Programme Associate

Job Purpose and Organizational Context:

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has corporate responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogue initiatives, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. 

BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to provide high quality, technical support to UNDP Country offices for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programme support activities.   

Position Purpose:

The Programme Associate provides programme and administrative services in support of the BPPS Inclusive Growth Team’s programme responsibilities, deliverables, and operations. This includes programme support in data, financial management, project/programme design, planning, implementation, reporting, and information management. The Programme Associate promotes a client-oriented approach, in the framework of UNDP policies, rules and regulations. In close collaboration with policy, programme, operations and project teams in the Regional Hubs, COs, and HQs, the Programme Associate identifies and helps resolve bottlenecks, clarifies and interprets procedures, and escalates complex programme and administrative issues as needed. S/he will report to the Senior Advisor and Head of the Policy and Programme Unit/Inclusive Growth Team.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration. The Key duties and responsibilities include:

1. Support for the formulation, implementation, management and monitoring of the Team’s programme portfolio.
2. Provide general operational and administrative support to the Team.
3. Support implementation of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies.  
4. Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing and organizing events. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

Support for the formulation, implementation, management and monitoring of the Team’s programme portfolio

• Provides programme/project management support to the Team, such as:
  • Creating and managing projects and budgets in Quantum;
  • Providing COA authorizations; creating requisitions; raising receipts; implementing budget and project award revisions; and project status; determination of unutilized funds, maintaining the internal expenditures control system;
  • Tracking, monitoring and reporting on the use of project resources;
  • Conducting budget checks for accuracy of Requisitions, Purchase Orders and Payment Vouchers;
• Ensures the compliance of arrangements for project approval, implementation, general operations, and closure of projects with UNDP policies and regulations
• Generates reports and information on routine implementation of projects and programme/project status; Reviews, verifies and reconciles financial data and reports to ensure accuracy and conformity with UNDP financial and administrative rules and regulations; and
• Identifies and escalates project related issues, proposing and contributing to the development of solutions. 
• Support formulation of programme and projects, work plans, initiation of a project, entering project into ERP, and preparation of required budget revisions

Provide general operational and administrative support to the Team

• Support formulation of programme and projects, work plans, initiation of a project, entering project into ERP, and preparation of required budget revisions.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to implementing partners on implementation of projects, and track use of financial resources. Contribute to managing digital technology solutions in programme implementation towards scalability and sustainability in line with UNDP’s digital standards.
• Processes official Team Mission Travel Requests, including timely follow-up action on medical/security clearance, claims, signatures as appropriate and ensuring preparation of the necessary documents in Quantum.
• Provides administrative and logistical support for donor meetings, country/region specific meetings, workshops, trainings, conferences, retreats and any other special events organized by the Team. 
• Provides inputs into the Team’s administrative business processes mapping and implementation of the internal standard operating procedures (SOPs);
• Backstops procurement processes, including preparation of CAP and ACP submissions. 
• Backstops Team members on programme management during absences and mission travel; and
• Serves as the Team’s liaison person for all interactions with GPN/BPPS Operations Team on all programme and operational support.

Support implementation of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies

• Collect information on donors, prepare donor profiles and maintain donor database. 
• Track and report on mobilized resources.
• Prepare for external and internal programme / project audits, and support implementation of audit recommendations.
• Collects and disseminates information related to thematic area, including inputs for donor reports and provides information when requested from various sources; 
• Scans and ensures proper digital filing of all Team documents that must be retained in support of corporate policies.
• Follow up on programme and project performance indicators/ success criteria, targets and milestones, and preparation of reports. Implement corporate results-based management mechanisms and tools.
• Collect information on donors, prepare donor profiles and maintain donor database. 

Facilitate knowledge building, knowledge sharing and organizing events 

In assigned programme areas:

• Organize and deliver programme related training for relevant programme and operations personnel.
• Compile lessons learned and best practices.
• Prepares minutes of the Team’s meeting as relevant.
• Organizes events, leading on the logistics, under the UNDP Inclusive Growth Team, including side events (e.g., during the High-Level Political Forum, UNGA, and others), workshops and trainings, as necessary.

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

Competencies:

Core CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)

Achieve Results:

• Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively:   

• Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously   

• Open-minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility    

• Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination       

• Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident    

Engage and Partner  

• Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion        

• Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

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: Project Management

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Business Management: Risk Management

• Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks. 

Business Development: Knowledge Generation

• Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations. 

Procurement: Contract Management

• Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations. 

Finance: Planet: Budget Management 

• Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.

Required Skills and Experience:

Education:

• Secondary education is required.
• A university degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years (with high school diploma) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant progressively responsible administrative/management or programme experience is required at the national and/or international level is required.
• Experience in financial and procurement support is preferred. 
• Demonstrated experience in general operations is an asset. 
• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), database packages, and web-based management systems such as ERP is required.
• Prior experience in UN/ UNDP is an asset. 

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.