Project Manager (Open to all applicants)

Background

With a total gross domestic product (GDP) of over USD 430 billion, Bangladesh is the second-largest economy in South Asia. Between 2000 and 2019, Bangladesh’s economy registered high GDP growth, averaging around 6% per annum. During this period, there were several notable improvements across different socioeconomic indicators, putting the country on track for a formal graduation from the group of least developed countries (LDCs) in 2026. Bangladesh’s score on the human development index (HDI) increased from 0.49 in 2000 to 0.68, placing it among countries categorized as medium human development. The national poverty rate fell from over 48% in 2000 to less than 19% in 2022. 

Despite the progress, Bangladesh faces several development challenges, and with the current trend, the country is unlikely to meet several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Even before the political crisis in 2024, Bangladesh was grappling with double-digit inflation. According to the latest estimate, GDP is expected to grow by 3.7% in 2025, much slower than the GDP growth in the past. Without an uptick in private investment, the economy cannot diversify, a necessary condition for creating decent jobs. With low social spending and weak capacities, the government is constrained from providing quality services to the people. Bangladesh is also one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and is prone to natural hazards, including climate-induced disasters.   

As the UN’s development agency, UNDP has been in Bangladesh since 1972, promoting democratic governance, climate adaptation, environmental protection and inclusive growth and, helping the country to achieve equitable and sustainable development. UNDP has been a close partner of Bangladesh in co-designing policy solutions, building national capacities, and promoting innovations to help meet its developmental aspirations.   

Bangladesh faces acute risks from climate change due to its geographic location, low-lying deltaic landscape, high population density, and limited adaptive capacity. The country is highly vulnerable to a range of climate-induced hazards including sea level rise, cyclones, storm surges, floods, salinity intrusion, droughts, and riverbank erosion—all of which threaten lives, livelihoods, food security, and public health. Climate change disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized, particularly women and children in rural and coastal areas. Economic losses are significant: according to the Bangladesh Climate and Development Report (World Bank, 2022), without effective adaptation, climate change could reduce Bangladesh’s GDP by up to 6.8% annually by 2030 and push an additional 13 million people into poverty by 2050. On average, climate-driven disasters now cost Bangladesh around US$ 3 billion per year, affecting over 6.3 million people annually. These disasters also erode 1–2 percent of GDP each year—at least US$ 4.65 billion in loss during FY 2021–22, with projections rising above 2 percent of GDP by 2030 and possibly 9 percent by 2050 without adaptation. Moreover, frequent natural disasters already cause an average financial loss of over US$ 2 billion per year, undermining development gains and straining public finance. Addressing climate vulnerability in Bangladesh thus requires urgent and sustained investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and inclusive adaptation strategies.

Climate change poses threats to the functional integrity of ecosystems, local hydrology, and community livelihood, particularly in the climatic hotspots in the Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs). The government has made impressive progress in developing climate polices, strategies and fund, and recently shaped a process of formulating a macro level National Adaptation Plan (NAP). However, vital gaps remain in establishing AEZs specific strategies, and the capacity of the sub-national and AEZ institutions to formulate and implement these strategies and plans. 

The “Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Sustainable Development Pathways of Bangladesh” project, supported by Global Environment Facility and UNDP and implemented by the Department of Environment (DoE) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), aims to enhance national resilience through localized adaptation planning. Throughout the AEZs there are many barriers to addressing climate change and impacts and implementation of adaptation options.  The government has made impressive progress in developing climate policies, strategies and funds, and formulated National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). However, vital gaps remain in scaling and promoting locally led adaptation planning, programming and implementation along with establishing AEZs specific local adaptation strategies and actions, and the capacity of the local govt and AEZ institutions to formulate and implement these strategies and plans.

The objective of this project is to support Bangladesh in addressing its urgent, medium and long-term climate risks in five selected AEZs that are most vulnerable to climate change. These AEZs are 1) Eastern Surma Kushiari Flood Plain (e.g., flash flood in Sunamganj), 2) Chittagong Hill Tracts (e.g., Flood and landslide at Rangamati), 3) Chittagong coastal plains (e.g., sea level rise), 4) Barind tract (drought prone Naogaon) and 5) Tista Floodplain (e.g., flood prone Kurigram). The interventions will be implemented within specific unions (smallest rural administrative and local government units) in each AEZ.  The project builds on existing national priorities and approaches on climate change in Bangladesh. The strategy proposed in this project is based on learnings and gaps in current climate change adaptation initiatives and policies in the country. 

The Project Manager will be responsible for the overall management of the Project, including the mobilisation of all project inputs, supervision over project staff, consultants and sub-contractors. The PM will report to the National Project Director (NPD) in close consultation with the assigned UNDP Programme Specialist for all of the Project’s substantive and administrative issues. The PM will perform a liaison role with the government, UNDP and other UN agencies, CSOs and project partners, and maintain close collaboration with other donor agencies providing co-financing. The PM will work closely with the Project Management Unit.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the National Project Director, and in close collaboration with the Programme Specialist-Environmental Sustainability and Energy under the Resilience & Inclusive Growth. The Project Manager will supervise the project team to manage the overall project. 

The Project Manager will be responsible for strategically and adaptively leading project management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, generating expected outputs and outcomes in line with the approved Project Document, and evaluation. The Project Manager’s prime responsibility is to ensure that the project produces the results specified in the project document, to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. 

Key Functions:

1. Result-based Project Management, including Planning, Implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Provide management oversight to ensure project implementation is on track.
• Management of project finances and achievement of quarterly and annual programme-finance delivery targets, with accountability to the National/Project Steering Committee/Project Implementation Committee/Project Board and UNDP.
• Ensure the preparation of annual work plan, budgeting, finance, procurement, audit, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, etc.
• Management of risks and issues, and execution of adaptive management in consultation with the Programme Specialist overseeing this project and the Assistant Resident Representative/UNDP Cluster Lead.
• Management of project team to ensure the team operates in a productive manner, through a clear division of labour, and setting specific quarterly and annual goals and targets for all team members, including annual performance planning at the start of each year and performance evaluation at mid-year and at the end of each calendar year.
• Management of experts/specialists and service providers through planning, managing and monitoring the delivery of outputs, reports and knowledge products.
• Review and contribute to all outputs and deliverables required by the project.
• Supervision of the planning and organisation of events; capacity building activities including trainings; consultations; meetings of the National/Project Steering Committee, Technical Working Committee, Core Groups, etc; and technical, evaluation, corporate, development partner and other missions.
• Liaise with UNDP, PSC, PIC, relevant government agencies, and all project partners, including donor organisations and CSOs for effective coordination of all project activities.
• Oversee and ensure timely submission of the Inception Report, Project Implementation Report, Technical reports, quarterly financial reports, and other reports as may be required by UNDP, GEF and other oversight agencies.
• Ensure that the project draws from and collaborates with other UNDP-supported projects, avoiding duplication and maximizing synergy.
• Completion of other relevant duties and tasks.

2. Partnership and Stakeholder Management, and Networking: 

• Identification of stakeholders and implementation partners for the undertaking of various outputs and activities.
• Preparation and implementation of a stakeholder mapping and stakeholder engagement/partnership strategy, including civil society/non-government organisations with activities, targets and expected results.
• Liaison with parliamentarians and government counterparts, as relevant, including focal persons assigned for the specific project outputs for effective and smooth project coordination. 
• Coordinate with relevant partners/stakeholders/actors, the UNDP Country Office and its programmes/portfolios/projects at large, including to share information about trends, issues and results in the thematic area, to coordinate and utilize resources effectively and efficiently.
• Development of new partnerships with development partners/donors, government, civil society and/or non-government organizations, academia, local communities and private sector to deliver the project outputs, as needed.

3. Evidence-based Advocacy and Support for Policy Reforms:

• Analyze and consolidate project results/outputs and provide results-based reporting of project progress at the outcome and impact levels.
• Development and implementation of capacity building activities aimed at government counterparts and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure highest UNDP standards in the provision of technical and advisory inputs, organization of workshops, seminars, training and delivery of product.

4. Knowledge Management and Resources Mobilization:

• Manage and contribute to the development of knowledge products, involving UNDP Programme Analyst, Cluster Lead and other relevant colleagues, implementing partners, consultants/experts/specialists, etc.
• Manage and contribute to the design and publication of communication materials and knowledge products; as well as knowledge-sharing platforms, tools and mechanisms.
• Manage the synthesis and documentation of project results, lessons learned, good practices, case studies, etc., from the project.
• Preparation and update of project information, results and other material on UNDP, government and other websites, media, etc., on a quarterly basis.
• Sharing of knowledge and information between UNDP, project management and government counterparts in the process of project implementation.
• Assist the UNDP Country Office in resource mobilization through developing a business case model, pulling the lessons learnt from the project for wider demonstration.
• Navigate opportunities to engage other potential development partners/donors with a view to mobilize more resources for the project.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility:  LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & 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 Management    

• Results-based Management: Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.
• Partnerships Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Risk Management: Identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks

2030 Agenda: Planet    

• Climate: Climate Strategies and Policy: Financing Strategies, Plans and Investment Frameworks

2030 Agenda: People    

• Gender: Innovation for Gender Equality

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) from any reputed educational institution, in Environmental Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Climate Change, Development Studies, or any related field is required, or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelors degree) of relevant work experience in natural resource management/climate change/environmental management is required. 

Required skills and competencies:

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages.
• At least 2 years of experience in natural resource management/climate change/environmental management. 
• Minimum 2 years of demonstrable project/programme management experience. 
• Proven 2 years of working experience with bi-lateral/multilateral organizations, government, in climate change-related planning and policymaking and on climate risk management;

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Experience of engagement with the private sector on climate change and environmental management is an advantage
• Superior skills in organization and management, including experience with planning, tracking, evaluation, and supervision of consultants and/or employees.
• Proven skills in financial tracking and budget management;
• Excellent understanding and experience of national climate change policies, climate change adaptation, natural resource management, etc. in context of Bangladesh. 
• Experience of managing contract, assets and procurement issues, and information and communication technology.
• Excellent work experience in collaboration with State and/or public institutions, International NGOs, CSOs, private sector and multi-stakeholders groups are desirable.
• Previous experience working with key public oversight institutions, particularly Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Department of Environment, Department of Environment, Bangladesh Forest Department, Ministry of Disaster Management, high-level government officials will have an added advantage.
• An understanding of development agencies and government’s procedures in project management is highly desirable. 

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English and Bangla is required.

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. 

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.

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