Project Director, Headquarters Building Renovation

The Project Director is responsible for the overall strategic direction, planning, design, and execution of the UPU headquarters building renovation project. This includes oversight and management of human, financial, and technical resources, ensuring the project meets quality, cost, and deadline objectives while supporting governance and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Formulate, implement and oversee the substantive work programme and activities of the building project, the Project Team, and consultants, including project management, risk and control arrangements.
• Oversee, plan and coordinate the loan application and the design and construction/renovation activities including procurement management, scheduling, cost estimation, quality control, contracting strategy and administration.
• Assist the Organization in defining needs and goals related to a modern, sustainable and accessible workspace and translate them into project requirements.
• Establish and maintain the Project Management Plan for site operations, project guidelines, policies, procedures and performance standards.
• Manage and coordinate project costs, validate and coordinate with the Project Board and Director General any variation orders to contracts.
• Ensure project requirements are incorporated in deliverables by contractors and stakeholders, consolidating institutional requirements.
• Examine risks at technical and management levels, provide expert advice and prepare recommendations to mitigate risks.
• Oversee financial and administrative planning including budgets, performance monitoring and reporting.
• Set up and supervise cost control functions, review and approve quarterly project cost control reports.
• Coordinate work within the team, UPU and with external stakeholders including local and federal authorities and financing counterparts.
• Undertake information sharing and coordination of needs assessment and planning with all staff.
• Review deliverables of contractors, enforce adherence to project phases and resolve complex implementation issues.
• Ensure high-quality standards of outputs produced by the Project Team and provide substantive reviews.
• Anticipate problems and facilitate solutions, working upstream with contractors and stakeholders.
• Prepare regular reports on project progress internally and to Member States, highlighting strategic issues and risks.
• Assist the Project Board to operationalize the communications strategy and ensure delivery of key messages and change management practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in engineering, architecture, quantity surveying or a related field from an accredited academic institution.
• Professional certification or membership of chartered institutes is desirable.
• Professional experience and direct responsibility for planning and implementing large scale construction and renovation projects (USD 30 million and above), is required.
• Senior level responsibility for resource planning and project management and experience in cost control or monitoring is desirable.
• Work experience in the not-for-profit sector and working in an international environment is desirable.
• Work experience with a Swiss contracting and legal environment is desirable.
• Experience in leading complex, multi-stakeholder project implementation and governance processes is desirable.
• Experience in using relevant IT systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Project Management software is desirable.
• Experience in liaising with governmental and diplomatic authorities as well as with national and international institutions is required.
• Familiarity with financial and business administration is required.
• Experience in due diligence and procurement processes is required.
• At least 12 years of international experience in two or more of the other areas covered by the position is required.
• English and French are required at UN Level III proficiency; German is desirable at UN Level II proficiency.

Skills

• Construction Project Management
• Building Renovation
• Resource Planning
• Cost Control
• Project Governance
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Project Management Tools
• Government Liaison
• Diplomatic Relations
• Finance Administration
• Business Administration
• Due Diligence
• Procurement Procedures
• International Project Management
• Engineering
• Architecture
• Quantity Surveying

Languages

English, French, German