Portfolio Management Specialist At UNOPS

Background Information – Job-specific

Background Information – UNOPS

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Role of the Change and Transformation Unit

The role of the Change and Transformation Unit (CTU) is to work across UNOPS, to design and implement effective, sustainable solutions, to make a difference where it matters most.

CTU supports new possibilities for UNOPS by helping teams to innovate, finding new ways of working and developing/designing nimble organizational models. Our expertise, tools and processes ensure greater participation in change; we pay as much attention to people and processes, as we do to structures and technology.

Our team brings experience, energy and partnership to a full range of change management and transformation advisory services including: organization design, organizational development, design and implementation of corporate transformation programmes, facilitating changes to behavior and ways of working, human centered design and change leadership

Our team are all experienced change management consultants who can provide support around change leadership, managing change at all levels, coaching people leaders and/or managing change projects.

Role of the Portfolio Management Specialist

In January 2023, UNOPS committed to a series of strategic and administrative reforms, including a reset of the organizational strategy. These reforms involve a significant change management component and additional capacity is required across several priority areas in order to implement these changes.

We are now recruiting a Portfolio Management Specialist to provide facilitation support, guidance, advice and oversight support to ensure the effective management of UNOPS change and transformation portfolio.

The role will ensure that project and change management policies, processes and methods are followed and practiced according to the organization standards across all projects within the portfolio.

The Portfolio Management Specialist reports to the Portfolio Management Advisor, who provides broad supervision and guidance. This position may be home based.

Functional Responsibilities

1. Portfolio Planning & Oversight

Provide appropriate levels of portfolio management and administrative support to the Change and Transformation Unit and Executive Office, regarding all ongoing change and transformation activities, while maintaining and implementing appropriate standards and best practices.
Provide support to potential and current change and transformation projects/programmes, helping the project manager/action owner in strengthening project governance structures and processes.
Ensure proper development, implementation and, as and when appropriate, amendments, of project budgets and resources, ensuring synergies across the portfolio.
Implement management systems to ensure effective planning, monitoring, forecasting, tracking delivery and benefits realization for UNOPS change and transformation portfolio.
Identify, and escalate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues, and advise mitigating measures to the Portfolio Management Advisor.

2. Monitoring and Reporting

Support the Portfolio Management Advisor in implementing and maintaining management and monitoring systems to ensure the regular review of the portfolio, evaluating performance criteria and contributions toward UNOPS strategic objectives.
Produce progress reports as required and input into regular updates and presentations as requested by the Portfolio Management Advisor.
Coordinate projects to submit and regularly update specific milestones and targets for the duration of projects’ life-cycles, and track progress, or otherwise, against stakeholder requirements.
Support the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies related to the change and transformation portfolio.
Monitor the effectiveness of portfolio communications, and advise the Portfolio Management Advisor on potential improvements.
Help coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication for projects as required, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications across programmes and projects.

3. Quality Assurance

Support the Portfolio Management Advisor to undertake the regular review of projects/programmes within the portfolio are carried out as per defined requirements..
Implement the risk-based internal control system on a regular basis as per UNOPS corporate policies and procedures.
Support the implementation of quality management procedures across the portfolio..
Support the Portfolio Management Advisor to track benefits (outcomes) to be realized and produce associated reports for key stakeholders as required.

4. Knowledge management

Make recommendations on policy and tools and contribute to the development of guidance material that advances CTU’s strategic portfolio and project management goals.
Contribute to organizational knowledge sharing, ensuring that lessons learnt across the change and transformation portfolio are shared in a timely and appropriate manner.
Actively interact with change practitioners to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices.

The effective and successful performance by the Portfolio Management Specialist reinforces the visibility and image of the 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.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above)

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 development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

An advanced degree preferably in Economics, Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Political Science, International Relations, or other related field.
A combination of Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.
Project Management certification (i.e. PRINCE2, MSP) is an asset.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of relevant and progressive professional experience in portfolio and/or programme management, is required. Strong experience creating written and visual consulting outputs (PowerPoint decks) is an asset.
Experience with Google Workplace, particularly Sheets and Slides is an asset.
Knowledge of UN/UNOPS’ project management rules, regulations, standards, requirements and systems, is strongly desired.

Language requirements:

Full working knowledge of English is essential.
Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.

Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.