Project Administrative Associate

Senior Leadership

Overview

Provide administrative support for project implementation in Cabo Verde.

You have:

• Secondary education is required, or a University Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not required.
• A minimum of 6 years (with high school diploma) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible administrative or project experience is required.
• Fluency in the UN language of the duty station is required (English).
• Fluency in the national language (Portuguese) of the duty station is required for local personnel.
• 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.
• Proven knowledge of administrative procedures.
• Experience in project administration.
• Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews.
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools.
• Knowledge of procurement procedures of national / international organizations.

Contract

This is a NPSA-6 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about NPSA-6 contracts.

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Team Leader of the Joint UNDP UN Habitat Promoting Local Development Project in Cabo Verde, the Project Associate is responsible for effective delivery of project implementation support services ensuring effective operational management of project, and the transparent utilization of financial resources. The Project Administrative Associate promotes a collaborative, client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

The Office of Cabo Verde is the only UN Joint Office set up in the world, bringing together UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF under the same administrative arrangement, with a single Representative, and a common team of professionals. Building on the expertise of those agencies, within a pilot Delivering as One UN Programme, the office provides important learning opportunities and the possibility to capitalize on the value added of the three agencies, in the service of the country’s priorities.

Promoting Local Development Project:

This new Joint Programme (JP) builds upon prior achievements to accelerate local development by tackling some of the main issues that persist, including in particular the limited capacity of local authorities to generate own-source revenues, to manage effectively and efficiently existing resources (including natural resources), to effectively engage local populations in local development agenda as well as to allow them to better access basic services, economic infrastructures and assets.

The Joint Programme implementation will be overseen by a Steering Committee and led by a Joint Programme Management Team. On the United Nations side, the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) will lead the steering process while the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) will collaboratively implement the Joint Programme activities.

UNDP has been a key partner in the country supporting local development and decentralization. The recent implementation of the Programa “Plataformas locais” (local Platforms) and the “Fundo de Descentralização” programmes showed the importance of the territorial approach in supporting sustainable development based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country, achieving profound transformations and impacts on territorial capacities and local development. UN-Habitat is the United Nations (UN) agency mandated to promote inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities and communities. In Cabo Verde, it has supported national and local governments in several normative and operational processes, including the establishment of the National Urban and Housing Policies, Local Housing Plans, and participatory upgrading of informal settlements.

The Joint Programme will support local governments, local and community development actors, national entities, especially the newly created Ministry of Territorial Cohesion (MCT), and also entail significant engagement with the National Association of Municipalities (ANMCV) and other city associations in organizing fora related to experience sharing, at national level and with international partners. It will support the production of guidelines, handbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and templates to standardize and sustain all good practices consensually agreed

Under the supervision of the Team Leader, the Project Admin Associate will:

Duties and Responsibilities:

Support the project team to ensure effective project planning and implementation.

• Compile and summarize information and data for the formulation of project work plans, draft annual/quarterly budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements, and on other specific project related topics or issues.
• Provide comprehensive support in all aspects of project implementation in accordance with the project documents, annual work plans and other agreements between UNDP and responsible partners. Ensure quality of delivery by consultants, beneficiaries, and contracted companies; and communicate findings to the supervisor.
• Ensure compliance of project business processes with UNDP Project Operational Policies and Procedures (POPP) and UNDP Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). When necessary, provide guidance to project staff on business processes, administrative and other requirements and procedures.
• Support mainstreaming gender equality in the project implementation, including in data collection and compilation. Prepare gender equality background materials for use in discussions, briefings, and correspondence.
• Provide administrative and logistical support to ensure successful project delivery that includes organizing/coordinating project events and selecting appropriate venues, coordinating project procurement procedures, maintaining project records and files, recruiting project team members, and supporting contracting activities.

Actively participate to partnerships and resource mobilization.

• Establish and maintain contacts and cooperation with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, NGOs, tertiary institutions, partners, and other relevant stakeholders. Provide support in updating the database of the relevant public and development partners, and other stakeholders who are counterparts for the project.
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with partners, project counterparts, stakeholders, and beneficiaries; and develop and maintain effective mechanisms for integrating and responding to their feedback and insight.
• Support creation of high quality information and visibility of the project activities among the stakeholders; and ensure careful selection of communication tools and tailoring the messages to take into account the overall socio-political and development context in host countries.
• Undertake horizon scanning and explore opportunities for resource mobilization in consultation with direct supervisor.

Provide sound support to the effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on progress of project implementation.

• Support implementation of the project monitoring system in alignment with its Monitoring and Evaluation framework to ensure effective information sharing, provision of feedback, and elaboration of high-quality progress reports.
• Collect, analyze and present information for monitoring and evaluation of project implementation against project targets as well as for audit purposes. Identify gaps in implementation and provide support in bridging those gaps in consultation with supervisor and partners.
• Assist in the organization of field and study visits, missions, workshops, roundtables, and conferences within the project.  Assist in implementation of effective risk management for the project with a well-documented risk mitigation plan in place. Support monitoring of previously identified and emerging risks.
• Regularly monitor expenditures and commitments against the project budget and relevant plans, and provide finance-related information to support project implementation. When necessary, recommend corrective actions and draft various correspondence concerning finance, operations, and budgetary issues.
• Prepare and consolidate required project reports on a timely basis and in line with monitoring and reporting guidelines and donor requirements

Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

• Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff. Provide support to other capacity building activities, including to the design and delivery of tools, materials for workshops, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action.
• Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally. Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project.

• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

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

  Institutional Arrangement:

Under the guidance and supervision of the Team Leader of the Promoting Local Development in Cabo Verde Project, the Project Administrative Associate provides support to the Team Leader for administrative services ensuring high quality, accuracy and consistency of work. The Project Administrative Associate promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

Competencies

Expected Demonstration of Competencies Core: Achieve Results LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline. Think Innovatively LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. Learn Continuously LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback. Adapt with Agility LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. Act with Determination LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly inface of adversity, confident Engage and Partner LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships. Enable Diversity and Inclusion LEVEL 1: Appreciates/respects differences, aware of unconscious bias, confronts discrimination

Business Management

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

Business Management

Digital Awareness and Literacy: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed

Business Management Customer Satisfaction/Client Management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Management 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. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.

Business Management Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.

Technical - Finance Budget management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets

Technical – _Procurement Procurement management: The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Secondary education is required, or

• University Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

  Experience:

• A minimum of 6 years (with high school diploma) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible administrative or project experience is required.

Required skills:

• 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.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Proven knowledge of administrative procedures
• Experience in project administration
• Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools
• Knowledge of project management processes
• Knowledge of procurement procedures of national / international organizations

Required Language(s):

• Fluency in the UN language of the duty station is required (English).

• Fluency in the national language (Portuguese) of the duty station is required for local personnel.

  Disclaimer

  Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

  Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

  UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

  Applicant information about UNDP rosters

  Note: 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.

  Non-discrimination

  UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

  UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org