Project Manager

The Project Manager will lead and manage water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Gaza, ensuring effective coordination, technical oversight, financial management, and stakeholder engagement to support emergency and recovery interventions. The role involves project planning, technical supervision, procurement oversight, monitoring and evaluation, partnership building, and capacity strengthening within the water sector.

Responsibilities

• Develop project plans, concept notes, and proposals including budgets and timelines to support scale-up interventions and resource mobilization.
• Manage day-to-day water and wastewater project activities ensuring effective coordination with partners and stakeholders.
• Lead project initiation processes including site assessments, needs identification, damage and feasibility assessments, and prioritization of interventions.
• Prepare comprehensive project implementation plans, resource schedules, annual work plans, procurement plans, and detailed activity timelines.
• Ensure all project interventions adhere to UNDP strategic frameworks, national strategies, technical standards, and regulatory frameworks.
• Supervise and coordinate project staff, consultants, experts, contractors, and sub-grantees providing guidance and ensuring alignment with project objectives.
• Review or develop tender documents, engineering designs, technical specifications, BOQs, drawings, and cost estimates for water and wastewater projects.
• Conduct regular field visits to verify implementation progress, assess quality of works, and ensure compliance with safety protocols and environmental safeguards.
• Review contractors’ work plans, method statements, shop drawings, and material submissions to ensure technical accuracy and compliance.
• Identify operational challenges and issue timely site instructions; document deviations and ensure corrective measures.
• Verify and certify work completion, quantities, variation orders, interim payment certificates, and contractor claims ensuring fairness and value for money.
• Oversee adherence to environmental, social, and occupational health and safety requirements across project sites.
• Ensure effective financial management including monitoring expenditures, commitments, cash flow, and budget utilization.
• Provide first-level services for all project transactions under the Internal Control Framework ensuring compliance with financial, administrative, and procurement procedures.
• Carry out market surveys to establish cost estimates and project budgets and verify variation orders.
• Oversee procurement processes including preparation of TORs, RFPs, RFQs, specifications, review of procurement packages, and participation in evaluation processes.
• Coordinate timely mobilization of goods, equipment, services, and technical assistance required for project implementation.
• Ensure integrity and transparency in procurement, contracting, and financial reporting processes.
• Monitor project performance against approved plans, KPIs, milestones, and results frameworks.
• Prepare high-quality analytical progress reports, briefs, and updates for Project Board, management, and donors.
• Maintain and update project risk log; identify emerging risks; propose mitigation strategies; report to UNDP management and governance structures.
• Support corporate reporting requirements including Quantum quarterly progress updates, ROAR, and donor-specific reports.
• Develop and maintain project monitoring tools, dashboards, and documentation systems for audit-ready records.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of all required technical, financial, and narrative reports by project teams, partners, and contractors.
• Develop, implement, and monitor risks and required security and safety measures ensuring compliance with UN security protocols.
• Engage in project-related coordination with PWA, CMWU, municipalities, private sector, contractors, UN agencies, development partners, CSOs, and community representatives.
• Organize and facilitate coordination meetings, technical working groups, field missions, and donor visits including preparing agendas, minutes, and follow-up action plans.
• Ensure meaningful community engagement, conflict sensitivity, and participatory decision-making in all interventions.
• Coordinate preparation of work plans, HR plans, procurement plans, and contribute to Project Board and Steering Committee meetings.
• Develop and disseminate knowledge products, technical notes, SOPs, case studies, and lessons learned to support institutional learning.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job training to UNDP staff, partners engineers, contractors, and partner institutions.
• Support capacity strengthening of CMWU, PWA, and implementing partners to improve operational efficiency and sustainability.
• Contribute to UNDP knowledge networks and communities of practice ensuring cross-fertilization of best practices.
• Ensure all project activities comply with UNDP environmental and social safeguards, national regulations, and donor requirements.
• Integrate gender equality, social inclusion, and disability-responsive approaches throughout project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Ensure accessibility considerations are embedded in all infrastructure works and community-based interventions.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Water Engineering, Water Supply and Environmental Engineering, or a closely related field is required OR a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience.
• Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in implementing and supervising water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, management and execution including results-based management, finance and procurement, as well as monitoring and evaluation of projects.
• Strong technical and engineering expertise in water supply, wastewater, stormwater systems, and environmental sanitation with ability to develop new, practical, and innovative solutions.
• Advanced proficiency in engineering and project management software, including AutoCAD, GIS, MS Project, and relevant engineering calculation tools.
• Excellent technical writing and reporting skills, with the ability to prepare high-quality analyses, reports, briefs, and documentation.
• High level of computer literacy, including MS Office applications, spreadsheets, databases, and web-based management systems.
• Proven experience in preparing proposals, designs and tender documents including drawings, BOQs, TORs, RFPs, construction supervision and quality assurance manuals.
• Excellent stakeholder management and engagement, partnership-building, and coordination skills.
• Experience with design and implementation of ground water wells, desalination units, pumping stations, treatment plants, wastewater networks, stormwater, and related fields preferred.
• Demonstrated experience and exposure in the UN system.
• Previous experience with international (public or private sector) organizations.
• Ability to establish, build, and sustain effective partnerships and coordination mechanisms.

Skills

• Project Planning
• Project Management
• Result-Based Management
• Finance Management
• Procurement
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Water Supply
• Wastewater Treatment Engineering
• Stormwater Systems
• Environmental Sanitation
• AutoCAD
• GIS
• MS Project
• Engineering Calculation Tools
• Technical Writing
• Report Preparation
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Spreadsheet Management
• Database Management
• Web-based Management Systems
• Proposal Preparation
• Design and Tender Documentation
• Construction Supervision
• Quality Assurance
• Stakeholder Management
• Partnership Building
• Coordination
• Groundwater Well Design
• Desalination Unit Design
• Pumping Stations Design
• Treatment Plant Design
• Wastewater Network Design
• UN System Experience
• International Organization Experience

Languages

English, Arabic