Antecedentes

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

In support of the organization’s objectives, the Programme Support Management Unit (PSMU) in UN Women Headquarters works to strengthen corporate project management capacities and provide increased support to the field and headquarters in non-core programme and project implementation. Within PSMU, the Head of the Programme Management Office leads the work on project and programme management capacities and strengthening, which includes:

• Capacity building and training for programme staff;
• Professionalization of project and programme management standards and capacities;
• Knowledge Management - Community of Practice and Center of Excellence for Project and Programme Management; and
• Targeted project planning and initiation support.

Under the supervision of the Head of the Programme Management Office, the consultant will be responsible for the execution and support to a variety of initiatives across the work areas listed above, including: corporate project and programme management lifecycle development (including policies, procedures and guidance), development of the Global Programme Management Office (PMO) Center of Excellence and online presence, and associated training/capacity building materials, and establishing relationships with agencies and external best practice providers/institutions. The consultant must have excellent communication and organizational skills to manage the substantive inputs and quality control of work related to the assignment and must be able to work with a broad range of stakeholders.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Under the supervision of the Head of the Programme Management Office, the consultancy will include the following scope:

1. In support of the professionalization of staff and the organization's PM capacities, map, analyze and establish partnerships with other agencies and external best practice providers to create pathways for access to knowledge, training and certification, and raise awareness of gender-sensitive project and programme management standards and practices;
2. Building on the existing PM Community of Practice membership, develop an integrated, online Center of Excellence for the Global Programme Management Office which will serve as a “one stop shop” for project and programme staff;
3. Through the established PPG Reference Group and in line with corporate audit recommendations, assist the PPG Secretariat in coordinating and implementing actions on the project cycle that address identified gaps and enable organization to advance to a higher level of maturity, including the implementation of the business case and development of a detailed project plan. Support the Reference group to update the PPG framework governing programming (including review and enhancement of areas such as sustainability of results, capacity analysis as part of programme design), and assist the Secretariat with communications, note-taking, and drafting of work packages;
4. Support the Head of PMO with any other duties pertaining to project and programme management guidance, support and oversight, as required.

Implementation:

The consultancy will be implemented in the following phases and through the following deliverables:

Deliverables:

1. Document in a written business-case and with visual workflows, the opportunities identified for PM partnerships with other agencies and external parties and implement action plans to establish them, as guided by the Head of PMO.
2. Document in a written business case and with a visual workflow the proposed plan and roadmap to evolve the PM Training Community of Practice into an organizational Center of Excellence and implement the approved plan of action, or components, as required.
3. Develop a detailed project plan for actions related to the strengthening of the UN Women Project Cycle, aligned with corporate audit recommendations and the existing business case;
4. Coordinate, schedule and attend the PPG Reference Group meetings, coordinate inputs, and prepare minutes and other documentation, including summary reports and presentations of progress against the action plan.

Phase 1:  Prepare, through participatory processes and in consultation with relevant stakeholders, the business cases and associated documentation for deliverables i. ii and iii, and upon approval, begin implementation against approved action plans. For deliverable iv, coordinate, schedule and support the PPG Reference Group and Secretariat as required.

[Duration: Estimated 33 days/Expected timeline: January-February 2020]

Phase 2: Establish and finalize partnerships and agreed opportunities, per the business case, for deliverable i. Create and launch the PMO Centre of Excellence per deliverable ii.  Provide a presentation and documentation of progress made against the project plan created for deliverable iii. [Duration: Estimated 33 days/Expected timeline: February-March 2020]

Phase 3: Continue to coordinate work of the PPG Reference Group and Secretariat and provide a summary report of progress against the PPG Reference Group action plan per deliverable iv. Continue to support work against the other deliverables and provide the Head of PMO with status updates in line with the agreed scope of work, as required. [Duration: Estimated 34 days/Expected timeline: April-May 2020]

Timeline:  Estimated 100 days within a 5-month period

Duration and duty station for the assignment   

The duration of the assignment will be 100 (one hundred) days within a 5-month period. The position may include working remotely with regular Skype meetings, and/or based out of UN Women headquarters in New York.

UN Women will provide all necessary data and will not provide a laptop to the expert.

Fees and Schedule of Payments

The position will be remunerated based on an “all-inclusive lump-sum”. The successful candidate will receive his/her payment, based on the following tentative payment schedule:

33% of the contract amount upon completion of Phase 1

33% of the contract amount upon completion of Phase 2

34% of the contract amount upon completion of Phase 3

The Head of PMO will certify the deliverables

Competencias

Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Functional Competencies:

Main competencies

• In-depth knowledge of development issues and project management, particularly within the United Nations (experience working with UN Women would be considered an advantage);
• Proven ability in strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Excellent knowledge and work experience in programme and project management, including with knowledge and/or certification from leading institutions such as the Project Management Institute and AXELOS;
• Excellent knowledge and work experience in mapping business processes, analysis and identification of gaps
• Excellent ability to write, speak and present in English;
• Demonstrates strong skills in writing policies, procedures and guidance;
• Excellent presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills;

Additional competencies

• Consistently approaches work proactively and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Ability to establish priorities for self and others, and to work independently;
• Ability to remain calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Demonstrates openness to change, flexibility, and ability to manage complexities;
• Results-oriented and able to respect deadlines;
• Strong IT skills (PPT, Word, Excel).

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Qualifications required:

NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criteria detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

Education:

University degree in Business or Public Administration, Project Management, Social Sciences, law, economics or a related field.

PRINCE2, PMP, or MSP certification is highly desirable.

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant and progressively responsible management consulting experience, including experience in business process design, project management and change management in the public sector;
• Experience working with project and programme management training providers and knowledge institutions;
• Working knowledge of mission-driven organizations and the UN system (experience working with UN Women would be considered an advantage);
• Excellent ability and work experience in developing online content and presence, and drafting policies, procedures and guidance;
• Experience in coordinating key stakeholder from different units/departments; and
• Proficient with office software packages and cloud-based systems.

Language:

Excellent speaking and written English, other UN languages would be an advantage.

Application Procedures:

Interested applicants for this position should submit the following documents:

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
• Proposed lump sum (optional)

The selected applicant will be requested to provide a Certificate of Good Health from a recognized physician prior to commencement to work also certifying the he/she is fit to travel.