Project Management Office Specialist

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the UNOPS Geneva office (GVA) is part of the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR). The GVA manage a diversified porfolio of global and country specific hosted entities, funds, programs, and projects. The GVA services includes hosting, fund management, advisory services, project/program implementation, procurement, financial and human resources support.

The primary role of the Project Management Office (PMO) is to ensure that project/program management policies, processes and methods are followed and practiced according to the organizational standards, while acting as the overall Project Assurance capacity within the GVA on behalf of the GVA Director. In addition to this quality control and compliance oversight function, the PMO supports the GVA portfolio, through result oriented actions and ad-hoc initiatives, in the implementation of its various programs and projects.

The PMO specialist will be reporting to the GVA Head of Program (HoP). The PMO specialist will be responsible to moving GVA toward achieving its mission-focused goals and objectives and will be responsible for the proper implementation and provision of the following functions and services of the PMO:

• Quality management and governance support: GVA’s project and programs are properly supported in the planning and execution of their quality/progress control meetings and in the planning and execution of their project board meetings.
• Grant management support: Ensuring GVA’s projects and programs managing grants receive the proper support during all the grant management processes.
• Delivery/Operation Support: Ensuring GVA’s projects/programs receive the proper operational support and have proper access to GVA’s share services under effective coordination and planning support.
• Best Practices: Applying UNOPS standards in project management, encouraging consistent working practices, and making sure GVA’s personnel responsible of projects/programs delivery receive the proper training.
• Oversight Support: Supporting GVA’s project/program in preparation, execution of their audits and in the implemetation of the recommendations.
• Strategic Planning/Portfolio Support: Ensuring GVA is focused on doing the right projects by supporting management decision-making.

Functional Responsibilities

Development and planning

• Provide appropriate levels of programmatic management support to the HoP regarding all ongoing program and project activities while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.
• Provides strategic advice and support to potential and current engagement of high value and/or risk, supporting Engagement Authorities in strengthening program and project governance structures and processes to enable achievement of high standards and consistency in line with UNOPS success criteria.
• Directly contributes to strategic oversight, advice and direction on programme and project management activities in line with service agreements and project documents. Ensure programmes and projects contribute to strategic objectives and targets.
• Develops and establishes resource tracking systems for use within GVA, complementary to UNOPS’ online tools, to ensure effective planning, forecasting and tracking of delivery across GVA.
• Identifies, and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to the HoP and GVA management team.

Management Oversight or Implementation

• Responsible for facilitating the development of high-level programme/project plans, including collating lower-level plans into programme/project-level milestones.
• Develops, tracks,s and maintains dependencies and provides advice to management to ensure quality of delivery throughout the project lifecycle.
• Liaises closely, supporting the Head of Support Services and the Head of Finance on project operational issues, including HR, project assets, finances, and others as required.
• For project closure purposes, provide guidance and monitoring progress by working in close collaboration with the Project Manager,, Head of Support Services and Head of Finance, and donors throughout the process.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Provide senior-level advisory support to the HoP in regular review of project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).
• Maintain progress reports as required by UNOPS standard procedures.
• Identifies and anticipates in a timely manner, potential risks and issues specific to delivery forecasts, and advises mitigating measures to the HoP .
• Responsible for the maintenance and implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation systems of programme and project activities, in line with donor and UNOPS internal requirements, and provide advice and support to portfolio managers and teams to facilitate quality delivery.
• 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 as per UNOPS and donor requirements.
• Provide editorial support to programmes and projects, ensuring effective and timely dissemination of reports, in line with project documentation and clients’ expectations.

Quality assurance and Progress Controls

• Oversee the proper coordination, preparation, and follow-up of the quarterly assurance/project boards meetings for the entire GVA portfolio.
• Supports the HoP so that the monitoring of entities/funds/programs and projects is carried out regularly in order to ensure accomplishment of set targets and results for projects/portfolios, delivery of services as per the agreed terms and conditions and in a timely manner.
• Supports the HoP to ensure there is adequate risk-based internal control system and mechanisms in place which are exercised on regular basis as per the appropriate guidelines and tools of UNOPS Geneva and of UNOPS corporate policies and procedures
• Support in ensuring adequate quality management procedures are applied across projects/portfolios of UNOPS Geneva programme.
• Ensures assurance procedures are embedded into the programme management of UNOPS Geneva and are applied consistently across all projects/portfolios as per UNOPS corporate guidelines, procedures and policies.
• Work with internal audit and finance to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements.
• Strategically support the programme and projects boards to identify threats, and opportunities, and evaluate the implications of decisions at the organizational level to 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.).

Knowledge management and Capacity Building

• Act as a focal point for the GVA maturity enhancement initiatives.
• Make recommendations on policy and tools and contribute to the development of guidance material and tools that advance GVA strategic project management goals
• Disseminate corporate policies, guidance and best practices that impact GVA portfolio, programme and project management practitioners;
• 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.
• Focal point to Practice Leads on policy and supporting guidance working to achieve continuous improvement of UNOPS policies.
• Lead. coordinate and oversee the implementation of requests or initiatives relevant to project management from the Regional Office, IPAS, and HQ Teams, as required.
• Strategically contributes to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Provides advice and support to project management practitioners on how to embed best practices of project and programme governance, risk management, project and programme management
• Support and provide training and internal consulting in project and programme management and provide project and programme development advice and assistance to GVA office and hosted entity personnel, as required, in support of IPMG initiatives and roll-outs