 years of progressively responsible experience in project management is required.
• Experience in the successful implementation and/or oversight of programmes and projects is required.
• Experience with data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems is desirable.
• Experience working on infrastructure projects is an advantage.
• Experience working in developing countries (especially Africa) is a strong advantage.
• Experience working in an international environment is highly desired.
• Experience dealing with government officials is an advantage.

Languages
• Fluency in French is required.
• Intermediate level of English is required.