Project Management Support - Officer

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

The East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), headquartered in Bangkok, supports UNOPS operations across 24 countries in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and the Pacific. Established in January 2023, EAPMCO provides strategic direction, operational support, and quality assurance to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of projects across its portfolio. EAPMCO implements initiatives in priority areas such as energy transition, climate change, and sustainable development, drawing on UNOPS' core expertise in human resources, procurement, infrastructure, fund management, and programme management.

UNOPS has supported Papua New Guinea (PNG) since 2016, initially partnering with the Global Fund to strengthen public health services. In 2020, a dedicated country office was established to manage UNOPS’ growing portfolio, which spans infrastructure, procurement, and project management. UNOPS currently works with the Government of PNG, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Governments of Australia and New Zealand on initiatives in health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and sustainable energy, supporting the country’s development priorities through tailored, results-driven solutions.

Background Information – UNOPS

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations. With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it. A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across  North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

In 2024, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 80 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself. 

UNOPS in Papua New Guinea

The EAPMCO Papua New Guinea was established in early 2020 to support the implementation of design and construction of infrastructure, sustainable procurement, capacity development to support technical and governance excellence, programme management, and to facilitate access to funding sources in Papua New Guinea.  

As an established office since 2022, EAPMCO PNG is demonstrating significant growth and portfolio diversification potential in a short period of time. Working with an increasing number of development partners, in 2023 EAPMCO PNG is quickly being recognised as a responsive and quality partner in climate change resilient infrastructure, sustainable procurement and governance support to the Government of PNG in its service delivery obligations to the people. There are a number of projects currently in the pipeline which will expand the portfolio of existing projects for the office.

Background Information 

Ongoing and New Projects Projects 

Impact Health and Energy Projects: Under the current portfolio, UNOPS implements initiatives in the health and energy sectors that contribute to improving service delivery and institutional capacity:

• The IMPACT Health Project aims to strengthen the quality and efficiency of healthcare services across Papua New Guinea by addressing key bottlenecks in health service delivery, particularly in rural and remote areas. Activities include assessments of health facilities, design of infrastructure upgrades, and capacity development of provincial health authorities to enhance service delivery. The project also supports the piloting of innovative approaches to community-level health care delivery in partnership with national and provincial counterparts.

• The Energy Project focuses on improving the operational and technical performance of the national electricity utility. It supports reforms to strengthen institutional governance, financial management and operational systems, while enhancing grid reliability, maintenance practices and network efficiency. The project contributes to expanding access to affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity in line with national energy transition goals.

The UNOPS PNG office also has existing projects that are currently being implemented and established across the country. Such projects have the potential to significantly develop UNOPS profile in key service lines of energy, health infrastructure and sustainable procurement, climate change resilient infrastructure and community development infrastructure projects in PNG. 

The Project Management Support Officer will provide cross-cutting operational, analytical and coordination support to PNG project portfolios, ensuring compliance with UNOPS policies, procedures and quality standards.

Job Highlight

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to PNG project portfolios in Papua New Guinea, supporting improved service delivery and sustainable development. The role provides valuable experience in project management, stakeholder engagement, and operational support within a dynamic international environment.

• The vacancy is open to both nationals and internationals. However, if the selected candidate is a national of the duty station, a Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) will be issued.
• The duty station, Port Moresby, is a family duty station with hardship leave

The Project Management Support Officer provides technical and administrative support to ensure that projects and programmes are designed, implemented and monitored in line with UNOPS policies, processes and quality standards. The role contributes to effective coordination, operational consistency and risk management, supporting successful project delivery and sustainable results.

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager(s) and overall guidance of the Head of Programme, providing cross-functional support to ensure timely, compliant and high-quality project implementation.

1.  Project implementation, monitoring and reporting

• Support the planning, coordination and day-to-day management of project activities.
• Prepare and maintain project work plans, schedules and monitoring tools.
• Track progress against deliverables, identify risks and propose corrective actions.
• Contribute to the preparation of progress reports, briefing notes and presentations.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date project documentation and data in corporate systems.
  
  

2. Operations coordination and contract management

• Coordinate with Support Services on procurement, HR and logistics actions required for project delivery.
• Support the drafting of Terms of Reference, purchase requisitions and related operational documentation.
• Monitor contract implementation, supplier performance and ensure timely payments.
• Maintain operational records and ensure compliance with UNOPS administrative procedures.
  
  

3. Project financial management

• Assist in the preparation and monitoring of budgets, forecasts and expenditure reports.
• Support analysis of financial performance and follow up on anomalies or pending actions.
• Ensure accurate cost coding, financial documentation and timely reporting in line with UNOPS rules.
• Contribute to financial inputs for donor and internal reports.
  
  

4. Stakeholder engagement support

• Facilitate effective communication and coordination among internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Support organization of meetings, workshops and missions, including documentation and follow-up of action points.
• Draft correspondence, minutes and briefing materials as required.
• Support visibility and communication activities consistent with UNOPS branding and guidelines.
  
  

5. Knowledge management and innovation

• Support the identification and documentation of lessons learned and best practices.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the office.
• Support capacity-building and training initiatives for project personnel and partners.
• Promote innovative solutions and efficient approaches to project delivery.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 2 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 0 years of relevant experience is required.

Desired

• A globally recognized professional certificate or membership in Project Management is desired.

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 is 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.

• 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. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority 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.

• 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.