Deputy Project Manager

The Yemen Emergency Human Capital Project is a World Bank-funded project that will contribute to efforts by the international community to maintain and enhance health and nutrition services in line with Yemen’s Minimum Service Package (MSP) and respond to health and nutrition crises, and contribute to the provision of safe water and improving the water and sanitation system capacity. The project will target the whole country, with some interventions focused on specific governorates or districts as per the priorities and needs**

Local Context: how established is the UNOPS presence in this country/location, hardship level, indication of the relationship the client / stakeholders

The ongoing conflict in Yemen has caused significant disruptions to the supply chain and to the overall availability of services. In light of the reduced or even absent provision of public services, communities have adopted various coping strategies, including using alternate water and energy sources, relying on alternate service providers and community-based service delivery initiatives to address the shortfall.

Physical damage to infrastructure and the lack of functionality in one sector often spills over into other sectors with significant consequences on both the access to, and quality of services, that are often interrelated. For example, in some cities, the lack of functionality in the water sector is tied most directly to the lack of electricity rather than to physical damage to water infrastructure. As a result, wastewater continues to overflow into streets, which in turn has significant implications for the health and transport sectors. Similarly, the absence of electricity across many cities in Yemen is not solely tied to infrastructure damage of energy facilities but rather to the lack of fuel, amongst others due to severe transport limitations and access constraints. These cross-sectoral linkages demonstrate the need for an integrated, multi-sectoral approach that provides synergies and responds to the multi-faceted needs on the ground.

UNOPS is undertaking a multi-sectoral engagement aimed at restoring urban services mainly in energy, urban roads, WASH and municipal services in targeted cities in Yemen using an integrated approach.

Functional Responsibilities
Summary of functions:

1. Project Delivery and Performance
2. Procedures
3. Monitoring and reporting
4. Stakeholder engagement
5. Quality assurance
6. Knowledge management and innovation
7. Personnel management

1. Project Delivery and Performance

• Develop, maintain and update implementation plans
• Implement the approved plan (including the establishment of milestones) within tolerances set by the Project Implementation Documents.
• Embed sustainability dimensions including social and gender inclusion, environmental and economic aspects into project life span.
• Advise the Project Manager of any possible deviations from the plan and possible corrective action.
• Manage the production of the required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary.
• Ensure that quality of work packages and deliverables complies with the quality requirements defined in the Implementation Plan.
• Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers
• Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages
• Monitor project progress ensuring that work packages are being executed properly
• Control project and work packages changes
• Accept goods, services or works delivered by suppliers.
• Identify continuous improvement and lessons learned.
• Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to senior management/ supervisor so that maximum benefit to partner(s) and other stakeholders is achieved
• Identify and report to the supervisor potential business opportunities for UNOPS

2. Procedures

• Comply with all organizational policy and specifically the Project Management Manual
• Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Project Board.
• Support in managing the reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreement(s) and in the Implementation Plan
• Ensure maintenance of the project files and lessons learned are recorded
• Ensure the development and implementation of project financial management guidelines and control mechanisms, in conformity with UNOPS rules and regulations.
• Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time.
• Understand and manage UNOPS overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project
• Understand the unique structures of the UN and budget appropriately for personnel
• Manage expenditures against the budget (based on accurate financial reports)
• Where the Project Manager has no delegation as a committing officer, s/he retains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to carry out the relevant commitments and disbursements.
• For project closure purposes, provide a formal handover of the project to the closure manager
• Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during the audits and follow up on audit observations/recommendations

3. Monitoring and reporting

• Prepare and issue regular project and/or financial reports in accordance with Partner and UNOPS requirements for reporting.
• Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria (scope, cost, schedule and quality).
• Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by the organization’s standard procedures.
• Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system.
• Ensure all project team members track and regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of projects’ life span
• The Deputy Project Manager is also responsible for the project producing a result capable of achieving the benefits defined in the Business Case.

4 . Stakeholder engagement

• Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies
• Establish solid working relationships with the Project Board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), client and key stakeholders,providing advice and guidance on specific and general project management issues and where appropriate, institutional reform, rule of law and police related project support;
• Enable the formulation of project communications plans. Coordinate internal project communications. Monitor the effectiveness of project communications
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications. Ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover outputs

5. Quality assurance

• Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects comply with audit requirements
• Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers’ quality systems
• Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables
• Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.)

6. Knowledge management and innovation

• Encourage routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of staff.
• Actively interact with other Project Managers and the wider PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices
• Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner. Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice
• Research and logging of lessons learned throughout the project life span.
• Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of UNOPS policies

7. Personnel Management *if applicable*

• Lead and motivate the project management team
• Ensure that behavioural expectations of team members are established
• Ensure that performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately and timely
• Have a thorough understanding of UNOPS personnel contract modalities;
• Prepare Terms of Reference (ToR) for required inputs in the project’s personnel and operational arrangements such as staff, individual and institutional consultancy services, procurement of goods and services, organization of training, seminars.
• As delegated by the Project Manager and in his/her absence, the Deputy Project Manager Select, recruit and train team as required and take into account gender parity and diversity objectives.
• Ensure safety and security for all project personnel and comply with UNDSS standards
• Create, foster and role model a culture of respect and zero tolerance for discrimination, abuse of authority, harrasement, sexual harrasement 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.

Impact of Results

Project Manager/Senior Project Manager directly impacts on achievement of project results by adhering to project management methods and strategies, reducing risks, cutting costs and improving success rates. This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of 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.