Project Management Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants]

International Civil Aviation Organization; Manila; On-site; PHP 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

UNDP Philippines seeks a Project Management Specialist/Deputy Project Manager to support the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership SO2. You will provide high-quality project implementation, technical guidance, and coordination with LGUs, partners, donors, and government co-leads to advance circular economy initiatives.

Under the Project Manager, you will assist in developing annual work plans and budgets, monitoring progress, and ensuring timely reporting.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical advice in the overall implementation of the GEP-SO2 project.
• Contribute to donor coordination and engagement with LGUs, government co-leads, and UNDP experts.
• Support project management, including work plans, budget monitoring, and progress reporting.

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

Job Description

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

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

Background

Funded by a P3.67 billion (€60 million) grant from the European Union, the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership will run from 2023-2028 in collaboration with the Government of the Philippines, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This priority programme of the European Union in the Philippines links European and Filipino partners from the private sector and local governments to foster a circular economy and the reduction of plastic waste. It also aims to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy use and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Through technology transfers and investments, the programme aims to accelerate the transition to a greener economy while sustaining economic growth that benefits all Filipinos.

The EU-PH Green Economy Partnership is co‑funded by Germany's Ministry for the Environment, and implemented by Germany's development agency GIZ, UNDP Philippines, Expertise France with Global Green Growth Institute, and the International Finance Corporation - a member of the World Bank Group. The Green Economy Partnership is part of EU’s Global Gateway initiative - the European strategy engaging with partners globally and promoting investments around shared priorities such as the transition to a green economy and the advancement of digital infrastructure, among others.

The EU-PH Green Economy Partnership’s second of four specific objectives (SO2), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to enhance circular economy practices by the local government units (LGUs) in collaboration with the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs), with focus on youth and gender equality. Co-led by UNDP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), SO2 delivers a portfolio of interventions, among others focusing on enabling policies; facilitating financing; advocacy and behavioural change; and enhancing knowledge and capacity among LGUs and local stakeholders. Central to the approach is innovation, promoting gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI), and just transition towards the shift to a circular economy.

The EU-PH Green Economy Partnership (SO2) works with LGUs and local stakeholders, including the private sector, CSOs, communities, youth, GEDSI groups, and informal sector actors, to advance circular economy (CE) solutions. The programme directly supports 20 Tier 1 LGUs and provides targeted assistance to 40 Tier 2 LGUs through an Inter‑Local Cooperation (ILC) approach.

The first batch of ten Tier 1 LGUs under the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership consists of Baguio City, Pasig City, Caloocan City, Quezon City, Puerto Princesa City, Iloilo City, Ormoc City, Davao City, Island Garden City of Samal (Davao Del Norte), and Del Carmen (Siargao Islands, Surigao del Norte). Meanwhile,the second batch of ten Tier 1 LGUs include the City of San Carlos (Pangasinan), City of Ilagan (Isabela), City of San Jose Del Monte (Bulacan), City of Bacoor (Cavite), City of Sorsogon, Maasin City (Southern Leyte), Isabela City (Basilan), Cagayan De Oro City, Koronadal City (South Cotabato), and Cotabato City (an independent component city in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). Tier 1 LGUs are supported through multi‑stakeholder workshops to identify CE opportunities, develop priority portfolios for plastics, organics, and tourism, and design integrated solutions combining policy, infrastructure, financing, business models, and GEDSI‑responsive initiatives. Support includes CE baseline studies, material flow and value chain assessments, policy development, sustainable public procurement, and the co‑design and procurement of CE facilities and systems. The programme also funds community‑based behavioural change initiatives and innovation challenges to promote the scaling of successful CE practices.

Tier 2 LGUs are engaged through the Inter‑local cooperation (ILC) approach, which encourages neighboring LGUs to collaborate on shared CE challenges such as increasing waste generation, fragmented recovery systems, infrastructure gaps, and uneven local capacities. As Tier 1 LGUs move from planning to implementation, the programme is generating valuable lessons on organising local CE action, establishing Local Circular Economy Action Teams (LCEATs), developing CE portfolios, mobilising stakeholders, and implementing CE solutions. Capturing and sharing these experiences will help strengthen CE implementation and replication across participating LGUs.

UNDP Philippines takes overall responsibility and accountability for the delivery of the project outputs. It will be accountable for managing the project, including the monitoring and evaluation of project interventions, achieving project results, and for the effective use of resources, in compliance with UNDP rules and regulations, policies and procedures. These include relevant requirements on fiduciary, procurement, environmental and social safeguards, and other performance standards.

The day‑to‑day implementation of the project will be led by a Project Manager within a Project Management Unit (PMU) responsible for ensuring that the project achieves the expected targets to the required quality standards and within the specified time and budget allocations. The Project Manager will be supported by a Project Management Specialist/Deputy Project Manager, Project Assistants, technical staff and a pool of contractors and consultants to carry out the deliverables of the project.

Duties And Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Project Manager, working closely with the UNDP Climate Action Programme Team, and in close collaboration with the Project Management Unit (PMU), UNDP teams in the Philippines Country Office and Bangkok Regional Hub, and EU, the Project Management Specialist will assist in providing high‑quality professional project implementation support and technical advice and assistance in the overall delivery of the project.

More specifically, the Project Management Specialist/Deputy Project Manager will perform the following functions:

• Provide technical advice and assistance in the overall implementation of the project (GEP-SO2)
• Contribute to providing technical advice, strategic support and guidance in the overall engagement of partners in system change approaches in advancing circular economy with focus at the local level yet strategically aligned with national directions and emerging international developments;
• Contribute to day‑to‑day management of the project, including effective project implementation, delivery and quality checks, and document progress towards the achievement of agreed upon outputs and outcomes;
• Identify new/innovative and context‑specific areas of engagement and act as the sub‑lead in close collaboration with the Project Manager in identifying entry points and opportunities for interventions and learning opportunities within the scope of the project and in close consultation with the donor, government co‑leads, and UNDP experts;
• Contribute to the project’s regular analysis of work plan, project management and human resource structures, results framework learning plans and initiatives to improve the Project’s agility in responding to actual and perceived risks/challenges as well as managing and mitigating them;
• Ensure timely preparation and revision of documents, briefing notes, reports,'and related documentation for project review/board meetings and related events as advised by the Project Manager;
• Undertake field visits to oversee project implementation, including onsite CE systems validation, diagnosis of opportunities and risks, and timely guidance as advised by Project Manager.
• Project Implementation support in the overall delivery of GEP-SO2
• Ensure timely implementation of project activities including submission of progress reports to donor, development of annual work plans and budget monitoring, project monitoring and evaluation, trouble shooting in close coordination with the rest of PMU;
• Provide support in managing and supervising the PMU, as well as LGU advisors, the technical specialists, consultants, and partners;
• Provide technical guidance in advancing a circular economy, including upstream measures towards waste avoidance, resource recovery and processing in waste management to advance waste diversion, emerging circular technologies and business models, and circular economy investments;
• Supervise LGU Advisors and project analysts in supporting the programming and implementation of circular economy portfolio work plans and inter‑local cooperation mechanisms across participating LGUs, including providing sound guidance on the identification of suitable CE technologies, facilities or systems recommendations to LGUs and local stakeholder partners;
• Monitor and track LGU level project delivery by overseeing implementation progress, performance indicators, risks, bottlenecks, and corrective actions, ensuring achievement of project targets, timelines, and budgets;
• Drive implementation acceleration by developing and monitoring acceleration plans, addressing technical, institutional, and policy barriers, and ensuring timely delivery of project outcomes;
• Oversee technical and procurement activities, including the development and review of equipment and facility specifications, terms of reference, procurement tracking and documentation, deployment plans, and supplier performance;
• Undertake regular project activity monitoring and budget monitoring in close coordination with PMU;
• Contribute to project communications and visibility efforts including the development a range of core communication content including advocacy in system change approaches, intelligence briefing, project reports, briefings, infographics, case studies and presentations.
• Partnership building and coordination with the project’s partners to ensure timely and efficient project activity delivery
• Strengthen strategic partnerships with national government agencies, private sector and civil society groups, and ensure effective and sustained engagement with LGUs and their local stakeholders including private sector, the academia, youth and GEDSI groups;
• Ensure coherence and identify and foster synergies with other SO implementing partners and leads under the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership, UNDP projects and programmes, and like‑minded project partners and other stakeholders;
• Contribute to improve coordination and collaboration with other institutions, groups or entities that could add value and complement GEP SO2’s priority work strands
• Contribute to donor coordination and timely information sharing where needed as guided by the Project Manager.
• Represent the Project, where needed, at strategic and technical levels at project planning and coordination meetings/events
• Act as focal point in project progress, coordination/planning meetings with project partners;
• Attend workshops/conferences and events on Circular Economy and contribute constructively to advance UNDP’s Portfolio of Innovation on Circular Economy;
• Contribute in reviewing and finalizing meeting minutes, briefing notes, and presentations related to the project scope in a timely manner and close coordination with the PMU and technical specialists/consultants.
• Documentation review, writing and quality assurance support
• Ensuring timely documentation of project activity updates, data gathering lessons learned, best practices, and case studies for monthly, quarterly, and yearly reporting purposes in close collaboration with the Project Manager, MERL Specialist, rest of the project team, and project partners;
• Assist in the oversight of knowledge generation and learning outputs to be shared internally and externally, as well as circulate emergent intelligence and learnings across portfolio team members and project specialists;
• Undertake review and also assist in writing project progress reports, policy briefs, progress updates, and related documents in close collaboration with Project Manager and project technical specialists/consultants;
• Undertake review and also assist in writing and reviewing assessment reports, monitoring