Project Manager Full-Time

General Background

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to protect and assist persons in need of international protection, including refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and returnees. UNHCR Mozambique maintains operations through its main office in Maputo, a sub-office in Pemba, a field office in Nampula, and field units in Cabo Delgado.

Mozambique remains one of the most underdeveloped countries globally, ranking 183rd out of 193 countries on the 2024 Human Development Index (HDI). The country continues to face multiple challenges that increase the fragility of its population, including conflict, displacement, and extreme weather events. The northern region of Mozambique continues to face significant humanitarian challenges, with over 600,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) as of mid-2025, primarily due to ongoing conflict in Cabo Delgado and surrounding provinces. The country also hosts more than 24,500 refugees and asylum seekers, with over 9,500 residing in Maratane settlement in Nampula Province. In addition to conflict and displacement, Mozambique is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. In March 2022, Tropical Cyclone Gombe affected over 736,000 people, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and livelihoods. More recently, in March 2025, Tropical Cyclone Jude struck Nampula Province, impacting more than 390,000 people.

In view of the large-scale IDP situation and a protracted situation of refugees in the country and the shift towards longer-term and development-oriented responses, and in line with the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), the operation is increasingly strengthening its engagement with development actors including multilateral development banks, bilateral development actors and UN development actors. Additionally, during the first Global Refugee Forum (GRF), in December 2019, the Government of Mozambique pledged to “continue local integration practice, aiming at stronger synergies between refugees and host communities and increase access to education, health and basic services for refugees and host communities by 2023.”

Building on this and in the framework of the Global UNHCR-BMZ Programme that aims at supporting UNHCR in its role as facilitator of the operationalization of the GCR in the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the representation of UNHCR in Mozambique has engaged in a joint project with the GIZ.

The incumbent will report to the Head of Sub-Office in Pemba and get technical guidance from the Development Officer and Senior Programme Officer based in Maputo, Mozambique.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Within the context outlined above, the incumbent will act as a Project Manager for the project and support UNHCR’s engagement and cooperation with GIZ, other development actors and authorities on the implementation of the GIZ joint project. As such, the incumbent needs to have practical experience working with and an understanding of the interplay of different aspects of economic growth, governance, fragility and conflict, the main factors that influence the environment for inclusion and resilience for UNHCR’s population of concern. Given the context, the incumbent need to have specific expertise in areas such as social protection, livelihoods, local governance and community development.

The incumbent will head and coordinate the joint project, including overseeing the project progress of a team of 5 individuals based in different locations, specifically Pemba and Nampula. S/he will ensure regular liaison, exchange of information with HQ, Regional Bureau, development, governmental and implementing partners as well as the GIZ counterparts to ensure implementation of the project activities and alignment with the operation strategy in the context of transition from humanitarian to development interventions. The incumbent will also support donor relations on development and nexus-related issues. S/he will support the work of the development officer, Maputo, to strengthen UNHCR’s engagement with development actors to advance the inclusion agenda in both field locations, advance non-transactional development partnerships, data gathering and analysis activities to inform development partnerships as well as fundraising activities as it relates to UNHCR’s cooperation with development actors. S/he will support the drafting of relevant materials related to external engagement, project monitoring as well as reporting activities.

The incumbent will be expected to have solid knowledge of protection, solutions, external relations and development issues. S/he will design, coordinate and monitor project activities and support the implementation of the office’s approach to strengthening development partnerships.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The performance will be evaluated by the supervisor against the required tasks as specified in the TOR.

Qualifications and Experience

6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree.

Work Experience and Education

• University degree in International Relations, Economics, Political Science or related field is essential.
• Excellent understanding of UNHCR, its mandate, priorities, and field operations is essential.
• Excellent communication skills with strong interpersonal and negotiate skills to deal with the donor and staff members of different cultural and educational backgrounds are essential.
• Excellent computer skills (Ms Word Excel, and PowerPoint essential) are essential.
  • A good understanding of development issues and working culture is required;
  • Previous experience working with the German development cooperation is an advantage;
  • Project management experience is required, including project coordination, management of multifunctional teams, ensuring timely implementation of complex projects, monitoring and reporting.

Functional Skills

• Strong communication skills and institutional awareness.
• Project management skills.
• Understanding of humanitarian and development issues.
• Understanding of working with vulnerable populations is required.
• Experience working with PoCs, human rights or humanitarian issues is an advantage.
• Strong organizational skills required.
• Conflict resolution and team management skills are an asset.

Key Competencies

• Managerial Competencies.
• Empowering and Building Trust.
• Managing Performance.
• Judgement and Decision Making.
• Strategic Planning and Vision.
• Leadership.
• Managing Resources.

Cross Functional Competencies

• Analytical Thinking.
• Innovation and Creativity.
• Technological Awareness.
• Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.
• Planning and Organizing.
• Policy Development and Research.
• Political Awareness.
• Stakeholder Management.
• Change Capability and Adaptability.

Language Requirement

• Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. Portuguese is desirable.

Desired Candidate Profile

• Field-based expertise in protection coordination, HDP nexus programming, management, and emergency response.
• Proven ability to design, implement, and monitor impactful needs assessments, project development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and coordinate the implementation of the project.
• Inter-agency coordination capacity, human resources management and administration, representation and coordination with authorities and technical services.
• Knowledge of HDP Nexus approaches, protection and solutions programming forcibly displaced.
• Capacity in Inter-Agency coordination with authorities, all stakeholders, manage a multidisciplinary team and oversee millions-dollar operations in a high-risk context.
• Experience in implementing field monitoring systems to drive data-informed decision-making, project cycle management, monitoring of project indicators and budget consumption to avoid delays, under- or over-consumption. Skilled in coordinating the production of interim reports, organizing monthly intra- and inter-country meetings, and managing the project’s monitoring budget.
• Support the development of sound theories of change, the measurability of multi-year and multi-country humanitarian assistance strategies and appropriate measurement tools and indicators.
• Skilled in leading multidisciplinary teams, managing complex operations, and delivering inclusive, AGD-sensitive programming in high-risk environments.