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

Timor-Leste is an LDC with lower-middle income status that relies on its natural oil and gas revenue-based sovereign wealth Petroleum Fund for its annual state budget. Besides this fund, there are no other substantive sources of income. Economic diversification with a focus on job creation and poverty reduction is a great need. Timor-Leste already has 30% of the population living below the national poverty line and 46% are multidimensionally poor. 70% of Timor-Leste’s population live in rural areas, most of whom (64.2%) are dependent on subsistence agriculture. This young nation has 74% of its population under 35 (Census 2015), and according to the 2018 Labour Market Outlook, 20.3% of the youth population (aged 15-24) were not in employment, education or training (NEET). 78% of the people between the age of 15 to 64 were not employed, of which around 36% were youth aged 15 to 24 years.

There is more demand for labourers with vocational skills as well as ‘soft’ skills. Long-term investment in human capital is needed to produce skilled human resources to meet the labor market demand—something that requires increased investment in quality education. However, in the short- and medium-term, many initiatives can be taken to prepare youth with the required soft skills, have greater access to the right information, enhance their readiness for the work world through internships/mentorships and meet the labor market demand. At the same time, more efforts are needed to develop SMEs to increase employment and income opportunities, particularly for women, people with disability, unemployed youth, and poor and vulnerable communities.)

Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Skills (YEES) Project aims to tackle two most pressing issues in Timor Leste’s youth employment: 1) limited opportunity of being employed and 2) limited opportunity of being entrepreneurs for youth and migrant workers. The project is mainly funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for seven years starting in 2022. The project has two outcomes: 1) youth become employed and 2) youth become entrepreneurs with three interrelated outputs:

Output 1: Youth obtain skills, competencies and knowledge to be employed.
Output 2: Service providers are available to deliver holistic support to enhance employability.
Output 3: Youth, including migrants/returnees, obtain skills, knowledge and services to start or expand their business.

The project, currently at its mid-term implementation stage, contributes to the UNDP Country Programme Document for Timor-Leste (2026–2030) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) approved in December 2025, particularly under the outcome related to economic development and sustainable livelihoods. Project implementation will incorporate the programmatic recommendations from the Mid-Term Evaluation, as endorsed by the Project Board in April 20

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the Head of Governance of UNDP Timor-Leste. The Project Manager will ensure that project activities meet their goals and objectives

The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the Head of Governance Unit of UNDP Timor-Leste. The Project Manager will ensure that project activities meet their goals and objectives. More specifically, the Project Manager with being responsible for the following:

Timely implementation of the project focusing on achievement of the following results:

Plan the timeline of the project activities, conduct daily implementation and monitoring of project activities, ensuring that the project produces the results to the required standards of quality within the specified constraints of time and cost described in the project document and work plan;
Design and draft a Concept Note/Terms of Reference of project activities and related events per project document and work plan;
Provide technical inputs to the project team and partners;
Contribute to the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation framework for the project that reflects progress on the sector in general and conducting monitoring field visits as required;
Establish systems for project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, in collaboration with partners;
Gather and provide inputs and coordinate the preparation of work plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to UNDP and development partners.

Effective project management from planning to reporting focusing on achievement of the following results:

Prepare annual and quarterly work plans and budget of the project per the project document in consultation with the Governance Unit and national counterpart;
Day-to-day operational management of the project, including work planning, resource allocation, financial and staff supervision, general oversight and risk management;
Ensure effective and accurate financial resource management, monitor expenditures, including the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners, in accordance with UNDP financial rules, donor agreements, and cost-recovery policies and implement adequate internal control;
Supervision of the project’s overall administration and procurement management;
Track the project delivery and regularly report to the UNDP management and development partners on progress and achievement of results in consultation with the Economic Development and Prosperity Unit;
Responsible for building an effective and efficient project team, drafting Terms of References for staff, consultants, and advisors, and involving in the recruitment process;
Supervise and give constructive feedback of the work of all project support staff, provide overall direction of the project, motivate the project team, manage the workload of each staff, reflect and incorporate the feedback from staff into the project management, and provide performance assessment.

Development of strategic partnership and coordination with government institutions (MTCI, IADE, SEFOPE, etc.) and youth groups and universities, private sector, Civil Society Organizations, and development partners, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Strategic coordination with all stakeholders in the area youth employment and entrepreneurship;
Participate with national authorities and other external institutions;
In cooperation with the government institutions and donors, support preparation and hosting of Project Management Board meetings, circulation of meeting minutes and work plans, and ensure follow-up on the implementation of decisions taken;
Development of partnerships with UN Agencies, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society in the relevant thematic areas based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities;
Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.

Active knowledge management focusing on achievement of the following results:

Document the project implementation process and products;
Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues in the areas of concern and provision of analysis for more effective and strategic project implementation;
Responsibility for bringing best practices and lessons learnt to help achieve the outputs of the project and facilitating the use of global knowledge networks in the field;
Sharing of project results including through reviewing project publications and by taking responsibility for knowledge networking with national agencies and UNDP’s global community;
Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice and provide inputs to the development of knowledge products internally and externally of the programme;
Serve as an advocate for UN core values and UNDP’s policies on the rule of law, human rights, and gender justice in the dialogue with the relevant national institutions and facilitate the practical implementation of this dialogue through the project interventions.

Development of High-Level Financial Partnerships for Sustainable Impacts

Liaise with governmental counterparts (e.g., Ministry of Commerce and Industry) and KOICA on programmatic results to scale up the project's impacts and explore funding opportunities.
Organize dialogues/workshops to showcase the YEES project's approach and results.
Develop concept notes/project documents for potential donors.
Develop the project exit strategy and sustainability plan for Projetc Board approval.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

People Management Competencies:

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional and Technical Competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy

Strategic Thinking

Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions.
Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demostrate foresight.

Effective Decision Making:

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications

Business Development

Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.
Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Partnership Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
Operations Management: Ability to effectively plan, organise and oversee different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an integrated way, in order to convert the organisation’s assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.

Digital

Facilitate of digital innovation: Ability to facilitate groups and individuals through a digital innovation process

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Development Studies, Social Sciences or related field is required. Or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned 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 5 years ( with master’s degree) or 7 years ( with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience in the fields of business administration, private sector development, MSME policy.

Required Skills:

Experience managing development project with a total budget of at least USD 5 million, especially in the area of youth empowerment, employment and entrepreneurship development;
At least 3 year of experience in delivering business trainings, in the areas of: entrepreneurship, business skills development, business mentorship, start-up businesses, development of business idea/plan and evaluation;
Experience in preparation of business plans, and/or practical business experience in private sectors;
Experience in the usage of ERPs and other web-based management system;
Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
Experience with KOICA projects, Korean NGOs, and/or the Korean public sector;
Experience in project development and resource mobilization;
Experience in private sector support, youth entrepreneurship and startup development;
Demonstrated leadership experience, including managing multidisciplinary teams;
Experience working with UN agencies, international NGOs, or donor-funded with similar projects.

Required Language(s)

Fluency in English is required.
Knowledge of Korean language is highly desirable.
Knowledge of Tetum and Portuguese language is 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

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Project Manager [Open to internal and external applicants]