Senior Contract Management Officer (Works) At UNOPS

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This is an international and local vacancy, therefore candidates of any nationality who meet the requirements for the position may apply.

Under the direct supervision of the Contract Management Specialist, the Senior Contract Management Officer for Works is responsible for providing specialized contract management support to the technical team under the UNOPS contract model based on the principles of FIDIC contracts, throughout its entire life cycle, from the pre-contractual stage to contract closure, including the management of variations, claims, contractual risks, contractor performance and technical-financial compliance, within the framework of the INFRAIGSS Program.

The role requires a deep understanding of procurement policy and processes for works, goods, and services, and the Senior Contract Management Officer must be able to apply them to appropriate situations, ensuring full compliance with UNOPS reporting, management, and accountability standards, guidelines, and procedures.

The Senior Contract Management Officer analyzes the relevant rules and regulations and provides solutions to a wide range of complex issues related to construction contract management. Their work is primarily focused on achieving the following set of results:

  1. Support for procurement planning, contract management and procurement strategies for works, goods and services.
  2. Contract management under the UNOPS (FIDIC) works contract model
  3. Management of contractual and supplier risks
  4. Supplier relationship management and development
  5. Governance, compliance and coordination
  6. Generation and exchange of knowledge

To achieve the results, the Senior Contract Management Officer for works will perform, among others, the following functions:

I. Support for procurement planning, contract management and procurement strategies for works, goods and services.

  • Contribute to the planning, and guide the program in the implementation (if necessary) in the post-acquisition stage;
  • Support the development of technical evaluation criteria and actively participate during the drafting of contracts;
  • Contribute to the planned transition from the contract award phase to the contract management phase, and a handover to the program where contract ownership is clear and orderly;
  • Implement the contract management processes and plan, with a focus on results and a comprehensive approach to performance and accountability in order to boost contract management performance in the program;
  • To help ensure that contract management processes are aligned with, among other things, broader organizational governance processes, operational boards and risk management;
  • Ensure that contract administration issues and performance are reported through the appropriate governance structure with input from senior project leadership and the GTCO Office;
  • Prepare comments on project audit reports, when necessary.

II. Contractual Management of Works (UNOPS FIDIC Works Contract Model)

  • Effective management of civil works contracts in accordance with UNOPS regulations, primarily under the conditions of UNOPS works contracts.
  • Support the contractual management of the Infrastructure Component technical teams by identifying obligations, deadlines and specific conditions of the works contracts, monitoring and tracking their compliance and developing alert systems for verification and recording of compliance.
  • Support the drafting, review and negotiation of specific contractual clauses for works (deadlines, payments, penalties, guarantees, insurance, risks).
  • Support the formalization of contractual variations, including cost, time and risk impact analysis, in accordance with the mechanisms of the UNOPS contract model and the FIDIC principles.
  • Support the management and analysis of claims, extensions of time (EOT) and compensable events, in coordination with the Contracts Specialist, the technical and legal team.
  • Verify compliance with performance bonds, advances, retentions and insurance associated with construction contracts.

III. Management of contractual and supplier risks

  • Contractual control of deadlines, costs, quality and risks associated with construction contracts.
  • Identify, record and monitor specific contractual risks of works (delays, cost overruns, breaches, disputes).
  • Establish clear routes for contractual escalation to program governance instances.
  • Support the early management of disputes to avoid formal disputes or arbitrations.
  • Participate in the preparation of inputs for audits, independent reviews, and responses to contractual observations.
  • Ensure that contractual and supplier risk management is implemented with clear responsibilities and processes, identification of who is best positioned to manage the risk, and supplier involvement where appropriate;
  • Ensure that risks are formally identified and regularly monitored, with mitigation actions developed and implemented where possible, and that “obsolete” risks are removed from consideration where appropriate;
  • Establish and communicate escalation routes and reports for risk governance;
  • Support the development of contingency plans to handle supplier failures (temporary or long-term failures/non-compliance); exit strategies are developed and updated throughout the term of the contract;
  • Monitor strict compliance with confidentiality clauses (personal data), validity of guarantees (bonds), insurance policies, indemnities and termination.

IV. Management and development of relationships with suppliers

  • Plan, structure and implement a supplier relationship management program with appropriate governance and a clear sense of the value that will be generated for both parties;
  • Develop mechanisms for capturing and sharing knowledge and innovation from suppliers when necessary or desirable.
  • Collaborate in the implementation of supplier improvement activities related to broader initiatives (e.g., on sustainability, issues related to employment for people with disabilities, use of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and WOBs (women owned businesses), etc.)

V. Governance, compliance and coordination

  • Align the contractual management of works with the program governance mechanisms (Project Board, PgMO, Project Assurance).
  • Coordinate closely with Procurement, Finance, Legal, HSSE and technical teams.
  • Ensure that contractual documentation is complete, traceable, and available in corporate systems (PDS, repositories).

VI. Generation and exchange of knowledge

  • Strengthening contractual governance and mitigating contractual and reputational risks of the INFRAIGSS Program.
  • Ensure that knowledge management is integrated, capturing key data and lessons learned from the process and experience with contract management both within and outside the organization.
  • Support and implement initiatives on capacity building and knowledge development for staff in contract management.
  • Guide the collection of internal team feedback, ideas, and knowledge about processes and best practices and use them productively.
  • Collect and share lessons learned and best practices.

Requirements:

A. Education

Requested

  • Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Law, Architecture, or Engineering related to the construction industry
  • A higher degree or equivalent to a Master’s Degree in the areas mentioned above may replace some of the required years of experience.

Desired

  • Certifications relevant to the position are desirable (CIPS, FIDIC, PMI and/or PRINCE).

B. Experience

Requested

  • Four years (or less according to the academic degrees provided) of relevant and progressive professional experience are required, specifically in the field of Contract Management of Works (It must be specified in the description of the job positions you have developed and that will be included in your profile (Talent+) to apply for this vacancy).
  • Demonstrated experience in preparing reports for donors and partners is required. (This must be specified in the job descriptions of the positions you have held, which will be included in your profile (Talent+) when applying for this vacancy).
  • Demonstrable experience in computer use and office software packages, such as documents, databases, and spreadsheets (Google Suite or MS Office), is required. (This must be specified in the job descriptions of previous positions held, which will be included in your profile (Talent+) when applying for this vacancy).
  • Practical knowledge of UNOPS and/or FIDIC Works Contract Types is required.
  • Experience in hospital infrastructure projects and/or complex buildings is required.

Desired

  • Experience in contracts financed by international organizations.
  • Experience working with transactional and acquisition projects.
  • Experience working with and/or supervising multidisciplinary work teams.
  • Previous experience working in Latin America.

C. Languages

  • Native Spanish speaker required.
  • An intermediate level of English is required.

How to apply

To learn more about the position and to apply, please go directly to the UNOPS Careers page: https://careers.unops.org/careersmarketplace/JobDetail/Oficial-Senior-de-Gesti-n-de-Contratos-Obras/2300