Background:
The Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) is one of the most important Sectoral Authorities in Afghanistan. According to law of Afghanistan, the MEW is responsible for integrated water resource management, feasibility studies, technical surveys, design, supervision and construction of all water infrastructural and water facilities, including dams, canals, Intakes and other hydraulic structural in the country.
Objective and Purpose of Assignment:
MEW is determined to finish the project on time with assuring the best quality of work by contractor employees. Therefore, it is intended to establish an expert and experienced team for implementation of project, supervision of work, and assurance of quality.
Scope of Work:
The mentioned projects are the strategic and highly important construction projects of government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, for the purpose of water resources management, Flood control, land irrigation, and environment protection.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project(s) and provides services to the different donors, partners and beneficiaries. The Project Manager acts on behalf of the MEW to manage the project on an ongoing basis during the Implementation Stage. The main responsibility of a Project Manager is to ensure that the project outputs are delivered within the specified project tolerances of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits. He is expected to meet the organization’s performance and delivery goals.
The Project Manager is responsible to create the Implementation Plan, use the Project Initiation Documents, Legal Agreement and have a thorough understanding of the terms, for the overall management of the project's contracting accordance with project’s agreements and GoA’s procedures and regulations. Prepare timelines for all activities and deliverables under the project conditions, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the partners/stakeholders to ensure the project(s) outputs are capable of meeting the business cases for both MEW and the partner(s). Success of the project(s) and hence Project Manager will be based on the defined Success Criteria.
The project manager for this project will be managing project(s) which ultimate goal is to deliver infrastructure physical assets or technical outputs. While the complexity of those may vary, maintaining high standards in terms of quality, health, safety and sustainability is always expected.
Depending on the nature and configuration of the project, the Project Manager might be executing technical studies, reviews, designs, supervision or operation and maintenance services of one or several physical infrastructure assets, in one or multiple sites. Depending on the implementation modality it may involve large volumes of asphalt works, concrete works, procurement of goods, services, HR services and other services related construction works.
MEW operates in complex contexts where resources might be scarce, local capacity low and where professional judgement and experience in these environments are of uttermost importance.
Project Managers at this level are expected to manage infrastructure implementation projects that are of low to moderate complexity from a stakeholder management, financial management, risk management, governance, resource management and quality management perspectives.
Functional Responsibilities
Summary of key results area:
- Project Delivery and Performance
- Procedures
- Monitoring and reporting
- Stakeholder engagement
- Quality assurance
- Knowledge management and innovation
- Personnel management
Project Delivery and Performance
- Develop, complete and update implementation plans
- Implement the approved plan including the establishment of milestones within tolerances set by the MEW.
- Manage the production of the required outputs, taking responsibility for overall progress and use of resources and initiating corrective and preventive actions where necessary.
- Ensure that quality of work packages and deliverables complies with the quality requirements defined in the Project Management Plan and other project documents.
- Liaise with any external suppliers or account managers
- Manage acceptance and delivery of work packages
- Monitor project progress ensuring that work packages are being executed properly
- Control project and work packages changes.
- Accept goods, services or works delivered by suppliers.
- Lead contract management duties including supplier performance evaluation.
- Act as the MEW’s Representative within the FIDIC works contracts
- Identify, and anticipate in a timely manner, potential risks and issues and advises mitigating measures to MEW so that maximum benefit to partners and other stakeholders is achieved
- Identify and report to the supervisor potential business opportunities for MEW
Procedures
- Comply with all organizational policy and specifically the Project Management Manual of MEW.
- Prepare/adapt all relevant plans for approval by the Technical Board.
- Manage the reporting obligations defined in the Legal Agreements and in the Implementation Plan
- Ensure maintenance of the project files and lessons learned are recorded
- Manage budgets, cash flow and obligations to ensure that deliverables are met and payments to contractors and personnel are received on time.
- Understand and manage MEW overheads, allocable charges, and related corporate charges as they apply to the project
- Understand the unique structures of the MEW and budget appropriately for personnel
- Manage expenditures against the budget based on accurate financial reports
- Where the Project Manager has no delegation as a committing officer, he retains these responsibilities and will monitor and instruct/request others to carry out the relevant commitments and disbursements.
- For project closure purposes, provide a formal handover of the project to the closure manager.
- Support project audit activities, including planning, preparation and coordination during the audits and follow up on audit observations/recommendations
Monitoring and reporting
- Prepare and issue regular project progress and financial reports in accordance with Stakeholder and MEW requirements for reporting.
- Regularly review project status, evaluating performance criteria of scope, cost, schedule and quality.
- Maintain diaries and progress reports as required by the organization’s standard procedures.
- Provide routine oversight and analysis of delivery data within the dashboard system.
- Ensure all project team members track and regularly update milestones and targets for the duration of projects' life span
- Ensure timely entry, update and review of project data in MEW reporting systems.
Stakeholder engagement
- Develop stakeholder profiles and facilitate the formulation of stakeholder engagement strategies
- Establish solid working relationships with the line manager and Technical Board, Executive, Senior Users and Senior Suppliers, client and key stakeholders
- Enable the formulation of project communications plans. Coordinate internal project communications. Monitor the effectiveness of project communications.
- Coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, ensuring effective timing and interdependency management of communications. Ensure stakeholders are aware of project activities, progress, exceptions and are in a position to accept handover outputs.
Quality assurance
- Work with internal stakeholders to ensure projects comply with audit requirements
- Work with procurement/purchasing staff to ensure effective interface with suppliers' quality systems
- Coordinate quality reviews of project documents and deliverables
- Provide quality control for management outputs (project documents, reports, etc.)
Knowledge Management and Innovation
- Encourage routine and effective capacity building activities are conducted in order to build the long-term and sustainable capacity of staff.
- Actively interact with other Project Managers and the wider MEW PM community to share case studies, lessons learned and best practices
- Contribute to the oversight of lessons learned procedures, ensuring that lessons learnt are shared in a timely and appropriate manner. Participate in the relevant Communities of Practice
- Research and logging of lessons learned throughout the project life span.
- Provide feedback to Practice Groups on policy, supporting guidance with an aim towards continuous improvement of MEW policies
Personnel Management
- Lead and motivate the project management team
- Ensure that behavioral expectations of team members are established
- Ensure that performance reviews are conducted fairly, accurately and timely
- Select, recruit and train team as required and taking into account gender parity and diversity objectives.
- Ensure safety and security for all project personnel and comply with standards
Competencies
- Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
- Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.
- Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.
- Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.
- Any other task assigned by MEW/Supervisor
