National Project Officer

Organization: UNDP Saudi Arabia, through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development (SOC).

VA No. VA24-60

Position Title: National Project Officer

Type of Contract: National Consultancy

Duty Station: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Duration: 12 Months (with possible extension depending on performance, continued need and budget availability)

Vacancy Date of Issue: 24 April 2024

Vacancy Closure Date: 2 May 2024

Expected Starting Date: As soon as possible

This vacancy is announced by UNDP Saudi Arabia through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development (SOC). SOC is a sub-contractor for UNDP Saudi Arabia, assisting the programme in implementing their activities through HR and contract management of consultants working in their support.

Project Description

The project will provide a strategic framework for UNDP and UN-HABITAT to provide substantive technical assistance, advisory, and quality assurance services to the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (MoMRAH) to deliver on the following six initiatives of the Spatial Planning and Visual Appeal Program that are the focus of this project:

• The Regional Plans, Local Plans and Urban Codes under MOMRAH’s jurisdiction are efficiently and effectively delivered following international best practices.
• National Urban Policy.
• Local planning departments are empowered and enabled through a new Operating Model for Planning Departments.
• The municipal system is improved and restructured, updating settlements boundaries, revising classification and categorization of Saudi human settlements, and optimizing service delivery towards efficiency and sustainability.
• The Saudi Planning framework is restructured, planning tools are redefined, updated and improved in line with the new classification and categorization.
• The existing MoMRAH Urban Design Studio is upscaled in a fully-fledged Urban Lab and capacitated to spearhead and device innovative tools and projects-based satellite Labs in support of MoMRAH mission.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project by leading the overall project management activities:

• Ensure effective and efficient implementation of project activities through project planning, monitoring and oversight
• Lead and advise the project team on the achievement of specific results of the project as detailed in the annual work plan, including the development of semi-annual workplans, where necessary
• Ensure the achievement of outputs/results in line with the approved work plans through the day-to-day planning, management, coordination and implementation of activities
• Provide the required support in identifying new project activities, in close coordination with counterparts
• Organize and lead team status meetings for projects, as stipulated in project documents.
• Ensure accountability for and efficient use of project funds
• Represent the project in various fora
• Lead the recruitment and management of experts and staff, as needed, in accordance with UNDP guidelines
• Coordinate the work of all consultants and subcontractors and ensure timely delivery of expected results and effective synergy between the various sub-contracted activities
• Document lessons learned from project implementation and make recommendations to the Project Board for more effective implementation and coordination of project activities
• Undertake any other duties as may be required by UNDP

Support strategic communication and partnership building for successful project implementation:

• Maintain close coordination with the assigned project partners and ensure synergies
• Contribute to the dissemination and visibility of project achievements and support mechanisms for exchange of information, experiences and lessons learned at the local and national levels
• Offer constructive and timely advice on the inclusion of communication components in the project formulations to integrate advocacy and communication strategies into all aspects of the project
• Coordinate project implementation with relevant Government, UN, and other development partners, as required
• Contribute to the analysis of key development and sectoral policies currently being discussed and implemented in the country and identify collaboration opportunities

Contribute to the monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities of the project:

• Monitor and follow up on project progress according to the project document and UNDP procedures
• Ensure timely submission of financial and activity reports by implementing partners
• Ensure regular updating of project risk logs and lessons learned logs
• Prepare high-quality and timely donor reporting, including quarterly and annual narrative and financial reports, according to the grant agreements and UNDP procedures
• Apply UNDP programming tools and policies as explained in the Results-Based Management principles
• Keep abreast of UNDP programming practices and maintain an optimum level of knowledge by continuous learning
• Brief and consult with senior management on project progress and provide information and advice as required to contribute to the project

Institutional Arrangement

The National Project Officer will report to the Head of the Urban and Local Development portfolio in UNDP Saudi Arabia Office and consult on a regular basis with the National Project Manager (Gov.) and the Chief Technical Advisor.

Core Competencies:

• Innovation: Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them.
• Leadership: Plans and acts transparently, actively works to remove barriers.
• Communication: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others.
• Delivery: Critically assesses value and relevance of existing policy / practice and contributes to enhanced delivery of products, services, and innovative solutions.

Technical/Functional:

People Management (Insert below standard sentence if the position has direct reports.)

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Results-based Management:

Collaboration and Partnership: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise.

Knowledge Facilitation: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Master’s degree in urban planning, regional planning, urban design, architecture, engineering, project management, business administration, or any discipline relevant to sustainable development. A Bachelor’s degree in combination with 4 years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experiences:

A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience associated with an advanced university degree or 4 years of relevant work experience associated with a bachelor’s degree.

Required Skills:

• Excellent knowledge of project management principles and best practices.
• Ability to network and liaise with relevant counterparts and build and maintain partnerships.
• Ability to perform the monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities of projects.
• Experience in using computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Project management certification, such as Prince2 or PMP would be an advantage.
• Work experience with the UN and international organizations would be an asset.
• Knowledge of the UN Results-Based Management and Monitoring and Evaluation approach would be an asset.
• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards.
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability

Language:

Fluency in spoken and written Arabic and English is required.