Project Manager – Managing Water Scarcity through Strengthened Water Resources

Country
  • Fiji
City
  • Suva
Organization
  • Pacific Community
Type
  • Job
Career Category
  • Program/Project Management
Years of experience
  • 10+ years
Themes
  • Safety and Security
  • Water Sanitation Hygiene

The Pacific Community (SPC) invites applications for the position of Project Manager – Managing Water Scarcity through Strengthened Water Resources Management located at its regional office in Suva, Fiji.

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 26 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 20 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Geoscience Energy and Maritime Division provides advice, technical assistance, research and training support to Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs). There are three (3) areas of scientific programming and two areas of focus within this division:

  1. Oceans and Maritime Programme (OMP) – assists member countries with services that provide applied ocean science and knowledge for evidence-based policy-making and technical solutions for improved ocean and maritime governance, management and capacity development.

  2. Georesources and Energy Programme (GEP) – assists member countries by applying technical knowledge in the areas of geoscience and sustainable energy use.

  3. Disaster and Community Resilience Programme (DCRP) – assists member countries to demonstrate strengthened resilience through integrated action on disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, natural resource management and increased access to water and sanitation.

The other two focus areas within this division are Programming and Operations, which is responsible for driving integrated programming excellence and operational support across the division, and Geoinformatics, which is responsible for providing diverse, integrated, and unique and demand-driven services across SPC work programmes, projects and countries.

Under the DCRP is the Managing Water Scarcity through Strengthened Water Resources Management project (also known as the Atoll Water Scarcity project) which is a three-year project funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). The project aims to deliver a programme of technical support tailored to address drinking water scarcity issues in targeted remote island communities, focusing on: infrastructure enhancement; optimisation of existing resources; and empowering communities to sustainably manage water resources. The project will be implemented in each of the five atoll nations of the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Tokelau and Tuvalu, with potential extension of activities to non-atoll countries with significant small and remote island communities facing similar water security challenges.

The Project Manager will be responsible for the overall project management and delivery of the Managing Water Scarcity through Strengthened Water Resources Management project in areas such as: project management, procurement, team coordination, oversight of financial management, performance and reporting, risk management and the provision of high-level advice to participating Governments, partners and SPC.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

  • Overall coordination, management and delivery of the Atoll Water Scarcity project
  • Provision of high-level expert advice and support to project beneficiaries, partners and SPC on project implementation; and
  • Strengthening sub-regional and national cooperation, coordination and communication on atoll water security issues and solutions.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the job description provided.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

  • A postgraduate degree from a recognised institution, and/or equivalent work experience, in a discipline relevant to project management, international development, engineering, meteorology, disaster management, and/or water resources management

Knowledge and experience

  • At least 10 years in a similar project management position with complex multi-location, multi-beneficiary projects ideally in the Pacific Islands region.
  • Thorough understanding of project management including project cycles, log-frames, monitoring and evaluation, and risk management
  • Demonstrated experience managing a high volume and high dollar value procurement

Essential skills

  • 5 years’ experience in working within a regional or international institutional environment
  • Managing logistics in challenging and remote locations
  • Demonstrated abilities in staff management and their performance evaluation

Language skills

  • Excellent English communication skills (oral and written) with a working knowledge of French being an advantage

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

  • Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment
  • Excellent interpersonal skills in the multicultural environment of the Pacific Islands

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – Until 30 June 2023

Due to the current travel restrictions caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the priority SPC places on its staff safety, health and well-being, please note that there may be delays in taking up the appointment. These matters will be discussed thoroughly with successful candidates. In most cases, any appointment and on-boarding would only commence when relocation to the duty station is permitted.

Remuneration – The Project Manager is a Band 12 position in SPC’s 2020 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 3,478‒4,348 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately FJD 10,365–12,956 (USD 4,800–6,000; EUR 4,278–5,348). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax.

Benefits for international employees based in Fiji – SPC provides a housing allowance of FJD 1,350–3,000 per month. Establishment and relocation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave, medical and life insurance and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their recognised dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave and 30 days of sick leave per annum, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander.

Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.

How to apply

Application procedure

Closing Date2 November 2020 at 11:45pm Fiji time

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

  • an updated resume
  • contact details for three professional referees
  • a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
  • responses to all screening questions

Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. These documents may be requested at a later stage.

For international staff in Fiji, only one foreign national per family can be employed with an entity operating in Fiji at any one given time. The Pacific Community does not support dual spouse employment.

Please ensure that you respond to all the screening questions. If you do not respond to the screening questions, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage.

Screening Questions:

  1. Describe an example in which you have been responsible for the coordination of a complex project across multiple sectors, organisations and locations, and what you feel were some of the key factors of success.

  2. In your experience, what are the most difficult challenges in managing the financial and procurement processes associated with donor-funded projects, and what approaches have you utilised in addressing these?

  3. Describe some approaches and tools that you have used to ensure the effective and impactful reporting of project outcomes to implementing agencies, donors and beneficiaries.

To help us with our recruitment effort, please indicate in your email/cover letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.

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