Project Associate

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The Western Balkan region is heavily dependent on fossil fuels and ranks among the most polluted areas in Europe. In Kosovo, energy production is primarily coal-based, relying on two outdated power plants that have been in operation for over 60 years. These aging facilities form the backbone of the local energy system, providing affordable electricity but at the expense of reliability and efficiency. This reliance on obsolete infrastructure imposes significant socio-economic costs, including environmental degradation, public health risks, and missed opportunities for economic modernization and sustainable development.

Institutional capacity building and inclusive community engagement, including SMEs and households, are pivotal to transforming Kosovo's energy landscape, despite the significant challenges they face in adopting energy-efficient practices. SMEs often lack the technical expertise and financial resources needed to implement innovative energy solutions, while households struggle with poorly insulated buildings, insufficient information, and reliance on low-efficiency appliances, leading to higher energy consumption. 
    
Addressing energy poverty demands a multidisciplinary approach, from adopting necessary legal frameworks to implementing innovative technical and policy measures. Kosovo's Just Transition Roadmap, which is being developed as part of the EU Growth Plan reform agenda, calls for comprehensive strategies, including investments in renewable energy, subsidies for low-income households, job creation, and energy efficiency programs.

The ‘Inclusive and Just Pathway to 2030: Green Energy Future’ project aims to support Kosovo in achieving a just, inclusive, and sustainable transition from coal to renewable energy, fully aligned with Kosovo’s Energy Strategy 2022-2031, the National Energy and Climate Plans 2025-2030, and EU climate and energy commitments. This intervention aims to strengthen institutional and technical capacities for policy implementation, develop sustainable employment pathways in renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors, drive innovative investments, and foster public awareness of energy-efficient behavior. By 2030, the project seeks to contribute to a 35% share of renewable energy in Kosovo’s energy mix, a 33% reduction in emissions, and reduced energy poverty through an inclusive transition journey.

The project aims to address the above-mentioned challenges as follows:

•    Provide tailored technical assistance, capacity-building programs, and access to high-level advisory support. Support the Ministry and relevant stakeholders to develop and implement policies that align with the ambitious programs in the EU accession pathway, and enhance institutional coordination by establishing flexible mechanisms, for example, engaging with municipalities and private sector stakeholders.
•    Promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency adoption in the private sector, particularly among SMEs.
•    Empowering local communities through targeted support for energy-poor households and public awareness initiatives around efficient use of energy.
•    Supporting investments in energy, that enhance energy savings, reduce energy poverty, and promote new policies for a just energy transition.

Through these interventions, the project aligns with Kosovo’s energy transition agenda while advancing Danish development objectives of promoting climate action, social equity, and economic resilience.

Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Associate will execute duties and responsibilities outlined below:

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.

Provide 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:

The Project Associate works under the general supervision of the Project Manager and collaborates closely with partners and contractors.
 

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 in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner:    
• LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:    
• LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
 

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 to monitor new and emerging technologies, as well as understand their usage, potential, limitations, impact, and added value. Ability to rapidly and readily adopt and use new technologies in professional activities, and to empower others to use them as needed. Knowledge of the usage of digital technologies and emerging trends.
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     
•    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 & Evaluation 
    •    Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns. 
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

Minimum Education requirements:
•    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.

Minimum years of relevant work experience:
•    A minimum of 6 years (with secondary education) 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:
•    Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews
•    Experience and knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools 
•    Experience and knowledge of project management processes 
•    Experience and knowledge of procurement procedures of national / international organizations

Required Language(s) 
•    Fluency in English and Albanian or Serbian is required

The online application form must be fully completed. Applicants are required to carefully complete their online application form and reflect all of their work experience history in the application.

Only attaching a CV is not sufficient for applicants to be considered for positions. All applicants have to complete the Experience, Education, Language, and Nationality & Permanent Residence fields fully.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.