UN-Habitat Finance and Procurement Associate (Part-time 50%)

Contract

This is a SB-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Service Board / Service Contract. It is normally only for nationals. More about SB-3 contracts.

Background

Governments at the 19th Session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council, adopted by consensus resolution 19/18 calling on UN-Habitat to establish a Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People (SHSPPP) and a Technical Cooperation Trust Fund (TCTF). The long-term development objective of the SHSPPP is to improve the human settlements conditions of the Palestinian People and in so doing contribute in a modest way to reaching peace, security and stability in the region. During the recent 23rd Governing Council, a new resolution was adopted, requesting UN-Habitat "to further focus its operations on planning, land and housing issues in view of improving the housing and human settlement conditions of Palestinians, addressing the urbanization challenges, supporting the building of a Palestinian State, humanitarian action and peace-building, in the areas where there are acute humanitarian and development needs, identified through technical assessments by UN-Habitat in coordination with all concerned parties".

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The post is located in the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People.

UN-Habitat is leading the implementation of a 5.5-year EU funded Project: “Quality Urban Development and Sustainable Interventions – Rehabilitation for Revitalization (QUDSI-R4R)” in partnership with local technical and academic entities. The Project aims to improve socio-economic conditions for Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem by rehabilitating towards revitalizing historic sites as a catalyst for Palestinian integrated urban regeneration. The activities of the project focus on strengthening the old city’s Palestinian intergovernmental coordination; Rehabilitation and maintenance as well as business development and sustainability of key areas in the Old City; as well as professional capacity building for individuals who work in the Old City’s regeneration, advancing their professional development in several core competencies capable of unlocking new commercial opportunities in the economic sector. In parallel, the project also includes an interconnected track of Technological Empowerment and Innovation directed to Palestinian youth.

Funded by the European Union, UN-Habitat is seeking a candidate to fill the position of a part-time (50%) Finance and Procurement Associate, under supervision of the Project Manager and overall guidance of Operations Officer. As this position is related to Qudsi project in the occupied Palestinian territory with an expected duration of five and half years started in January 2022, the Service Contract extension will be conditioned to satisfactory performance evaluation as well as availability of funding under the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provides financial and accounting support in ensuring full compliance with UN/UN-Habitat financial rules, regulations, policies and strategies, and the effective internal controls framework. 2. Provides support in the projects’ financial management and maintains a proper filing system for the financial records and to ensure accuracy of accounting codes and recording of receipts and payments. 3. Ensures timely preparation of periodic and annual expenditure reports, updating of budget monitoring tables, financial authorizations, transaction reports and project budget status sheets; 4. Prepares and assists in finalizing payment requests including checks and bank transfers, settlement of cash advances and travel claims and ensure that supporting documents are always adequate and complete; keeps track of and monitors the payment of Agreements of Cooperation (AoC), office rent and utilities; prepares VAT exemption submissions and refunds; ensures maintenance of the internal expenditures reporting and control system, including the precise and correct processing of vouchers; 5. Tracks and documents Project staff salaries planning tables and records;

• Ensures proper functioning project cash management system, including timely review of cash position for local accounts; preparation of cash forecast and cash replenishments on regular basis;
• Identifies and records project contributions; timely and accurately assists in preparing bank reconciliations; initiates bank transfers and deals;
• Facilitates the proper receipt of goods and services and establishment of accruals; maintenance of the Account Receivables for QUDSI project and recording of deposits; as well as management of cash receipts and petty cash;
• Prepares budget revisions in coordination with Project Manager and Operations Officer;

6. Coordinate all procurement related matter, that include but not limited to:-

• Initiate planned procurement activities as per the agreed schedule.
• Review, update and maintain purchase orders until they are closed.
• Prepare bid documents using UN-Habitat’s standard bidding providing correct and complete specifications, standards and TORs for procurement of goods and services financed by the donor
• Follow up, submit the bid documents and RFP’s to Senior Management for obtaining No objection and make such modifications in the said documents as Senior Management may recommend.
• Prepare Invitation for Bids (IFB) and arrange for the publications of the SPNs in newspaper of general circulations for recommended vendors.
• Arrange for Specific Procurement Notices to be sent to suppliers who responded to the General Procurement Notice.
• Attend the opening of bids at stipulated time and place. Records bids as read out.
• Assist the tender committee in the evaluation of bids and provide clarifications.
• Lead bid evaluation both preliminary, financial and post qualifications requirements and compile the evaluation report in accordance with UN-Habitat guide lines and submit the evaluation report to Senior Management for “No Objection”.
• Prepare awards and contracts in conformity with the requirements of the CTS.
• Prepare contract agreement in accordance with the CTS Standards and guidelines.
• Maintain procurement documents in proper filling system

7. Tracks orders and confirms system lead times, delivery dates, and costs.

Impact of Results:

• Attain and maximize the project’s development results to the targeted population, beneficiaries, participants, whether individuals, communities, and institutions.
• Extent to which the objectives of the project have been achieved as intended in particular to the project planned overall objective.
• Track and control any external effects to the project, such as:
• Facilitated/constrained external factors
• Production of any unintended or unexpected impacts, and if so, how have these affected the overall impact
• Facilitated/constrained project/programme management, through their co-ordination arrangements, by the participation of relevant stakeholders
• Additional contribution to economic and social development
• Additional contribution to poverty reduction
• Creation of a difference in terms of cross-cutting issues like gender equality, environment, good governance, human rights, conflict prevention etc.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Delivery: Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Technical/Functional Competencies:

Teamwork: Ability to work in harmony with other team members and provide support where needed, and build consensus for task purpose and direction with team members.

Accountability: Ability to take ownership for work and honors commitments and deliver outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time cost and quality standards.

Knowledge Management and Learning: Ability to shares knowledge and experience. And actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Leadership and Self-Management: Ability to Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude and remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.

Development and Operational Effectiveness: Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results Management, including support to design, planning and implementation of programme, managing data, reporting. Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems. Good knowledge of Results Management Guide and Toolkit.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; else related fields of study are also desirable.

Experience:

• A minimum work experience of 2 to 4 years of progressively responsible accounting or finance; with procurement support service experience at the international level; preferably EU and UN.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems;
• Knowledge of UN and/or EU policies, procedures and operations is considered an asset;
• Knowledge of MSProject is considered an asset;

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic.
• Hebrew language is an asset.

Other:

CIPS level 2 certificate is desirable.

TO APPLY:

APPLICATIONS WITHOUT THE COMPLETED UNDP P-11 FORM WILL BE TREATED AS INCOMPLETE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

UNDP P11 form (new Personal History form) (google.com). Kindly ensure to upload both CV and P-11 as one document as the system will only allow one attachment.