Deputy Director, Infrastructure & Project Management (a.i)
UNOPS
This is a pivotal temporary leadership role designed to navigate and manage complex organizational change. The position requires a seasoned professional adept at operational management and change management. You will serve as the Director's trusted operational partner, ensuring that IPMG teams remain focused, supported, and effective during a period of significant structural overhaul.
About The Group
The Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG) provides policy, standards guidance and support in three UNOPS service lines of Project Management, Infrastructure and Financial Management Services (Grant Support and Fund Management). IPMG leads the design and implementation of a project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) system centered around the needs of UNOPS partners, beneficiaries and frontline personnel. IPMG also drives UNOPS efforts to leverage sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure and maximize local capacity through grant support management to achieve sustainable development. Through thought leadership, we aim to position UNOPS with its partners, foster innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development, and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes speeding up the implementation of urgent infrastructure and scaling up infrastructure service delivery, particularly in relation to climate action and energy. Our delivery approach to project management, infrastructure and grant support management prioritizes development needs, empowers institutions and communities, builds partners’ capacity, champions gender equality and social inclusion and reduces environmental impact. IPMG translates policy into practice by providing strategic direction, standards and oversight, while facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity-building for UNOPS teams globally.
Role Purpose
The Deputy Director (a.i) supports the Director (a.i) by taking charge of key day-to-day operational matters across all teams. The role acts as a primary operational hinge and change management anchor, ensuring continuous service delivery while simultaneously guiding the IPMG workforce through a complex restructuring process. Core responsibilities include:
- Day-to-Day Operational Leadership: Overseeing the routine operations of IPMG practice areas, technical teams, and support teams to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality service delivery.
- Restructuring and Change Management Support: Acting as a central pillar of support for the IPMG team during the overhaul, addressing concerns, ensuring clear communication, and mitigating the disruptive impacts of structural changes.
- Cross-Team Coordination: Fostering collaboration, resolving operational bottlenecks, and ensuring alignment across various units within IPMG.
- Strategic Partnership with the Director: Acting as the Director's delegate on operational matters, enabling the Director to focus on high-level strategic alignment and corporate relations.
- Operational Management and Day-to-Day Support
- Operational oversight: Direct and manage the daily operational workflows across IPMG's various teams and practice areas, ensuring targets are met despite the ongoing organizational changes.
- Troubleshooting: Proactively identify and resolve operational bottlenecks, acting as the first point of escalation for internal team challenges and resource constraints.
- Resource allocation: Support the Director in the agile deployment and management of personnel and financial resources to maintain business continuity during the transition.
- Change Management and Restructuring Leadership
- Team support and stabilization: Provide strong, empathetic leadership to guide the IPMG team through a difficult and protracted restructure, actively managing team morale, reducing anxiety, and fostering resilience.
- Change communication: Ensure transparent, consistent, and timely communication regarding the overhaul process, translating high-level restructuring decisions into clear operational impacts for the staff.
- Process continuity: Ensure that legacy processes are smoothly transitioned, retired, or adapted without causing service disruption to regional hubs and country offices.
- Cross-Functional Coordination and Integration
- Silo reduction: Drive cross-practice collaboration across Project Management, Infrastructure, Grants & Funds Management, and Sustainability units to ensure a cohesive service offering.
- Hub alignment: Maintain robust daily communication with regional technical hubs to ensure they remain fully supported and integrated with HQ operations during the structural transition.
- Strategic Advisory and Risk Management
- Advisory to the Director: Provide the Director with real-time operational insights, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations on how to adjust the restructuring approach based on team feedback and operational realities.
- Risk mitigation: Identify operational, reputational, and delivery risks stemming from the overhaul and rapidly implement mitigation strategies.
Required
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Project Management, Engineering or related disciplines with 12 years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above disciplines with 10 years of relevant experience is required.
- Certification in Change Management (e.g., PROSCI) or Project Management (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP).
Experience Requirements
- Progressively responsible leadership experience in operational management, programme delivery or corporate strategy is required.
- Demonstrated experience in operationalizing and continuously improving operating models, organizational structures, management processes or delivery-support mechanisms within international project-based organizations/environments is required.
- Demonstrated experience in supporting and leading teams through significant organizational change, restructuring, or crisis periods.
- Proven track record in managing day-to-day operations across multi-disciplinary technical or project management teams.
- Strong background in advising senior leadership on operational risks and resource management.
- Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
- Experience of working in UN system organizations is desired.
- Experience managing decentralized or globally distributed teams and hubs.