Project Management Support -Associate at United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

The role of the Project Management Support- Associate (Field Coordination) is to understand the operational and programmatic requirements of the partners and to serve as the UNOPS facilitator/liaison and organizer in the field. The incumbent will coordinate the work of a team of Administration Assistants in the field and act as Delivery Team Lead for field activities.

The Project Management Support- Associate (Field Coordination) will be based in Nairobi with periodic visits to the Counties to support and check on the needs and performance of the UNOPS Admin Assistants.

Functional Responsibilities

Summary of functions: 1. Project Implementation 2. Procedures 3. Project monitoring and reporting 4. Stakeholder management, coordination and liaison 5. Knowledge management and innovation 6. Personnel Management

•  Project Implementation
•  Work closely with UNICEF/WHO and the Ministry of Health to assist in programming, organizing and facilitating the Trainings, Meetings,Campaigns and outreaches for the Project;
•  Compile schedules of the events as received from the (Field) Admin Assistants that are to be performed including lists of participants, quotations and costs for the events;
•  Coordinate and liaise with technical, local government officials and donor personnel to optimize project delivery;
•  Prepare quarterly work plans in consultation with all stakeholders, project partners in each County, UNICEF/WHO and MOH offices in advance;
•  Provide overall coordination and financial management of the event.Ensure that the budget provided by the partners are reviewed and finalized before the activity is implemented;
•  Act as the focal point for inquiries on the project plans and event organization arrangements, including accurate regular reporting that is effective for information sharing to communicate activities, progress (physical and financial), information, forecasts, lessons learnt and issues and other relevant information to partners and stakeholders;
•  Assist the Project Manager in monitoring of the project quality indicators and undertaking monthly assurance tasks on behalf of the Project Manage;
•  Identify operational, administrative, financial and other bottlenecks that may impede project delivery, recommend solutions and take appropriate remedial action in consultation with the Project Manager;
•  Coordinate all the campaigns for UNICEF in 47 Counties while ensuring quality management.;
•  Follow up on the upcoming activities and inform the project manager as appropriate.;
•  Supervise each UNOPS Admin Assistant for finance, budgeting and organizing the events. This will include developing standardized systems, procedures and formats that can be used by each Admin Assistant to organize the logistics and reporting (i.e. invitations, venue, registrations, transport, accommodation, meals, evaluations, finance reports and records etc. as needed);

Procedures

• •  Comply with all organizational policy including the Project Management Manual;
  •  Support the Project Manager in preparing/adapting plans for approval by the Project Board;
  •  Contribute to reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreement(s) ;
  •  Contribute to drafting requirements definitions for procurement processes and work with Procurement and technical teams to identify bid evaluation criteria as needed;
  •  Take part in bid evaluations, if appointed to the evaluation team;
  •  Contribute to maintaining project files and recording lessons learned;
  •  Support the Project Manager in implementing project financial management guidelines and control mechanisms, in conformity with UNOPS rules and regulations;
  •  Support the Project Manager to manage expenditures against the budget for events (based on accurate financial reports);
  •  Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during the audits and follow up on audit observations/recommendations;
•  Actively contribute to the implementation of HSSE guidelines during field activities;

Project monitoring and reporting

•  Establish and maintain a consolidated performance monitoring system for operational support activities;
•  Coordinate the timely and accurate progress reporting by Field Admin Assistants;
•  Ensure common monitoring mechanisms are being maintained and regularly check impact and progress against the work plan;
•  Ensure data is regularly inputted and updated, is accurate, and the information can be used to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of project activities, and to institutionalize and disseminate knowledge to our partners and stakeholders;
•  Lead the reporting on operational support activities as per prescribed schedule and support the Project Manager in the preparation of project reports and plans;

Stakeholder management, coordination and liaison

•  Proactively coordinate/liaise with support units on all administrative matters related to Event management;
•  Organize project and stakeholder meetings as and when necessary, and maintain records of these meetings;
•  Coordinate stakeholders engagement and communication while ensuring that the stakeholders are aware of the progress of the activities, any deviations on the budget as well as leading the negotiations for effective changes;

Knowledge management and innovation

•  Establish and maintain a record of past and current training/Campaign programmes including participants attended, type of training, duration, presenters etc. The compiled database/spreadsheet will be used to report progress and performance of the events coordinated;
•  Continually collect feedback and lessons learnt from operational support activities and analyze and implement improvements to be adopted in the next events;
•  Actively support the compilation of issues, risks and lessons learned;
•  Contribute to disseminating and sharing best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building;
•  Contribute expertise in tools and techniques where possible;

Personnel Management;

•  Coordinate and motivate the operational support delivery team;
•  Support the Project Manager to establish and promote behavioral expectations of the team;
•  Support the Project Manager to oversee the performance of retainers as needed;
•  Sensitize the team to take into account gender parity and diversity objectives as required;
•  Support the Project Manager to facilitate safety and security for all personnel and comply with UNDSS standards;
•  Support the Project Manager in creating and fostering and modeling 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.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

•  Completion of Secondary education is required;
•  University degree in Business Administration, Economics, Education, Project Management, Finance or related field is an added advantage but not required.

Experience:

•  At least 6 years’ experience working in Project Administration or coordinating events or logistics operations is required;
•  At least 1 year’s experience in Partner engagement is required;
•  At least 1 year’s experience in experience in supervisory role is required;
•  A minimum of two (2) years UNOPS work experience in the relevant field is required.
•  Working in an international context for training/campaign activities will be an added advantage;
•  Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures is an advantage;
•  Experience with organizing travel arrangements, Facilitation of capacity-building workshops workshops, and customs clearance is a distinct advantage;
•  Experience working with Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on Donor funded projects is an added advantage;

Languages:

•  Fluency in written and spoken English language is required;

Competencies

• Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
• Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the de