Programme Management Office

Background Information – Job-specific

Purpose and Scope of Assignment 

The Program Management Office (PRMO) is established to provide a decision-enabling, delivery support and assurance support structure for UNOPS Guatemala’s office. The key functions and services of the Program Management Office PRMO Specialist include:

• Strategic Planning Support: Ensuring UNOPS Guatemala’s office is focused on doing the right projects. Key activities include assessment in alignment with the UNOPS Guatemala’s office strategic objectives, planning support, preparation of management dashboards and reports, including scrutiny.
• Delivery Support: Ensuring UNOPS Guatemala’s office. is doing projects the right way. Key activities include providing expertise for start-up of projects, planning, delivery and closing of projects, and supporting the Business Development and Project Management teams with the application of UNOPS project management policies, standards and practices.
• Best Practice implementation: Ensuring effective application of UNOPS policies, processes and standards in programme and project management, encouraging consistent working practices and appropriate application of mandatory requirements.
• Support to project assurance – supporting the project’s executive in fulfilling his/her project assurance role, by monitoring projects progress against the agreed tolerances, monitoring that working standards are being followed, monitoring that scope is not changing without proper controls and that project risks are controlled quality being managed.
• The Program Management Office (PRMO) Specialist reports to the Head of Programme and leads the PRMO unit in Guatemala’s office, with additional support/advice from the regional Project Management Advisor. This involves support to the Head of Programme in the design, establishing and managing the PRMO in Guatemala’s office, supporting senior management decision making and consistently delivering projects in Guatemala´s portfolio, ensuring that project management policies, processes and systems are followed and applied according to the organization standards. The PRMO Specialist provides overall project assurance capacity, and strongly contributes to moving the UNOPS Guatemala’s office toward achieving its strategic objectives.

Functional Responsibilities

Summary of functional responsibilities

The main functional responsibilities of the PRMO Specialist are as follows:

Delivery and performance

• With the support from the regional Project Management Advisor, successfully design, establish and implement the core functions of the PRMO.
• Manage the PRMO on a day to day basis.

Assurance and reporting

• Assume PRMO oversight and assurance support function for the Guatemala’s office programmes and projects at any one time, establishing a direct relationship with project managers to facilitate efficient assurance activities
• Provide expertise and support to project managers in UNOPS tools, systems and support assurance that processes are being followed.

Stakeholder management 

• In consultation with the Head of Programme, develop internal and external stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies at the Guatemala’s office and project levels, as applicable
• Support the formulation of programme and project communications plans.

Quality assurance

• Coordinate  with  Head of Support Services and Risk Management Advisor to ensure the programme complies with audit requirements, as applicable
• Ensure compliance with UNOPS defined quality standards for programme and project management.

Knowledge management 

• Ensure routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of national personnel.
• Participate in, and advocate PMs’ participation in, relevant Communities of Practice.

Personnel Management 

• Supervises, motivates and develops the Guatemala’s office PRMO team
• Ensure that behavioral expectations of team members are established.

Set-up and closure

• Develop, track and maintain dependencies across programmes and projects.
• Acts as (or nominates and supervises) a focal point between Guatemala´s Office and client throughout the project closure process.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education 

• A Master’s Degree in Project Management, Business Administration/Management, International Development, Political Science, Economics, Engineering or relevant fields is desirable .
• A Bachelor’s Degree in the above-mentioned areas or other relevant field plus two (2) additional years of experience will be accepted in lieu of the Master’s Degree.

Work Experience 

• A minimum of 5 years (or more depending on academic credentials) of relevant and progressive professional experience, specifically in the field of Project Management with experience of successful implementation and/or oversight of programmes and projects.
• Experience with data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems is required.
• Previous experience of working within a PMO/PRMO environment is an advantage.
• Previous experience of working with International Organizations is an advantage.

Language

• Full domain of Spanish
• English is required at a professional level.

Source: https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=29013