Democratic Republic of the Congo: Project Manager - IICA3 (ICS11)

1. General Background

"UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities help suffering people in troubled parts of the world." - Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General

UNOPS mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.”

Working in some of the world's most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts, always satisfying or surpassing partner expectations.

By assisting UN Organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

We employ more than 7000 personnel and on behalf of its partners, create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries. UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

UNOPS has implemented multiple bilateral and multilateral projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 1996, in collaboration with the UNDP, with the aim to support the government’s national program to boost the agricultural and rural sector. The UNOPS Operations Centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo (CDOH) was established in Kinshasa in 2007, and currently oversees more than 7 project offices located throughout the country. The CDOH is also an operational hub for UNOPS projects in Central African countries that operate mainly in the areas of infrastructure, humanitarian and post conflict management. The distinctive activity of UNOPS in Central Africa aims at assisting bilateral, multilateral partners, UN agencies and government entities in their efforts to ensure timely and efficient implementation of their development projects in the countries within the Central African Hub.

About the consultancy project and context

In July 2010, the World Bank approved the PROMINES project in DRC under the Ministry of Mining which set out to reach three main objectives: 1) increase the mining production and value chain in the DRC; 2) strengthen public institutions so that they can manage the Mining Sector efficiently and with transparency; 3) improve the government’s capacity to direct the revenues and benefits of the sector to sustainable development. To achieve these objectives the project has five components: 1) Access to resources, 2) Capacity building of sector management skills, 3) Reinforcement of transparency and accountability, 4) Sustainable development of the Mining Sector and 5) Coordination and administration of the project.

The PROMINES project is coordinated and administered by a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) known as the ‘Unité de Coordination de Projet’ or UCP-PROMINES. Created in 2011, UCP-PROMINES manages the various components of project including tracking and reporting. The UCP contains several sub-units under the National Coordinator (Head of UCP) to include procurement and finance and has 15 employees.

Since its inception, UCP-PROMINES has been experiencing managerial and operational difficulties, leading to execution delays in delivering on the project’s various components and its objectives. After 4 years in operation, UCP-PROMINES has only disbursed 27.8% of its allocated $50 million budget, and has lost credit in view of some partners.

Given the significance of the project for the DRC Government and the World Bank, an extension of three (3) years has been provided so as to allow the project to reach its full potential and achieve the set objectives. The new phase under the extension is set to start in January 2016 with higher scrutiny and assistance in Project delivery and transparency. The Implementation Status and results report of July 2015 suggested the following measures: maintaining frequent audits, quarterly supervision missions, bi-weekly video conferences and the establishment of a Project management webserver to follow up daily the work from Washington and Kinshasa.

In this context UNOPS proposes to provide technical and project management capacity assistance to UCP-PROMINES through its Back-on-Track (BOT) intervention approach to help ensure successful re-phasing of the project (see the project’s concept note for further details on BOT).

The Project Manager is expected to assess and develop recommendations to improve the capacity of the partner’s Project Implementation Unit in terms of project management processes and tools that would ultimately lead to improved delivery.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Program of CDOH Hub and the overall guidance of CDOH Director, the project manager has the responsibility to: lead the implementation of the BOT intervention, monitor day to day operations of the project(s), execute certain tasks until the unit is habilitated to operate, and provide services to various stakeholders- donors, partners and beneficiaries. He/she is expected to meet and exceed the organizations performance and delivery goals by ensuring the project(s) produces the required products and outputs within the specified tolerance of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits.

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Within the constraints set out by the Project Board, the Project Manager oversees and manages all aspects of project life cycle - initiating, planning, implementing, monitoring and closing of a project. S/he is responsible to produce and maintain project baseline management documents, has a thorough understanding of the terms, conditions, the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the project(s) products are capable of meeting the business cases of the client. The duties and responsibilities of the Project Manager at ICS-11 will include managing major complexity and levels of responsibility within the project. A project manager at this level would normally be responsible for one or more projects and would likely be expected to manage complex and risky projects. The project(s) would rely on a number of external suppliers for its successful delivery and would be working with firm deadlines.

The Project Manager will support the PROMINES project in three different phases:

1. Capacity Assessment Mission (that will use the P3M3® maturity model) of the PROMINES Project Implementation Unit (PIU) within the Ministry of Mining. The main deliverable of the mission will be an Action Plan that will serve as a roadmap to implement suggested changes for improvement. The following two phases will depend on whether the founding source (World Bank) decides to move forward with the recommendations.

2. Follow up support embedded into the PIU for a period of around four (4) months, that will focus on implementation of most urgent recommendations from the Action Plan, and will set the foundations of the Back On Track intervention for the PROMINES project.

3. A subsequent technical advisory service for around eight (8) months embedded in the PIU, which will aim at fully implementing the Action Plan and realizing benefits.

The Capacity Assessment Mission will aim to support PROMINES PIU in the application of a systematized project management methodology, assist in improving implementation and performance and programme/project success. The capacity assessment will provide the PIU with an understanding of the reasons why success occurs and ways to prevent problems.

The Action Plan will be the main deliverable of the assessment mission, and will provide a realistic view of what can be achieved in the short, medium and long terms, and especially, the means to do it in a structured and measurable way.

In the second and third phases, the Project Manager will be embedded within the PIU for a combined period of 12 months to ensure effective implementation of the Action Plan.

Project success criteria:

The main success criteria will be achieving the benefits expected of running a P3M3® assessment by applying the recommendations from the Action Plan. As the PROMINES PIU implements the improvement Action Plan in a structured way and its capacity increases, it will be able to reap the benefits in many ways, such as:

• Improved stakeholder satisfaction

• Reduced cost

• Increased productivity

• Operational effectiveness

• Better quality outcomes

• Improved benefits realization

• Reduced rework

• Predictable delivery performance

• Better capacity building, which enhances morale

• Stronger alignment with PROMINES overall strategy

A follow up capacity assessment will be conducted at the end of the third phase to determine new maturity level of the PIU.

Functional responsibilities of the project success criteria

In order to achieve a successful implementation of the recommendations, a number of functional responsibilities need to be entrusted:

a)Advisory Implementation Services

· Develop the improvement Action Plan, in collaboration with the rest of the team for the assessment mission

· Support effective implementation of recommended changes within the Action Plan

· Develop an integrated plan to re-align project schedule of all project disciplines (procurement, finance, etc.) to the new approved performance baseline to bring the PROMINES project back on track as per the original completion date

· Provide necessary advice and support during the formulation phase of new initiatives with focus on quality assurance and quality control of project documents

· Identify additional areas for improvement within the PIU as critical elements to bring implementation of the project back to acceptable delivery performance levels

· Integrate and tailor project management processes to support the PIU’s operations and improve its capacity to implement the PROMINES project

b)Capacity Building

· Support continuous enhancement and development of the PIU personnel through capacity development workshops and specific trainings

· Deliver transition workshops/training/quick wins as a result of the diagnostics included in the Action Plan

· Generic training in Project Management as deemed necessary, and other specific training if requested by the management of the PIU, such as preparing PRINCE2® certification

c)Initiation and Planning

· Create detailed Business Case and Benefits Review Plan

· Prepare project management team role descriptions and structure

· Establish solid working relationship with PIU Director, the Project Board (Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers), be that internal and/or external, and key stakeholders

· Identify key stakeholders and ensure that needs and expectations are accurately documented, communicated and understood

· Manage the information flows between the PIU Director, Project Board and the project(s) key stakeholders

d)Implementation Control and Reporting

· Implement approved project plans within tolerances set by the project board

· Manage the production of the required products, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective action where necessary

· Identify, manage and communicate risks so that maximum benefit is achieved and threats are reduced

· Maintain close working relationship with the project key stakeholders (external and internal) to proactively manage their expectations as per the project’s objectives

· Manage and review product quality and ensure products are accepted

· Monitor and evaluate performance of service providers

· Follow the Project Management Life Cycle Instructions and ensure that all organizational policy is complied with.

· Advice and guide on how to prepare highlight and end stage report, maintain Blue File, Procurement, HR and Finance files.

· Make sure project documentation is complete, accurate and up-to-date

· Obtain timely reporting and documented approvals for deliverables as these are produced

e)Closure

· Prepare Operational Closure and hand over project’s products to responsible authorities

· Produce exit strategy plan, , Lessons and Handover Report

The following activities within the various disciplines below are conducted throughout the project:

Capacity Assessment

· Being part of the capacity assessment team that will identify, assess and develop recommendations to improve the capacity of the partner’s Project Implementation Unit in terms of project management processes and tools that would ultimately lead to improved delivery

Change Management

· Actively engages stakeholders and develops strategies to ensure project changes are understood, owned and supported by people affected by change.

· Employ change management methods to assess change impact, change readiness, learning needs assessments as well as post project change adoption rates

· Apply different methods and approaches to manage change as desired/required by project outcomes. Enable projects with change initiatives to meet business, schedule and budget objectives.

· Focus on the people side of change - including changes to business processes, systems and technology, job roles and project organization structures.

· Drive faster adoption, greater ultimate utilization and higher proficiency on the changes impacting personnel in the project organization so that business results are achieved

Stakeholder Management

· Manage communications and ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover products

· Advise the client on issues that may impact the achievement of their outcomes (including issues on sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance)

Personnel Management:if applicable

· Lead and motivate the project management team

· Ensure that performance reviews are conducted

· Identify outstanding staff and bring them to the attention of the relevant authority

· Select, recruit and train team as required by project plans

· Perform the Team Manager/Project Support roles, unless appointed to another person(s)

· Support the project team in the execution of their tasks, making sure they maintain the focus on the project’s objectives

· Build mutual trust and encourage respect and cooperation among team members

Knowledge Management:

· Actively interact with other PMs and the PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the Knowledge System.

· Provide feedback to Unit Leads on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of applicable policies

· Incorporate lessons learned from others as per planning format

Core Values and Principles:

· Understand and respect national ownership and capacity

i. Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the project plans

ii. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff

iii. Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts

· Accountability for results and the use of resources

i. The project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a project or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the PM to raise the issue to a supervisor

· Excellence

i. Contribute to innovation and the adaptation of best practice standards of sustainability and quality.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls of Project Manager

The Project Manager reports to CDOH Head of program and is responsible to compare actual achievements against those planned. Detect issues and take corrective actions within the limits of the stage tolerances. Escalate issues and risks to the Project Board and relevant authority if any deviations exceed stage/project tolerances. Manage changes to the project scope, project schedule, and project budget using appropriate verification techniques in order to keep the project plans accurate, updated, reflective of authorized and documented changes, and facilitate product acceptance.

The Project Manager will develop quarterly progress reports for CDOH Head of Programme.

A follow up capacity assessment will be conducted at the end of the second phase to determine new maturity level of the PIU.

4. Qualifications and Experience:

A. Education

Level and area of required and/or preferred education

· Advanced University Degree in Project Management, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, or other relevant disciplines.

· University Degree (bachelor’s degree / first level) with a combination of 2 additional years of relevant professional experience in above mentioned or other relevant disciplines, , may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree

· A relevant combination of academic credentials and/or industry certifications and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university education.

B. Work Experience

Standard:

Seven years (**or more based on academic credentials**) of progressive experience in project development and management, with focus on monitoring, reporting, development and coordination in either public or private sector organizations.

C. Key Competencies

Certifications

· PRINCE2® Foundation is preferred. If the suitable candidate does not hold the certificate when taking up responsibilities, he/she will be asked to take it within the first two weeks after onboarding.

· PRINCE2® Practitioner an asset, but required completion within first 6 months of onboarding

· PMP® an asset

Contextual Skills

International organisations experience

Project/Programme implementation

Management experience

Project Management Skills

Budget Management

Capacity Building

Client Management

Contracts Negotiation

Financial Rules and Regulations

Knowledge Management

Monitoring and Evaluation

Multistage Reporting

Project Design

Project Development

Project Management

Risk Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Develop project team

Project specific competencies and technical skills

Ability to create a knowledge-sharing environment; ability to ensure effective team work, collaborative behavior and team spirit;

Ability to lead, build and sustain effective work relationship with subordinates and peers to achieve common goals;

Results focused, with the energy and ability to manage multiple competing priorities;

Highly respected by colleagues as well as partners as a fair and transparent individual

Active listener and good communicator within a diverse working environment

Language:

Proficiency in French and fluency in English are required

Qualified candidates may submit their application to:

https://gprs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=10652