Project Manager

Background

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As part of cooperation between UNDP and the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, a joint project “Support to strengthening institutional and regulatory environment for financial markets development” has been initiated. This project will help advance the agenda on the issues related to financing for sustainable development focusing on women`s economic empowerment, transfer of knowledge and international experience to increase national capacity to enhance the contribution of the financial market with equal participation of women and men to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Project’s main goal is to help build the capacity of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan as the responsible body for coordinating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and as a regulator for securities market development considering gender-responsive instruments. At the same time, other national partners involved in financial market development processes will be engaged in the project activity to achieve this goal.

More information about the project is available at https://www.undp.org/turkmenistan/projects/support-strengthening-institutional-and-regulatory-environment-financial-markets-development

The Project Consists Of Three Components

• Component 1: Analysis of the securities market in Turkmenistan considering gender-responsive instruments for compliance with international standards.
• Component 2: Improvement of the organized securities market with equal participation of women and men in Turkmenistan.
• Component 3: Systematization of the securities market through the introduction of gender-inclusive digital solutions

In this regard, UNDP CO is looking for a Project Manager who will be responsible for managing all aspects of the project, from developing project plans and budgets to overseeing project activities and ensuring that they are delivered on time and within budget. Project Manager is supposed to work closely with a range of stakeholders, including governments and development partners, to ensure that the project is aligned with national priorities and contribute to sustainable development outcomes.

Duties And Responsibilities

Project management:

• Management of the project a daily basis to achieve the performance indicators agreed with the donor and in line with the approved Budgets and Work Plans; Management and supervision of project implementation and evaluation across all components.
• Assess the programmatic impact and oversee the appropriateness and the accuracy of methods used to verify progress and the results.
• Analyse programmatic impact and takes decisions to correct possible deviations from targets.
• Assurance of successful completion of the project in accordance with the stated outcomes and performance indicators summarized in the Project Appraisal Document.
• Regular communication and coordination with the National Partner, members of the Project Board, and all other partners and interested stakeholders, with regard to all project activities. Organization of Project Board meetings at least twice a year.
• Regular communication with senior UNDP management with regard to all project activities. Assurance of coordination with other UNDP projects and broad strategic initiatives.
• Preparation of Annual Work Plans (AWP), including monthly targets and deliverables as well as annual spending targets in accordance with the Project Document. Tracking of work outputs throughout the year in light of these Annual Work Plans.
• Tracking and managing of project spending in accordance with the project budget, as well as UNDP rules and procedures, to ensure transparency, responsibility, and timely fulfilment of both program targets and budget targets.
• Preparation of regular progress reports (programmatic and financial) as per the requirements of UNDP and National Partner.
• Preparation and submission of annual Project Implementation Reviews and other required progress reports to the Project Board and UNDP in accordance with applicable requirements, in all required languages (English, Russian, and/or Turkmen, using outside translation as needed).
• Coordination of the work of international and national consultants engaged in the project.
• Supervision of regular data collection and analysis, as well as reporting and public outreach via the mass media, events, and other means, to disseminate the results of the project.
• Oversight of the overall administration of the project office.
• Travel to the project sites within Turkmenistan if required; possible travel outside the country for participation in directly relevant international meetings.
• Support during the project evaluations, if any.
• Plan the detailed actions according to annual work plans of the project approved by the Project Board and monitor progress against the initial quality criteria.
• Mobilize goods and services to initiate activities, including drafting Terms of References (ToR) and work specifications.
• Performs functions of Project Manager in Quantum (UNDP online system) for approval of requisitions. Manage requests for the provision of financial resources by UNDP, using advance of funds, direct payments, or reimbursement. Monitors financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports.
• Ensure the project activities are covered by the UNDP communication means regarding the project events, deliverables and key achievements.
• Prepare Final Project Review Reports to be submitted and presented to the Project Board.
• Identify follow-on actions and submit them for consideration to the Project Board.
• Manage the transfer of project deliverables, documents, files, equipment and materials to national beneficiaries.
• Prepare final CDR (Combined Delivery Reports) for signature by UNDP and the National Partner.
• In cooperation with the Democratic Governance Programme Analyst, lead the process of developing and mobilizing resources for new projects in the areas of Project Manager’s expertise.

Financial Resources Management

• Act as financial manager and retain the ultimate responsibility for financial resources for accountability purposes.
• Ensure total accuracy and the highest level of transparency in the management of the Project financial resources in accordance with UNDP and national regulations and procedures.
• Ensure timely preparation of all necessary financial reports, including the Annual and Final Donor Reports, Quarterly Combined Delivery Reports, etc.

Project Outreach

• Serve as the Project’s ambassador and advocate within the broader stakeholder’s community and beneficiaries.
• Create and foster a good working relationship with the media (print, radio and television).
• Represent and promote the Project at national and international meetings.
• Contribute to the production and publication of public information material.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships and cooperation with peer project managers from other related projects within Turkmenistan and the Central Asia region.

Project Planning And Implementation

• Lead the process of quarterly and annual planning of project activities, with the participation of all Project personnel; retain the ultimate responsibility for the finished plans and submit them to the UNDP for their concurrence.
• Build effective working relationships with the main national partner and the project’s key stakeholders and UNDP’s other teams.

Monitoring And Adaptive Management

• Lead the implementation of the Project M&E (Monitoring and Evaluation) Plan.
• Carry out monitoring visits to Project sites on a regular basis.
• Collate the results of monitoring, analyze them, and formulate proposals for adaptive management measures for consideration by the Project Board.
• Implement the decisions and advice of the Project Board.

Reporting And Accountability

• Provide a report to each Project Board meeting noting progress and achievements, acknowledging difficulties and proposing possible solutions for consideration and guidance by the Project Board.
• Assume the lead responsibility for the preparation and content of the annual Project Progress Report.
• Prepare quarterly and annual project plans and reports and present them to the Project Board, donor, etc.
• Respond to request for reports on Project management and performance from any key stakeholders.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

Working under the supervision of the UNDP Programme Analyst to whom he/she will report, and the overall guidance of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, the Project Manager will be responsible for day-to-day implementation of the Project and managing Project resources effectively and efficiently to achieve the Project Objective and Outcomes within the set timescale and available budget.

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management Competencies

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

• System Thinking:
• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• Financial Planning and budgeting:
• Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP’s long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and reporting
• Project Management:
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Relationship Management:
• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/ or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
• SDG Finance:
• Innovative Finance
• Monitoring:
• Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Education

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Bachelor’s degree in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the Master`s degree.

Experience

• Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at the national level in providing management advisory services, and/or hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects,
• Experience in securities markets development would be considered as an advantage.

Languages

• Fluency in English, Russian and Turkmen is required

Required Skills

• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
• Knowledge of and experience in financial sector with the focus on securities markets development.

Desired Skills

• Experience in partnership building and management with multi-stakeholders, including government agencies, and other development partners will be advantage

Disclaimer

Applicant Information About UNDP Rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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