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

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

Background

UNDP provides integrated programmatic, policy and financing solutions to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, UNDP has created a Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Crisis Bureau (CB) are the two anchor Bureaux of the GPN.

In this context, the newly established Governance, Rule of Law, and Peacebuilding (GRP) Hub, a joint endeavour with the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), provides leadership and advisory services to enhance UNDP’s impact on governance and peacebuilding, ensuring the integration of democratic governance and human rights into crisis response and recovery. The Hub aims to build an integrated portfolio collaboratively between the CB and BPPS and establish partnerships with various stakeholders including the UN System, IFIs, civil society, and the private sector. 

Through Local Action, the GRP Hub seeks to contribute to peace and development, achieving a visible impact on communities and improving lives by delivering integrated solutions that harness global expertise and partnerships. The Local Action Unit works closely with local and regional governments as key development players, highlighting their role as public service implementers, as drivers of innovation and the closest institution to people. 

Local and regional governments are already responsible of over 65% of the SDG targets, most of them linked to basic service provision from water, sanitation, mobility, climate action, health or education. Cities and territories are playing a big part on the implementation of SDGs, that are becoming a new tool for strategic planning and budgeting in the mid to long-term. Since 2015, local governments and their associations have been increasingly active in promoting the SDGs through advocacy, working with their local population and partners in transposing the spirit of Agenda 2030 in cities and territories. Local Governments have also started to use SDGs as a strategic framework to deliver better and more innovative public services linked to SDG targets and indicators. As part of the SDG Local Action project, UNDP is one of the implementing partners of the Mayors Challenge, a global initiative to reimagine the most essential services that cities deliver to residents.

Within this context, the SDG Local Action project is seeking to recruit a Project Manager to support the implementation of the Mayors Challenge in the City of Pasig in the Philippines, one of the winners of the 2025 Mayors Challenge. The Floating Parks Project (“the Project”) aims to address the lack of open, usable spaces in the City. Specifically, the City will co-design floating parks with its residents to produce more community spaces that reconnect the Pasigueños to the Pasig River, given its cultural and historical significance to the city, but without increasing their vulnerability to flooding.

The Project aims to do the foregoing by having three workstreams. 

1. The first workstream (“WS1”) focuses on the construction of safe, climate-resilient, accessible parks that meet residents’ needs. The bulk of the grant will go to W1 as it involves the sourcing of design and build services, and actual construction to deliver the assets that will constitute the floating parks on either side of the Sumilang Gym area.
2. The second workstream (“WS2”) includes the simultaneous development of a resident-led Parks Governance Council, which will help Pasig City to develop the rules for park use as well as the program of activities that may be had within the parks to ensure that they remain safe, clean, and economically vibrant.
3. The third workstream (“WS3”) is to ensure that the Project is documented to distill the lessons learned from W1 and W2, and to reproduce the same in a Playbook. This Playbook will guide the Pasig City Government, and its partners should they desire to replicate the construction of additional floating parks and/or the formation of similar Parks Governance Councils along the other riverside barangays of the City. This Playbook will also be used to establish more partnerships and expand financing pathways for future parks.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Manager will perform the following functions:

A. Lead project implementation in Pasig City

• Provide strategic lead and decision making related to the implementation of the Mayors Challenge project in the municipality of Pasig City. 
• Liaise and seek consensus with the city’s focal point and team, to obtain the Mayor’s buy in on objectives, activities and results, making sure that the project contributes to the creation of local capacities in project management and ensures future sustainability.
• Coordinate all project activities with the city’s focal point and team, contribute to the creation of local capacities in project management, planning, budgeting and procuring services and goods for project implementation within the city of Pasig. This responsibility includes, but is not limited to, the following:
  • For WS1: meeting with regulators and relevant stakeholders to ensure permits are secured; acting as the City's Construction Manager during the construction phase.
  • For WS2: preparing for and conducting resident engagement sessions; ensuring alignment of WS1, WS2, and WS3 activities to ensure the Parks Governance Council and private partners are organized and ready to mobilize upon delivery of the park assets; conducting a prototyping session mid-way through the project.
  • For WS3: oversee the work of the second full time staff support that will be focusing on the production of a Playbook; coordinate with and talk to individuals or organizations interested in establishing possible partnerships to scale the impact of the Project.
• Lead in strategic planning, decision-making, execution and review to deliver the target metrics, output and outcome of the project.
  • Throughout the project, ensure that strategic leadership is based on the principles of participatory governance, climate resilience, and replicability of urban innovation. 
  • Monitor and regularly report on project progress on target impacts.
• Approves and supervises the elaboration of Terms of References for procurement processes to achieve the project activities and objectives.
• Elaborates and oversees the implementation of contract strategy, sourcing strategy, quality management, supplier selection, and improvement of procurement processes.
• Supervises the work of the service providers, consultancies and/or private entities that will implement the project, and conduct performance reviews in accordance with UNDP rules, regulations and procedures. 
• Certifies to the UNDP that the services acquired to carry out the project have been delivered on terms satisfactory to the municipality. Including the following: 
  • To facilitate and monitor the acquisition of necessary clearances, permits, and approvals from concerned National Government Agencies and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the: Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), and other relevant agencies and local authorities
  • To procure design and build services for the two (2) floating parks, assist the City Government in reviewing designs, detailed engineering designs and technical specifications related to the floating platforms, anchoring and mooring systems, buoyancy mechanisms, and access ramp connections from the existing linear park to the floating park. Ensure that such systems are tested and inspected for safety standards. 
  • To ensure that construction proceeds as scheduled and that periodic progress, inspection, and compliance reports are produced to support change orders and/or billings of contractors. Ensure as well that, at the end of the construction phase, the contractors turn over complete documentation, including the above-mentioned permits, as-built plans, and project closeout reports.
• Facilitate the analysis of information required in the preparation of procurement plans and monitoring of its implementation.
• Coordinate project staff, evaluate performance of member teams, provide guidance and create local capacities for the team.
• Elaborate proposals to improve the project effectiveness, including strategies to improve the project overall impact.
• Identify project sustainability alternatives to prepare an exit strategy when the external funding is exhausted. Work closely with the City to locate internal resources for the project outputs to be assumed by the City at the end of activities.

B. Project monitoring and showcasing results

• Prepare a monitoring framework for the status, results, milestones for the project activities. Regularly report the status of WS1, WS2, and WS3 to the Pasig City Government.
• Monitor project outputs, identify data linked to the SDG targets and indicators and liaise with the communications team to provide data for infographics and other communication assets.
• Lead a mini-prototyping event upon delivery of the first set of floating parks.
• Oversee the Knowledge Product Manager in:
  • Elaborating operational reports on the activities of the project and its impact on the beneficiaries. 
  • Liaising with SDG Local Action global team to maintain the project webpage updated and contribute with stories to communicate the project results. 
  • Ensuring effective communication about project activities with UNDP, the City of Pasig and project beneficiaries and the local communities.
  • Documenting the methodology and technologies used during the implementation of the project. 

C. Sharing the knowledge of Pasig at global level

• Ensure that pre-identified knowledge products about the project are delivered by the Knowledge Product Manager.
  • Such knowledge products include policy briefs and easy communicable knowledge materials on the lessons learnt by the project.
• Represent the city to meaningfully present the Pasig experience in any global exchange of experiences amongst local governments on how the project is contributing to implement the SDGs at local level. 
• Participate in the global exchange of experiences amongst local governments on how the project is contributing to implement the SDGs at local level.

D. Develop strategic partnerships

• Substantively contributes to the harnessing of effective partnerships and lead the identification and onboarding process for implementing partners.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships and strategic linkages with implementing and development partners, government officials, businesses, NGOs, other national and regional stakeholders, and beneficiaries to support and ensure accurate interpretation of project objectives and promote inclusive project implementation.
• Substantively contribute to project communications and visibility efforts. 
• Make recommendations to the management team on activities with potential for scale-up, replicability and synergies.
• Provide technical support to the implementing partners and act as a liaison between UNDP and the partners.
• Support resource mobilization efforts and project development.

Institutional Arrangements

Under the overall guidance of the City Mayor and city project focal point, the Project Manager will directly report the UNDP Advisor on cities and local governments based in New York (USA). 

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Architecture, Civil Engineering, Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, or related field is required.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years (with master’s degree) or seven (7) years (with bachelor’s degree) of experience working on projects related to architecture, civil engineering, and construction management in construction management.

Required skills:

• Demonstrated competence in leadership and project management, is required.
• Proficiency in written and oral communication, especially among different stakeholders, is required.
• Familiarity with construction management tools is required.

Desired additional skills:

• Experience in the construction of waterfront or riverside projects or floating structures is an advantage.
• Proven experience in working with local governments and their associations is an asset.  
• Proven professional experience focusing on communication and knowledge generation on urban issues be an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in the English and Filipino is required.

Professional Certificates:

• Project Management certificate is an advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

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