Project manager

Office/Unit/Project	UNDP CO Azerbaijan “ Empowering Women in Azerbaijan for Social and Economic Participation” project
Functional Title	Project Manager
Classified Level (NPSA 1-12)	NPSA 9
Duty station (City and Country)	Baku, Azerbaijan
Type (Regular or Short term)	Regular
Office- or Home-based	Office-based
Expected starting date	1 October 2021
Expected Duration	6 months (with possibility of extension)

2. Office/Unit/Project Description

The position of Project Manager is in direct support of UNDP’s joint project with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWCA) titled “ Empowering Women in Azerbaijan for Social and Economic Participation”, implemented with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland represented by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (“FCDO”).

The project’s goal is through building capacities of women, creating more equal opportunities and strengthening the enabling environment, the project reinforces especially the recovery and relief pillar of Women, Peace and Security, where conflict affected women become agents of change to participate in the economic and social lives of their communities after the recent Karabakh conflict. As a platform for change, the Women Resource Centers (WRCs) will be utilised to advance gender equality in these communities with women and for women. Increasing financial literacy of women and endorsing them for social change through tailored capacity building is complemented with strong formal and informal support networks. Ultimately the project aims to achieve economic security of conflict affected women so they are better prepared for external shocks of conflict and crises.

The project will aim to ensure that:

Outcome 1. Vulnerable women are empowered with skills and have access to services and information to improve livelihoods and deliver community-level benefits sustainably, by cooperating as part of the network of Women Resource Centers (WRCs)

Outcome 2. Stakeholders at national and local levels are supportive of WRC models and take actions to strengthen vulnerable women’s economic and social inclusion through targeted interventions informed by stakeholder analysis produced by the project

The project Manager will be recruited and will work in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations, Communications teams of UNDP and as well as SCFWCA in the organization for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex programme /project-related issues and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

The Project Manager will perform a liaison role with the Government, donors, project beneficiaries and other project partners and ensure achievement of the project goals.

The Project Manager will coordinate day-to-day project management and achievement of the project milestones and project progress.

3. Scope of work

Under the guidance and direct supervision of UNDP Programme Analyst, the Project Manager will perform the following:

· Serve as the Project Manager for the project on Empowering Women in Azerbaijan for Social and Economic Participation;

· Supervise the Project Officer, Project Assistant; Communications Officer and the Monitoring & Evaluation Expert;

· Ensure the timely and effective accomplishment of all expected outputs, as per the project documents;

· Work with UNDP Operations Unit to ensure full compliance with and transparency in procurement, finance, contracting and other administrative procedures as required for nationally implemented projects;

· Prepare annual work plan of the project and monitor progress against the approved work plan; Manage and monitor events and update the workplan as required;

· Ensure a results-based approach to project management; understand the project’s results framework indicators and respective targets;

· Manage and monitor the project risks;

· Capture and share lessons learned during project implementation;

· Perform regular progress reporting to the project board;

· Prepare quarterly narrative and financial reports, the annual and final progress reports; oversee and ensure timely submission of required donor reports, project progress reports, financial reports, and other reports as may be required by UNDP and national partners;

· Manage day-to-day project management and achievement of the project milestones;

· Ensure adequate information flow, discussions and feedback among the various stakeholders and target groups;

· Oversee the recruitment and contracting of project personnel, international and local consultants;

· Supervise and coordinate the work of project staff, consultants and sub-contractors, ensuring the timely delivery of expected outputs, and effective synergy among the various sub-contracted activities;

· Liaise with UNDP, government partners and other relevant stakeholders for effective coordination, visibility and reporting on all project activities;

· Oversee the exchange and sharing of experiences and lessons learned;

· Coordinate and assist the WRCs with the initiation and implementation of project activities;

· Carry out regular, announced and unannounced inspections of all sites and project-funded activities;

· Perform other tasks to ensure timely, effective and efficient implementation of project activities.

4. Institutional Arrangement

Project Manager will report directly to UNDP Programme Analyst overseeng the “Empowering Women in Azerbaijan for Social and Economic Participation” project.

5. Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA

Min. Academic Education	· Master’s degree in Management, Education, Business management and other social sectors.
Min. years of relevant Work experience	· At least 5 years of project/programme management experience (Proven management expertise – must be able to smoothly handle the political, technical, and people management challenges that will face the Project Manager on a daily basis. This is first and foremost the most important qualification); · Experience in working with Government institutions in Azerbaijan; · Experience in effectively coordinating a large, multi-stakeholder project; · Experience in administering budgets, train and work effectively with counterpart staff at all levels and with all groups involved in the project;
Required skills and competencies	Core competencies Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Level 4: Models independent thinking and action Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Level 4: Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis Delivery: Ability to get things done Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services Functional competencies Project Management · Knowledge of project and programme development work and the ability to apply in strategic and/or practical situations Partnerships · Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships · Analytic sense · Ability to evaluates information accurately and identifies key issues required to resolve problems · Inter-personal skills · Ability to communicate effectively in a multi-cultural environment Knowledge Management and Learning · Shares knowledge and experience; · Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills Teamwork and task resolution · Ability to work in teams and across units effectively and shows conflict resolution skills Self-Management · Focus on result for the client and responds positively to feedback; · Remain calm, in control and good humored even under pressure; · Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage complexities Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise · Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position · Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks · Analyzes the requirements and synthesizes proposals · Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning · Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments · Ability to strategically link communication with partnership goals and resource mobilization objectives Knowledge Management and Learning Promotes knowledge management in UN and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example; Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills. Innovation and Marketing New Approaches - Developing new approaches · Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals; · Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations; · Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking; · Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor. Self-management/Emotional Intelligence · Stays calm and maintains composure under stress or during a crisis, keeping disruptive emotions under control; · Adapts flexibly to changing situations, overcomes obstacles and recovers quickly from set-backs; · Tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively; · Is realistic about own limits using support mechanisms as needed and maintaining an appropriate work-life balance; · Senses the emotions of others, understanding their perspective, taking an active interest in their concerns; · Fosters a positive outlook and maintains focus during period of stress and heavy work load, inspiring and guiding others towards goal achievement; · Creates a climate of enthusiasm and flexibility, where people feel encouraged to give their best; · Stands up to group pressure, not giving in out of a desire to please or to avoid confrontation and conflict. Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing - Developing tools and mechanisms · Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches; · Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms. Client Orientation · Contributing to positive outcomes for the client · Anticipates client needs; · Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider; · Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective.
Desired additional skills and competencies	· Experience of working with rural communities would be an asset. · Excellent computer skills, in particular mastery of all applications of the MS Office package;
Required Language(s) (at working level)	· Fluency in oral and written English and Azerbaijani;
Professional Certificates	N/A
How to apply:	Please follow the links to apply for this position: · https://www.az.undp.org/content/azerbaijan/en/home/jobs.html · https://jobs.partneragencies.net/erecruit.html