Project Manager

Title: Project Manager

Duty Station: ARA/EU Project, Kabul

Gender: Any

Objective/Purpose of the Assignment:

Railways are a vital mode of transportation to facilitate domestic and regional connectivity and can also significantly contribute to economic growth and help promote a market-led economic environment that fosters private sector participation. After decades of conflict which has severely damaged Afghanistan’s transport infrastructure, Afghanistan has an urgent need for an upgraded national transportation system as a precursor to economic development and to support political stability in the country. The expansion of Afghani­stan's current national railway system will ultimately allow Afghanistan to export minerals and agricultural products and will significantly enhance its position as a regional trading partner by linking it to products, consumers and markets across Eurasia and beyond, as well im­proving internal lines of communication within the country. A successful development and operation of Afghanistan railways bears a tremendous opportunity to create new and support existing prospects for the economic growth not just for the country but also for the neighboring countries from the central and south Asia.

One portion of the financing supports to strengthen the institutional capacity building of the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA). This component will be referred to as the ARA capacity building project (the project).

This position will aim at strengthening & managing the performance of EU Project Working Group in delivering the EU project components, and eventually planning, executing, supervising, communicating and reporting to ARA/ADB through this technical assistance.

Scope of Work:

* The Project Manager will manage and execute and he/she will be overall responsible for EU Project. He will execute, monitor and communicate all the activities related to the project.

* The Project Manager will manage, motivate and push the working group for high performance, result based activities with compliance with ADB/IRoA laws & guidelines. 

Detailed Tasks:

• Playing a management role in the strategic planning and management of the EU project including the long-term strategy, the short-term plan, team management and development and accountability for delivery;

• Establishing close linkages and relationships with other key stakeholders, (donors, organizations, Government departments and implementing partners) to champion the work of the EU project, to make sure it is properly understood and appreciated, and to secure additional resources;

• Ensuring all contracts are procured and implemented on time and within budget, and that they meet or exceed all operational targets. This will include tracking, reporting and evaluating performance on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis, using this to inform continual improvement in performance;

• Managing the Contract Management Team, including recruitment, day-to-day management, performance management and development. The Project Manager is the de factor head of appointed committee (comprising of Admin and Technical units) and he/she is responsible for the wellbeing/growth of the team. The Manager utilizes the capacity building component to grow a team with high capability, motivation and profile, as well as with a culture of performance, integrity and transparency;

• Oversight and final responsibility for the budget, ensuring delivery is resourced as required and delivered within budget;

• Assuring compliance with financial and procurement procedures, legal covenants and all social and environmental safeguards;

• Facilitation, logistic support, organization and reporting to the Steering Group;

• Maximizing learning from each wave of contracting, feeding into future strategic planning;

• Keeping the services under close review, anticipating and identifying risks as they arise, and suggesting and directing changes as required to delivery, in consultation with the executive group. The Project Manager will also monitor changes in the wider context, keeping the Executive Group up-to-date;

• Being the main point of contact for the ADB in relation to the capacity building project. He/she will maintain close communication and collaboration, facilitating ADB technical assistance, ensuring compliance as necessary with ADB procedures, and proactively sharing quantitative and qualitative data to inform the ongoing monitoring and evaluation;

Output/Reporting Requirements:

Under guidance, and lead by the specialist, the team will be trained and motivated for doing the tasks on time, effectively and full compliance with ADB/ARA policy and procedures.

The candidate will report to Deputy ARA Finance/Admin & ADB.

Minimum Qualifications Requirements

1. 1. Master with 7 plus years’ experience in project management.
   2. Project Management Certification with 5 years plus experience.  
   3. A track record of delivering high performance, against stretching targets, in a commercial enterprise or project of some sort, including team leadership; Prior experience in ADB projects will be a plus point.
   4. Able to navigate a complex, political stakeholder network, acting as a champion for the project;
   5. Experience in managing and developing high performance of around 100 people.
   6. A willingness to roll up your sleeves and make things happen;
   7. Exceptional inter-personal skills and exceptional communication skills, in person and in writing, with the ability to define and communicate a compelling strategic vision;
   8. The ability to think both creatively and analytically, with an eye for detail;
   9. Very high-level written and spoken English. The team will operate in English, be trained in English, and will be managing some international contractors in English. In particular, you will be working extremely closely with the English-speaking advisors from the ADB. 
   10. Fluency in Pashto/Dari languages.

Submission Guideline:

Interested applicants shall apply online through the link provided below. 

Applicants who don’t apply online, will not be shortlisted.

https://selfservice.adb.org/OA_HTML/adb/xxcrs/jsp/ADBCsrnFwd.jsp?sel=164835