Program Associate

Volunteering Admin Communications & PR

Overview

Support implementation of community-driven environmental projects

You have:

• Experience in project management, especially in development projects.
• Proficiency in financial management and reporting.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Familiarity with stakeholder engagement processes.
• Knowledge of climate change issues and sustainable development practices.
• Ability to manage and organize office administration effectively.
• Experience in resource mobilization and partnership development.

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

This UNV Assignment is part of a special initiative to support the UN system and the Royal Government of Bhutan to bring in specialised international expertise for capacity development and gap filling. Despite Bhutan’s impressive progress in reducing income and multidimensional poverty, aligned with its commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as well as its graduation from the Least Developed Country status in 2023, the country is grappling with critical socio-economic challenges such as large-scale emigration of the productive and skilled labor force, youth unemployment, declining fertility rate, increasing trade deficit, and shrinking fiscal space. These challenges take place amidst a slow post-pandemic economic recovery and against the broader backdrop of structural challenges, such as limited economic diversification, a still-nascent private sector, absence of robust regulatory and institutional framework. Bhutan’s 13th FYP (2024-2029) sets out the ambitious target of doubling the size of the country’s economy within the next five years and then doubling it again over the subsequent five year, reaching USD 10 billion by 2034, a target year that Bhutan plans to reach the high-income status. To achieve this, Bhutan must maintain a nominal GDP growth rate of approximately 11.9% annually for the next 12 years. If development plans uphold as projected, the GNI per capita would experience an annual increase of 11% over the same period, propelling Bhutan into the ranks of upper-middle-income Southeast Asian countries.

Recognizing the challenges and potential opportunities in Bhutan’s 21st-century economy, the Royal Government of Bhutan aims to accelerate and foster a robust economic recovery and growth. The GEF- Small Grants Programme (SGP) in Bhutan is a UNDP initiative launched in 1998 to empower local communities and civil society organizations to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development. Working in partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan, SGP provides financial and technical support for community-driven projects that focus on biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, sustainable resource management, and other environmental priorities.

The Small Grants Programme in Bhutan has been successful in fostering grassroots-level environmental stewardship while addressing the socio-economic needs of local communities. This community-driven approach ensures that projects are aligned with local needs and traditions, making the interventions sustainable and impactful over the long term. By enhancing capacities at the local level, the SGP has helped Bhutan progress towards its national goals of environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, and resilience to climate change. Bhutan’s partnership with the Small Grants Programme (SGP) emphasizes four core approaches: integration, impact, innovation, and inclusion. Each of these approaches is intricately aligned with Bhutan’s environmental and developmental priorities. The Small Grants Programme (SGP) in Bhutan places a strong emphasis on both climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation. These focus areas are essential in addressing Bhutan’s vulnerability to climate change due to its geography and reliance on natural resources. SGP’s projects in these areas are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and to help local communities build resilience against the impacts of climate change (adaptation).

Effective day-to-day technical, administrative, financial, and knowledge management support to the SGP country programme to ensure effective and efficient operation and management of the GEF-SGP country programme portfolio with partners. Key responsibilities are:

Support for SGP program implementation, ensuring adherence to project objectives, work plans, and financial guidelines while maintaining effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders: - Contribute to day-to-day support to programme/project implementation and ensuring conformity to expected results, outputs, objectives and work-plans - Assist the National Coordinator (NC) in prescreening project concepts and project proposals, and evaluate the financial part of the project proposals - Assist the NC in development and revision of grant application forms and other management tools, requirements of the programme and other SGP documents - Advise potential grantees on project preparation processes and guidelines, and report to NC and NSC on project development activities, as required - Assist the NC in project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, including participation in field visits - Maintain contacts and professional working relationship with NGOs, governmental institutions, donors, other SGP stakeholders - Draft memos and other operational documents on behalf of NC, and respond to queries on SGP programme matter - Regularly update and maintain SGP project database as well as stakeholders’ database;

Financial Management - Provide guidance, review, and control the accuracy of supporting documentation of projects’ interim and final financial reports, such as invoices, and advise the NC as required
- Process payment requests from grantees and vendors through obtaining necessary clearances and authorizations and ensuring payments are effected promptly, and in accordance with SGP Standard Operation Procedures - In collaboration with the NC, maintain financial integrity of the programme, implement and monitor accounting system and databases of SGP country operational budget - Prepare and maintain the grant disbursement table and calendar; as well as track the Country Operating Budget to ensure compliance with approved yearly budget. - Draft annual SGP Country office administrative and project budget proposals - Management of the Petty Cash account with proper documentation and proper tractable records. - Follow up of travel arrangements and DSA payments for NC and NSC members

Administrative Functions - Procure office supplies, equipment, and furniture adhering to SGP SOPs procurement rules and regulation - Manage and organize everyday office work. - Establish a proper filing system, maintain SGP country office administrative, financial, and management files and update them with original documentation or copy of the original documentation as necessary - Draft routine correspondence and communications and establish filing system to record communications with local stakeholders - Prepare background information and documentation, update data relevant to the programme areas and compile background material for the NC and NSC - Maintain and updated inventory of all physical assets and register all inventory in the asset inventory sheet - Provide logistical and administrative support to visiting missions, travel arrangements, and meetings for the NC, NSC, adhering to SGP SOPs procurement rules and regulation

Knowledge Management and Communication - Actively support the SGP country office in the efforts on knowledge management, knowledge networking and visibility of SGP - In accordance with SGP branding guidelines, support NC and NSC in the efforts towards proper recognition of SGP in any KM & Communication material produced by SGP grantees or stakeholders - Facilitate organization of SGP advocacy events, workshops, stakeholders’ dialogues and roundtable - Assist in drafting articles and publications with proper recognition of SGP - Participate at events for SGP information dissemination purposes - Maintain, update or provide valid SGP information for the social networking sites

Results/expected outputs:

As an active UNDP Bhutan team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNDP Bhutan and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:

Project Planning and Monitoring: • Facilitate regular meetings and ensure smooth project implementation. • Track milestones, consultant performance, and risk management.

Enhanced Stakeholder Engagement • Effective facilitation of co-creation workshops that engage a diverse range of stakeholders, ensuring their perspectives are integrated into policy design processes. • Strengthened collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, and communities, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to policy initiatives.

Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization • Identification and establishment of new partnerships with local innovators, youth organizations, NGOs, and the private sector, enhancing collaborative efforts to nurture and test innovative ideas. • Development of successful proposals and resource mobilization strategies that support ongoing and future policy initiatives, increasing the sustainability of design-led projects.

Effective Communication • Clear communication of design insights, prototypes, and policy recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences, ensuring widespread understanding and support for initiatives. • Development of visual tools such as journey maps and service blueprints that facilitate stakeholder comprehension of policy processes and designs.

Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions

Entrepreneurial Thinking: Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate

Result-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results

Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making

Resource Mobilization: Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements

Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.

Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations

Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

the national and/or international level in implementing development projects; experience with the Asian and Pacific region would be an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization; • Experience in areas of either qualitative social research, human centered design, user experience, behavioral insights, or futures and foresights would be an asset; demonstrated experience in conducting field or remote qualitative research is desired. • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of diverse partners and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Desirable: valid national driver’s license and proven ability to drive manual gear 4x4 over rough terrain; (if not applicable, delete) • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in the work of the UNDP, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Bhutan is a lower middle-income country1, landlocked between China and India, with an estimated population of 770,0002. A Human Development Index of 0.666 (2021)3 places it in the medium human development category, ranked 127 out of 189 countries. Rapid economic growth averaging 7.5 per cent per annum was experienced since the 1980s4.

Between 2010 and 2021, the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita increased by 22.3 per cent to USD 11,3005. Poverty rates reduced sharply from 23 per cent in 2007 to 8 per cent in 20176, with 12.4 per cent recorded in 2022.7 Significant gains in human development, poverty reduction and living standards have been guided by Bhutan’s gross national happiness philosophy of balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability, inclusive social progress and cultural vibrancy, underpinned by good governance. Despite the positive momentum, socio-economic vulnerability remains, primarily due to difficult geographical conditions, narrow economic base, dependency on limited international market for trade, and increased emigration of productive population in recent years. Bhutan is a relatively stable and peaceful country.

The capital, Thimphu, is located at an elevation of 2,334 meters where the summers are warm, and winters are chilly.

The Bhutanese currency Ngultrum is pegged with the Indian Rupees and one USD is equivalent to 82 Ngultrums approximately. In the capital, rented flats range from Nu.7000-17,000 (96 to 250 USD) while furnished apartments cost around 300 to 700 USD. Public transportation including taxis are cheap starting from 0.3 USD to 5 USD. Groceries and other food items would amount to around 300 dollars a month.

Bhutan provides free basic health and education and as per Article 9 of the Constitution of Bhutan, access to universal basic health services is free to all individuals living in the country.

The country’s national language is Dzongkha but the local populace is comfortable in using English which makes day to day conversations easy.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org