Job description

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

Yemen’s protracted conflict has significantly weakened public institutions, disrupted governance systems, and reduced the state’s ability to deliver essential public services. Since 2015, the country has experienced severe economic contraction, institutional fragmentation, and declining public sector capacity, further exacerbating vulnerabilities across key sectors.

Public institutions under the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) continue to face major challenges, including weakened governance systems, limited institutional capacity, fragmented administrative structures, and increasing fiscal pressures. These challenges have affected the government’s ability to deliver services efficiently, implement reforms, and respond to evolving development priorities.

Critical public systems—including public administration, statistical systems, public financial management (PFM), human resource management (HRM), and institutional coordination mechanisms—require substantial modernization to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability, and service delivery. Existing systems remain fragmented, largely manual, and constrained by outdated processes, weak infrastructure, and limited technical capacity.

In response to these challenges, UNDP is implementing the project “Modernizing Public Institutions and Systems in Yemen (MPISY)” to support institutional strengthening and systems modernization across key government functions. The project aims to enhance institutional effectiveness, improve governance systems, strengthen public sector performance, and support sustainable capacity development toward increased national ownership and resilience.

The project contributes to strengthening public institutions and enabling more effective, accountable, and responsive governance in Yemen.

Position Purpose

The Project Manager will lead the overall implementation, management, and coordination of the project “Modernizing Public Institutions and Systems in Yemen (MPISY).”The incumbent will report directly to the UNDP Programme Manager / Governance Team Leader and will be responsible for providing strategic, technical, and operational leadership to ensure successful project delivery.

The Project Manager will work closely with government institutions, implementing partners, development partners, and relevant stakeholders to ensure coordinated implementation of project activities. This includes engagement with key ministries, public institutions, technical counterparts, and development partners supporting governance and institutional reform in Yemen.

The Project Manager will oversee project personnel, consultants, and technical experts and ensure effective coordination across all project components, including institutional strengthening, systems modernization, capacity development, and governance reforms.

The role requires strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management to deliver results in a complex and fragile operating environment.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.) Provide strategic direction to the Project Team for efficient implementation of activities:
    •    Provide overall strategic leadership and direction to the project team to ensure effective and timely implementation of project activities in line with project objectives, results framework, and workplans.
•    Lead strategic planning and ensure alignment of project implementation with UNDP corporate priorities, donor requirements, and national development priorities.
•    Translate project goals into clear operational priorities, deliverables, and implementation milestones.
•    Ensure effective coordination and integration across project components to maximize synergies and efficiency.
•    Promote results-based management and ensure timely identification and resolution of implementation bottlenecks.
•    Foster a collaborative, high-performing, and solution-oriented team environment that promotes accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
 

2.) Oversee and manage the project on a day-to-day basis, including achievement of financial and substantive targets and results, in line with corporate standards and guidance: 
    •    Lead day-to-day management of the project, ensuring delivery of outputs and achievement of project targets within approved timelines and budgets.
•    Develop, implement, and monitor annual work plans, procurement plans, budgets, and activity schedules.
•    Ensure compliance with UNDP rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and donor requirements.
•    Monitor project expenditures and ensure efficient utilization of financial resources.
•    Oversee procurement, contract management, and project operational processes.
•    Supervise project staff, consultants, and technical experts and ensure quality performance and delivery.
•    Identify and mitigate operational, programmatic, fiduciary, and contextual risks affecting project implementation.
•    Ensure accurate and timely reporting on project progress, results, risks, and challenges. 
 

3.) Build and manage partnerships:
    •    Establish and maintain strong working relationships with government institutions, development partners, donors, implementing partners, and other stakeholders.
•    Promote strategic partnerships to enhance project implementation, sustainability, and impact.
•    Facilitate coordination and collaboration among relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment and complementarity of interventions.
•    Represent the project in meetings, consultations, and coordination forums as required.
•    Support policy dialogue and strengthen institutional collaboration on governance and systems reform.
 

4.) Facilitate knowledge management and sharing:
    •    Promote effective knowledge management and institutional learning within the project.
•    Document lessons learned, best practices, and key achievements to support adaptive management and continuous improvement.
•    Facilitate knowledge sharing among project stakeholders, partners, and relevant institutions.
•    Ensure project knowledge products, reports, and technical outputs are well documented and disseminated appropriately.
•    Support institutionalization of knowledge and sustainability of project results.
 

5.) Support and advise on elaboration of resilience-building initiatives of UNDP and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: 
    •    Support the design and implementation of resilience-building initiatives within the broader UNDP programme framework.
•    Ensure project interventions contribute to strengthening institutional resilience, governance effectiveness, and sustainable recovery.
•    Promote integrated approaches that support long-term resilience, capacity development, and sustainable development outcomes.
•    Identify opportunities for synergies and complementarities with other UNDP programmes and initiatives.
•    Ensure gender equality and women’s empowerment principles are integrated into project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
•    Promote inclusive approaches that ensure meaningful participation of women and vulnerable groups in project activities.
•    Support gender-responsive programming and contribute to equitable access to project benefits and opportunities.
•    Ensure project interventions contribute to advancing inclusion, equality, and non-discrimination.
 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization 
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities Manage and supervise Project Coordinator
Operations Officer 
Procurement Specialist

Competencies

• Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

• Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction and 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.

Business Direction & Strategy Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; 
Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Direction & Strategy & Effective Decision Making:Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and 
resources and take into consideration potential wider implications. 

Business Development & UNDP Representation: Effectively represent and advocate for UNDP, its  values, mission, work, and positions with various constituencies/audiences, shares UNDP knowledge and activities. 

Business Management & Results-based Management: Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools. 

Audit & Investigation - General Financial and Managerial Accounting and Finance key concepts: Key concepts and principles of financial accounting, interpret financial analysis, managerial accounting, etc.

Audit & Investigation - Audit Fraud awareness and investigation techniques: Basic knowledge to understand the foundations of fraud, how to detect red flags and conduct initial fact findings

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Public Administration, Public Finance, Development Studies, or a related field is required. Or 
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.  

Experience:

• A minimum of seven (7) years (with a Master’s degree) or nine (9) years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in the area of project management  is required. 
• At least 2 years of experience overseeing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives is required
• Proven experience in managing complex, multi-component development projects, preferably in fragile and conflict-affected settings is required.
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas is required:
• Public Financial Management (PFM)
• Statistical systems and data management
• Human Resource Management (HRM) systems
• Public sector modernization and institutional reform
• Extensive experience in interacting with senior officials of government agencies in crisis countries, including Ministers is desired. 
• Experience in project implementation, monitoring, and results-based management isdesired. 
• Experience in financial management, procurement oversight, and operational management of development projectsis desired. 
• Experience working with UNDP, World Bank, UN agencies, or other international development organizations desired. 
• Previous experience in Yemen or similar fragile contexts is an asset. 
• Experience and strong knowledge of governance, institutional strengthening, and public sector reform is desirable. 
• Proven experience and good understanding of public administration systems and institutional development is desirable. 
• Proven ability to work effectively in complex, politically sensitive, and rapidly changing environments is desired.

Languages:

•    Fluency in English is required. 
•    Knowledge of another UN language would be an asset.
 

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.