United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Recruitment – Project Management Associate

• One of the poorest and most environmentally degraded regions in the world, the West African Sahel region is also considered one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change, with temperature increases projected to be 1.5 times higher than the rest of the world. Climate vulnerability is compounded by the region’s high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and its natural resources to support food security and livelihoods, high population growth, rapid and unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation, deepening poverty levels, governance challenges and low socio-economic development, and chronic humanitarian crises due to recurrent drought, flooding, food insecurity, epidemics and violent conflict. These factors increase the fragility of communities while recurrent disasters have been causing a continuous deterioration of livelihoods, exposing people to deeper poverty and food insecurity and undermining their resilience to future shocks and stresses, with varying impacts on different social groups such as women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. The cumulative impacts of these events have been eroding hard-earned development gains, while undermining recovery from the various crises as well as the resilience to future crises.
• The development challenge presented above highlights the unique opportunity for supporting the Western Sahel through African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its member states to take integrated and holistic approaches to disaster and climate risk-informed development that contributes to building resilience of the whole region. UNDP has sought to strengthen the policy and institutional capacities of Western Sahel countries in understanding the multi-dimensional risks that the region face and devising mechanisms that anticipate and respond to these challenges. In this regard, UNDP Regional Service Centre of Africa developed a regional project Strengthening capacities for disaster risk reduction and adaptation for Resilience in the Sahel Region: fostering risk-informed solutions for sustainable development, which is anchored in the Regional Programme.
• The main objective of this regional initiative is that regional institutions and national governments have institutionalized and domesticated risk-informed development planning, programming and investment for resilience building.
• With funding from the Swedish Government (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – SIDA), the Sahel Resilience Project proposes to strengthen the Sahel regional capacity in fostering risk-informed development through a multi-country approach. The change expected to be achieved through this Project is that Sahel regional institutions and national governments have institutionalized and domesticated risk-informed development planning, programming and investment for gender-responsive resilience building. The project focuses on seven Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Chad, Niger and Nigeria).
• The Regional Project will be implemented in partnership with the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions and Institutions (ECOWAS, Lake Chad Basin Commission, CILLS/AGRHYMET), UN Women and academia/research-based institutions (Peri-Peri U). The Project Team will be housed within the Humanitarian Division of the ECOWAS Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs in Abuja.
• The Project Administrative will work under the guidance of the Project Manager and in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Humanitarian Division, and ECOWAS Operations and Finance Teams. The Project Administrative will report directly to the Project Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Administrative Associate provides project and administrative services in support of the Regional Resilience Project.
• This includes project support in financial management, planning, implementation, administrative support, reporting and information management.
• The Associate implements UNDP’s policies, rules and regulations.
• The Associate will identify and help resolve bottlenecks, clarify and interpret procedures in terms of project management practices.
• The Associate will also work in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project teams in the UNDP Nigeria country office for resolving complex project-related issues and information delivery.

Specifically, the Project Administrative Associate will be responsible for the following three key result areas:

Support to the implementation, management and monitoring of the Project:

• Providing project management support;
• Tracking, monitoring and reporting on the use of project resources;
• Maintaining project budget;
• Confirmation of availability of funds prior to review by supervisor; creating vendor set-up information in Atlas;
• Ensuring the compliance of project implementation and general operations;
• Generating reports and information on implementation of projects and project status.

General operational and administrative support to the Project Management Team:

• Assisting the Project Manager and DRR Specialist administratively;
• Coordinating and writing briefing materials and reports for meetings;
• Processing Travel Requests, including timely follow-up action on medical/security clearance;
• Providing administrative and logistical support for meetings, workshops, trainings, conferences, retreats and any other special events;
• Handling the communication work related to the project;
• Taking care of and assisting procurement of staff, goods and services;
• Organizing and preparing agendas and minutes of meetings and tracking follow-up actions;
• Organization and coordination of workshops, conferences, retreats, etc.

Management of the project’s documentation portfolio:

• Preparing information for the audit of the project;
• Editing and translating reports as necessary for in-house dissemination and/or publication;
• Coordination of assets management and timely preparation and submission of periodic inventory reports;
• Proper control of supporting documents of funds and activities;
• Collecting and disseminating information related to the project;
• Support the identification of clear and achievable financial targets, a realistic plan to reach them.

Competencies
Core:

Innovation:

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work Level 3: Adapts deliverables to meet client needs.

Leadership:

• Ability to persuade others to follow Level 3: Proactively seeks and recognizes the contributions of others.

People Management:

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Level 3: Appropriately involves team in different stages of work and decision-making.

Communication:

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Level 3: Expresses information and views with adaptive reasoning and appreciation for complexity and variation.

Delivery:

• Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement Level 3: Takes responsibility for addressing critical situations and delivering core value.

Technical/Functional:

• Financial Planning and Budgeting.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Fundamental knowledge of processes, methods and procedures.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Building Strategic Partnerships.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Results-Based Programme Development and Management.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Knowledge of UN and intergovernmental financial management processes.
• Level 3: Implement & Manage: Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating the ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Project monitoring and financial reporting.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Secondary Education, preferably with specialized certification in Accounting and Finance. University Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences and Social Sciences would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

• Six years of progressively responsible administrative or programme experience (three years with University Degree) is required at the national or international level, in West Africa. 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.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and working knowledge of French.

Application Closing Date
Midnight New York, USA; 5th September, 2020.