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Job Specific Context
Job Specific Context
The Barbados Country Office is designed as a strategic vehicle to support Caribbean nations in the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), helping Caribbean leaders drive a global agenda on climate justice and financing.
The region, a complex archipelago of 13 sovereign states and numerous dependent territories, faces disproportionate vulnerabilities to economic shocks, natural disasters, and the accelerating impacts of climate change. In direct response to these challenges, UNOPS has designated operations in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as a corporate priority for its 2026–2029 Strategic Plan.
The Barbados Country Office’s primary mandate is to Speed Up and Scale Up engagements across 17 Caribbean SIDS, ensuring that partner expectations are met with agility and precision. Through dedicated operational presence, UNOPS Barbados Country Office will streamline complex regional logistics and foster stronger collaboration with sovereign governments and financial institutions in the Caribbean.
The Barbados Country Office will focus on, high-value solutions that address the specific priorities of the Caribbean SIDS, including:
Economy (Economic Resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction, Energy Transition)
Nature and Climate (Climate Action and Support, Biodiversity Action, Ocean Conservation and Sustainable Use)
Human Capital (Secure Safe and healthy societies, Productive populations, Gender equality and women's empowerment)
Infrastructure (Resilient infrastructure in Rule of Law, Health, Transportation, Education, etc.)
Improve countries project management capabilities as well as implementation capacity and project formulation to access just finance
Role Purpose
Role Purpose
The Project Management Office (PMO) Specialist contributes to the development and continuous improvement of strategic, operational and governance frameworks to ensure that all projects and programmes are effectively designed, prioritized and implemented in alignment with UNOPS and partner objectives. The role supports the management team in strategic planning and portfolio oversight, providing delivery assurance to ensure projects are executed according to UNOPS standards and promoting best practices in project management. The PMO Specialist also ensures the consistent application of project management methodologies, policies and tools across all operations, enabling evidence-based decision-making, optimal resource utilization, and effective delivery of sustainable results.
Functions / Key Results Expected
Functions / Key Results Expected
- Development and Planning
- Contribute to strategic oversight, advice and direction on project and programme management activities in line with service agreements and project documents.
- Support the development, implementation and, when required, revision of project budgets and staffing plans, ensuring alignment and synergy across operations.
- Establish and maintain resource tracking systems within the PMO to enhance planning, forecasting and delivery tracking.
- Identify and anticipate risks and issues, providing timely advice and mitigation measures to the supervisor.
Project Set-Up and Closure
- Facilitate the preparation of high-level project and programme plans, consolidating lower-level plans into integrated milestones.
- Develop, monitor and maintain project dependencies and interdependencies.
- Provide support on project assets, finance and administrative matters throughout the project lifecycle.
- Serve as the focal point for project closure activities.
- Oversee all closure processes, ensuring the proper disposal of assets, final operating, initiation of financial disbursements during Defects Liability Periods and handover of projects to HQ for final financial closure.
- Ensure timely updates of project information in UNOPS systems (e.g. oneUNOPS).
Monitoring and Reporting
- Prepare, review and issue regular project and programme reports in accordance with donor requirements and UNOPS standards.
- Continuously assess project performance using scope, cost, schedule and quality criteria.
- Implement and maintain effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems aligned with project logical frameworks.
- Ensure that all projects define, update and track milestones and performance targets throughout their lifecycle.
- Analyze delivery data and performance dashboards, identifying trends, risks and corrective measures.
- Provide analytical reports and financial insights (e.g. delivery forecasts, locally managed cost projections) to support decision-making by project and support services teams.
- Coordinate the implementation of project management initiatives and requests from the Regional Office and HQ teams.
Quality Assurance
- Ensure that projects and programmes comply with UNOPS standards, policies and audit requirements.
- Collaborate with procurement, finance and audit teams to maintain quality control and compliance with supplier and internal systems.
- Coordinate quality reviews of project documents, reports and deliverables, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
- Provide quality assurance for management products, ensuring adherence to corporate standards and client expectations.
- Participate as authorized in continuous process improvement initiatives and operational excellence efforts.
Personnel Management (as applicable)
- Assist in supervising, guiding and motivating project team members to achieve high performance and accountability.
- Contribute to recruitment, onboarding and performance management of personnel, ensuring gender balance and diversity principles are upheld.
- Promote a respectful, inclusive and safe working environment that aligns with UNOPS’ zero-tolerance policy for misconduct, discrimination and harassment.
- Ensure compliance with United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) safety and security standards for all project staff and operations.
Knowledge Building and Sharing
- Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on project management.
- Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned.
- Conduct research on project management-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes.
Skills
Skills
Competencies
Competencies
Education Requirements
Education Requirements
Required
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 7 years of relevant experience OR
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 5 years of relevant experience is required.
Desired
- A globally recognized professional certificate or membership in Project Management is desired.
Experience Requirements
Experience Requirements
Required
- Relevant experience is work in project management or related areas.
- Demonstrable proficiency in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems are required.
Desired
- Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
- Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
Language Requirements
Language Requirements
| Language | Proficiency Level | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| English | Fluent | Required |
| Spanish | Intermediate | Desirable |
| French | Intermediate | Desirable |
Additional Information
Additional Information
- Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
- Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
- Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
- UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
- UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
- We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.
Terms and Conditions
- For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
- For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
- For more details about the contract types, please click here.
- All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
- It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.