Project Finance Associate (National Consultant)
Ensure efficient financial management and reporting for Project SPAN.
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Overview
Ensure efficient financial management and reporting for Project SPAN.
You have:
- University degree in Finance or Accounting, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics or related degrees; Professional qualification (i.e., CPA) is an advantage.
- 7 years of relevant experience in providing financial management services or managing operational systems.
- Demonstrated expertise in the use of UNDP software (i.e., ATLAS) for Financial Transactions and Reporting Rules.
- Experience in usage of MS Excel and handling web-based financial management systems.
- At least 1-year experience working with UN agencies and familiarity with Project SPAN is an advantage.
- Fluency in English and Filipino with good verbal and written skills. Knowledge of regional languages in Mindanao is an advantage.
Contract
This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.
Background
Project Title
Support to Peacebuilding and Normalization (SPAN)
Project Description
The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH), through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement a project entitled "Support to Peacebuilding and Normalization" or Project SPAN. The Project aims to contribute towards sustaining the gains of the Government's peace process, and in ensuring peace and security in conflict-affected areas by (a) accelerating the implementation of the security and socio-economic aspects of the Normalization Annex of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) that was agreed upon by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); and (b) strengthening the enabling environment for peace, recovery and development.
The Project was supposed to be implemented over a period of one year but a change in OPAPP’s administration delayed the implementation of activities and the Project was extended. Subsequently, the Covid19 Pandemic caused further delay and the project implementation was further extended to 31 December 2021. It was agreed that while closure is in December 2021, the Project will still be allowed to complete the remaining deliverables and the closure activities such as Terminal Evaluation and Final Report writing including the Financial Report.
The financial reporting for Project SPAN was a role that was assigned to the Programme Assistant of the Peace Team when the Project’s Financial Officer resigned. Unfortunately, the Programme Assistant has also decided to pursue her career in another agency and will be leaving the project by April.
Thus, the project will require the services of a Project Finance Associate to complete financial reporting during the project closure stage, particularly in validating the financial transactions of the project and in coordinating with the Finance Unit of OPAPP.
Institutional Arrangement
The Project SPAN Finance Associate will work under the direct supervision of the SPAN Officer-in-Charge or OIC.
The SPAN OIC will monitor and track the Project Finance Associate’s performance and delivery of expected outputs in accordance with the indicated schedules.
Release of payments will only be triggered after issuance of certificates of acceptance for the outputs and deliverables of the Project Admin and Finance Associate.
Duration of the Work
87 working days spread out from April to September 2020.
Duty Station
The duty station of the consultant is in Manila, Philippines. However, as this is an output-based engagement, the IC will not be required to report for work daily. The engagement will include travels within Mindanao and if need be and will be shouldered under the SPAN Project.
Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance, which should remain valid under the contract duration.
Scope and Price Proposal and Schedule Payments.
The Project Finance Associate will receive a total amount in a lump sum amount commensurate to the scope of work. The amount indicated in the Offeror’s Letter will be released in tranches upon the satisfactory performance of agreed deliverables based on the schedule provided below:
Tranches
Milestones
Review and Approvals
Required
20%
Upon approval of submitted Workplan
Allen Mariano
Project Officer-in-Charge Project SPAN
30%
Upon approval of submitted Updated Financial Report on the expenditures of the various components of Project SPAN as of March 2021
30%
Upon approval of submitted Interim Financial Report on the expenditures of Project SPAN as of June 2021
CHETAN KUMAR
UNDP Senior Advisor for Peacebuilding and Prevention of Violent Extremism
20%
Upon approval of submitted Consolidated Final Detailed Report on the Financial Utilization of SPAN as of 30 August 2021 and Financial Closure
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work
Under the overall guidance of the Team Leader of the Peace Programme Team and under the direct supervision of the SPAN Project Manager, the Project Admin and Finance Associate will undertake the following tasks:
- Manage the project’s finance system ensuring the efficient compliance to project requirements and that appropriate control and reporting structures are maintained in accordance with UNDP procedures and guidelines.
- Provide support to monitoring and resolution of dashboard issues (e.g. monitoring of NEX advances) and responding to request for clarifications.
- Ensure the proper maintenance of up-to-date financial records, reconcile financial records and ensure accurate financial reporting. The IC will provide weekly financial updates to the Project Manager to enable the latter to closely monitor financial expenditures as the Project approaches the closure date. She will also provide inputs to the Monthly and Quarterly Financial Progress Reports, the Annual Project Reports or the Final / Terminal Financial Report in close collaboration with the Programme
Finance Associate of the Results and Quality Team and Finance Analyst of UNDP. As required, the IC will also coordinate with the Finance Unit of OPAPP.
- Track the spending of the approved budget, ensuring that funds are available for planned expenditures, and continually advise the Project Manager on financial delivery
- Coordinate and act as focal point for issues relating to finance and procurement.
- Assist in the project and financial closure activities and closely coordinate with UNDP’s Finance Unit’s personnel on financial reporting.
- Assist the team in preparing for and responding to audit questions about the project.
- Acts as resource person, as needed, on financial management trainings / coaching to assisted community groups especially those implementing projects under the LVGA modality.
- Perform other tasks as may be assigned by the Project Manager or Officer-in-Charge.
Expected Outputs and Deliverables
In addition to the functions mentioned above, the IC is expected to deliver the major outputs and specific deliverables on the target due dates indicated in the matrix below. The review and acceptance of these outputs shall be done by the indicated authorities.
Deliverables/ Outputs
Target Due
Dates
Review and Approvals
Required
Approved Workplan
April 2021
Allen Mariano SPAN Officer-in-Charge
Chetan Kumar Peace Programme Team
Leader
Updated Financial Report on the expenditures of the various components
of Project SPAN as of March 2021
April 2021
Interim Financial Report on the expenditures of Project SPAN as of June
2021
July 2021
Consolidated Final Detailed Report on the Financial Utilization of SPAN as of 30 August 2021, including completion of ATLAS Financial Closure Requirements
September
2021
Competencies
Corporate competencies
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability;
- Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
Functional and technical competencies
- Ability to work in a diverse and multi-cultural environment;
- Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and to meet strict and competing deadlines;
- Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
- Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
Required Skills and Experience
Offers will be evaluated based on the combined scoring method :
- Technical qualifications = 70%
- Financial Proposal = 30%
For the evaluation of the Technical Proposal, the selection of the successful consultant must be based on the following qualifications (with the appropriate obtainable points):
Qualifications
Points Obtainable
(100 pts)
Education
- University degree in Finance / Accounting, Business Administration,
Public Administration, Economics or related degrees; Professional qualification (i.e., CPA) is an advantage.
(21 points for Bachelors’ degree; 25 points for Master’s; 30 points for Doctoral)
30
Experience
- 7 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in
providing financial management services and/or managing staff and operational systems;
(14 points for 7 years experience, additional 1 point for every additional year, maximum of 20 points)
20
- Demonstrated expertise in the use of UNDP’s software (i.e. ATLAS) for Financial Transactions and also UNDP’s Reporting Rules and Regulations; familiarity with FACE Forms is an advantage
(14 points for 1 sample written report, additional 1 point for every additional sample, maximum of 20 points)
20
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Excel, MS Word, etc.) as well as experience in handling web-based financial management systems;
(7 points for 1 sample written report, additional 1 point for every additional sample, maximum of 10 points)
10
- At least 1-year experience in working with UN agencies and familiarity with Project SPAN is an advantage;
(7 points for 1-year experience, additional 1 point for every additional year, maximum of 10 points)
10
Language Requirements
- Fluency in English and Filipino with good verbal and written skills. Knowledge of regional languages in Mindanao is an advantage.
(to be evaluated based on the submitted sample of written reports)
10
Total
100
Applicants who will only receive 70 points from the assessment of the CV will be qualified for the assessment of the Financial Proposal.
Recommended Presentation of Offer
Interested applicants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload of a maximum of one document.
- Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
- Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experiences from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references; and,
- Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by a national or local government entity, he/she must submit a duly certified leave of absence to avoid double compensation and/or workload conflict.
- Sample of written reports
Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.
Interested applicants to note that personal Medical/health insurance (to be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense) is mandatory for the issuance of contracts. Upon award of the contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration.
The following templates / Annexes and IC General Terms & Conditions can be downloaded from http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU:
- General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contract
- Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability
- P-11 form
In view of the volume of applications, UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe your experience with financial management in international projects? | This question assesses your relevant experience and knowledge in the field. | Provide specific examples of your past roles and the impact of your work on project outcomes. |
| How do you ensure compliance with financial guidelines when managing a project? | The interviewer wants to know your understanding of compliance and financial reporting standards. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Describe a time when you identified and resolved a financial discrepancy. What was the outcome? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What strategies do you use to track budget spending and adjust financial plans accordingly? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you manage pressure when deadlines are tight? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
Added 5 years ago
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Updated 1 year ago
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Source:
jobs.undp.org
