Project Manager

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After successful outcome of the 2018-2021 PVE Phase I regional project on “Strengthening Community Resilience and Regional Cooperation for Prevention of Violent Extremism in Central Asia”, the Phase II regional project on “Promoting Resilient Communities to Prevent Violent Extremism in Central Asia” was launched to continue expand national capacities in the prevention of violent extremism. It recognizes the importance of triggering positive change at multiple levels to effectively address the complex challenge of violent extremism.

Turkmenistan Country Component of the Regional Project, specified in these Project Work Plans, will be aimed at:

• Empowering young people with low level of education by providing respective vocational training for employment along with providing mentoring support to increase their economic empowerment and strengthen community resilience;
• Building national capacity in promoting employment opportunities as one of the directions in increasing resilience of communities to VE by enhancing technical capacity of Employment Departments of the MLSP to develop mechanisms of supporting vulnerable youth with the aim of addressing socio-economic vulnerability and building their resilience against violent extremism;
• Enhancing capacities of MLSP, Youth Organization, Women Union, Law Enforcement at central and local levels and local administrations to enhance national ownership of PVE programs and strengthen local mechanisms with the aim of supporting communities to build resilience against violent extremism;
• Supporting youth in challenging contexts and their families with counselling and mentorship in response to early signs of radicalization.

The country component project activities  will be implemented in Gokdepe etrap of Ahal velayat, Koneurgench etrap of Dashoguz velayat, Bayramaly city of Mary velayat, Buzmeyin etrap of Ashgabat city, Sayat etrap of Lebap velayat, and Balkanabat city of Balkan velayat.

In addition, within the regional component of the project, it is expected that regional prevention networks will be expanded by organizing high level meetings among regional and global PVE practitioners and stakeholders, online and offline youth exchanges and online regional training events. Thus, the Project prioritizes flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing PVE trends while promoting local ownership and leadership. The project will develop clear exit strategies to ensure the sustainability and scalability of the activities beyond the project lifecycle.

The Project Manager will be in charge of the following:

Overall project management:

• Management of the project a daily basis to achieve the performance indicators agreed with the donor and in line with the approved Budgets and Work Plans; Management and supervision of project implementation and evaluation across all components.
• Assess the programmatic impact and oversee the appropriateness and the accuracy of methods used to verify progress and the results.
• Analyse programmatic impact and takes decisions to correct possible deviations from targets.
• Assurance of successful completion of the project in accordance with the stated outcomes and performance indicators summarized in the Project Appraisal Document.
• Regular communication and coordination with the National Partner, members of the Project Board, and all other partners and interested stakeholders, with regard to all project activities. Organization of Project Board meetings at least twice a year.
• Regular communication with senior UNDP management with regard to all project activities. Assurance of coordination with other UNDP projects and broad strategic initiatives.
• Liaise with the Regional Project manager and regional project team/s.
• Preparation of Annual Work Plans (AWP), including monthly targets and deliverables as well as annual spending targets in accordance with the Project Document. Tracking of work outputs throughout the year in light of these Annual Work Plans.
• Tracking and managing of project spending in accordance with the project budget, as well as UNDP rules and procedures, to ensure transparency, responsibility, and timely fulfilment of both program targets and budget targets.
• Preparation of regular progress reports (programmatic and financial) as per the requirements of UNDP and National Partner.
• Preparation and submission of annual Project Implementation Reviews and other required progress reports to the Project Board and UNDP in accordance with applicable requirements, in all required languages (English, Russian, and/or Turkmen, using outside translation as needed).
• Coordination of the work of international and national consultants engaged in the project.
• Supervision of regular data collection and analysis, as well as reporting and public outreach via the mass media, events, and other means, to disseminate the results of the project.
• Oversight of the overall administration of the project office.
• Travel to the project sites within Turkmenistan if required; possible travel outside the country for participation in directly relevant international meetings.
• Support during the project evaluations, if any.
• Plan the detailed actions according to annual work plans of the project approved by the Project Board and monitor progress against the initial quality criteria.
• Mobilize goods and services to initiate activities, including drafting Terms of References (ToR) and work specifications.
• Performs functions of Project Manager in Quantum (UNDP online system) for approval of requisitions. Manage requests for the provision of financial resources by UNDP, using advance of funds, direct payments, or reimbursement. Monitors financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports.
• Ensure the project activities are covered by the UNDP communication means regarding the project events, deliverables and key achievements.
• Prepare Final Project Review Reports to be submitted and presented to the Project Board.
• Identify follow-on actions and submit them for consideration to the Project Board.
• Manage the transfer of project deliverables, documents, files, equipment and materials to national beneficiaries.
• Prepare final CDR (Combined Delivery Reports) for signature by UNDP and the National Partner.
• In cooperation with the Democratic Governance Programme Analyst, lead the process of developing and mobilizing resources for new projects in the areas of Project Manager’s expertise.

Financial resources management:

• Act as financial manager and retain the ultimate responsibility for financial resources for accountability purposes.
• Ensure total accuracy and the highest level of transparency in the management of the Project financial resources in accordance with UNDP and national regulations and procedures.
• Ensure timely preparation of all necessary financial reports, including the Annual and Final Donor Reports, Quarterly Combined Delivery Reports, etc.

Project outreach:

• Serve as the Project’s ambassador and advocate within the broader stakeholder’s community and beneficiaries.
• Create and foster a good working relationship with the media (print, radio and television).
• Represent and promote the Project at national and international meetings.
• Contribute to the production and publication of public information material.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships and cooperation with peer project managers from other related projects within Turkmenistan and the Central Asia region.

Project planning and implementation:

• Lead the process of quarterly and annual planning of project activities, with the participation of all Project personnel; retain the ultimate responsibility for the finished plans and submit them to the UNDP for their concurrence.
• Build effective working relationships with the main national partner and the project’s key stakeholders and UNDP’s regional and other teams.

Monitoring and adaptive management:

• Lead the implementation of the Project M&E (Monitoring and Evaluation) Plan.
• Carry out monitoring visits to Project sites on a regular basis.
• Collate the results of monitoring, analyze them, and formulate proposals for adaptive management measures for consideration by the Project Board.
• Implement the decisions and advice of the Project Board.

Reporting and accountability:

• Provide a report to each Project Board meeting noting progress and achievements, acknowledging difficulties and proposing possible solutions for consideration and guidance by the Project Board.
• Assume the lead responsibility for the preparation and content of the annual Project Progress Report.
• Prepare quarterly and annual project plans and reports and present them to the Project Board, donor, etc.
• Respond to request for reports on Project management and performance from any key stakeholders.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

Working under the supervision of the UNDP Programme Analyst to whom he/she will report and the overall guidance of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, the Project Manager will be responsible for day-to-day implementation of the Project and managing Project resources effectively and efficiently to achieve the Project Objective and Outcomes within the set timescale and available budget.

• Achieve Results – LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work.
• Think Innovatively – LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking.
• Learn Continuously – LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others, and support their learning.
• Adapt with Agility – LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process.
• Act with Determination – LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously.
• Engage and Partner – LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion – LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.

People Management Competency: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

• Business Direction & Strategy- System Thinking
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.
• 2030 Agenda: Prosperity- Inclusive Growth
  • Social Inclusion.
• 2030 Agenda: Prosperity- Inclusive Growth
  • Social protection.
• 2030 Agenda: Prosperity- Inclusive Growth
  • Youth economic empowerment.
• 2030 Agenda: Prosperity- Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility
  • Youth Employment.
• Partnerships Management – Relationship Management
  • Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Business Management- Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programs, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively.
  • Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and program management and results.
  • Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programs and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming.
  • Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools.
  • Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks.
  • Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.