Project Associate

Bonn

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Bonn
Grade: Junior level - NPSA-8, National Personnel Services Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Administrative support
- Project and Programme Management
Closing Date: 2025-04-11

Background

The UN Secretary-General established the UN SDG Action Campaign to inspire people and organizations from all backgrounds and every part of the world to take actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, while holding decision-makers to account for progress society-wide.

The UN SDG Action Campaign is hosted and supported by UNDP and is based in Bonn (Germany) with a lean team that marshals rapid support for new initiatives as opportunities arise and provides partners with on-demand strategic creative services that inspire SDG action with an engaged community of activists and concerned individuals.

The UN SDG Action Campaign is working closely with cities and local governments to showcase how they are actively contributing to implement Agenda 2030, accelerating transformative action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for all, and everywhere.

Local and regional governments are already responsible of over 65% of the SDG targets, most of them linked to basic service provision from water, sanitation, mobility, climate action, health or education. Cities and territories are playing a big part on the implementation of SDGs, that are becoming a new tool for strategic planning and budgeting in the mid to long-term. Since August 2023, the Campaign is operating the SDG Local Action website (www.sdglocalaction.org ) collecting stories on how cities are contributing to Agenda 2030, organizing webinars and workshops to exchange experiences, inspire and scale up local action projects as well as generating knowledge on how cities and other local governments are innovating on management, finance and governance issues.

The UN SDG Action Campaign is supporting the implementation of the pilot for the 2025 Global Mayors Challenge, a competition designed to support cities in the development of ambitious and innovative ideas that improve residents’ lives. Cities are uniquely positioned to encourage and foster the innovation, creativity, ideas, and solutions needed to tackle the pressing social and economic issues facing the world today – as well as meet the challenges of tomorrow.

The 2025 edition of the Global Mayors Challenge is focusing on core city services, all of them directly related to SDG goals and targets such public transportation (SDG 11.2), public education (SDG 4), public safety (SDG 16.1), public libraries, parks and recreation (SDG 11.7), healthcare (SDG 3), social services (SDG 10), internet connectivity (SDG 17.8), housing and shelter (SDG 11.1), clean water (SDG 15.1) air (SDG 3.9) and infrastructure (SDG 9), waste and sanitation (SDG 11.6), energy use (SDG 7) and economic and workforce development (SDG 8).

The Project Associate will support the UNDP UN SDG Action team to execute the necessary administrative, financial and procurement activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Associate will be responsible for the following activities and outputs:

Overall technical, administrative, and logistical support to project activities with the following expected results:

Responsibility	Output
Supports to facilitate internal clients’ needs particularly in the area of procurement planning, contract management, and procurement processes, conducted by SDG Campaign.	To support to facilitate the elaboration and implementation of contract strategy, sourcing strategy, quality management, supplier selection, and improvement of procurement processes.
Safeguards, updates and organizes the content of the external resources available for the projects.	To keep updated the external resources available for the projects such as the Terms of Reference (ToRs) library.
Supports the review of all procurement plans and helps identify and recommends the potential for consolidation of procurements for similar requirements to reduce transactional volume and procurement lead-time, also considering the potential for economies of scale, through the establishment of LTA's, (long term contracts) for the most recurring purchases.	To support the operations team by proposing procurement strategies based on consolidation of needs of the same (e.g. LTA's, long term contracts, etc.) to reduce the volume of processes and increase the efficiency of procurement operations.
Helps identify innovative platforms and tools available to improve SDG delivery at local level. Helps set up a monitoring framework for the status, results, milestones for the project implementation and capacity development.	To constantly propose innovative platforms and tools to help improve the operations processes. To set up a monitoring framework for the status, results, milestones for the project implementation and capacity development.
Supports the team in the development and management of the necessary tools (including internal Standard Operating Procedures) to streamline business procedures, e.g. updating and maintaining the data bases for different type of contracts including ICs, IPSAs, contract for goods and services, POs, Rosters, etc.	To support develop and manage the different tools (including internal Standard Operating Procedures) to streamline business procedures, e.g. updating and maintaining the data bases for different type of contracts including ICs, IPSAs, contract for goods and services, POs, Rosters, etc., creating templets to standardize the work, etc.
Supports the conduct of supply market analysis to understand how the market works, the direction, the competitiveness of the market, the key suppliers and the value that suppliers place on the organization.	To support the operation team by helping identify potential suppliers for the different procurement process through market research.
Supports the Project Analyst and the operations team by receiving, reviewing and editing Terms of References (TORs) sent by the project teams to procure different items such as services/goods/individual consultants considering UNDP´s policies and procedures, rules and regulations.	To propose additional tasks and sub tasks to be included as part of the TORs by constantly seeking for examples and suggesting improvements in such a way that it will maximize the efficiency given the limited resources considering compliance with UNDP´s policies and procedures, rules and regulations.

2. Support to the project team in implementation of project procurement processes with the following expected results:

Responsibility	Output
Registers each process and ensures that it is recorded in accordance with the numbering system and priority schedules and projections.	To update the project coordination mechanism (excel, online collaborative platform, sharing filing systems, etc.) accordingly.
Creates a requisition in the online management system (Quantum) for each process according to the numbering system using the correct budgetary category as established in the project budget.	To create a requisition for each process in the online management system using the correct budgetary category as established in the project budget and record it accordingly.
Updates the status of the procurement implementation plan, including inputting times for deliverables of different contracts and monitoring contract implementation according to the established times.	To update the project coordination mechanism (excel, online collaborative platform, sharing filing systems, etc.) accordingly.
Supports the oversight of procurement processes including preparation and management of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations.	To support with the analysis of information required in the preparation of procurement plans and monitoring of its implementation. To support SDG Campaign with the preparation of submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP).
Updates the status of the procurement and relevant plans accordingly. The Project Associate is responsible for assuring that the project coordination mechanism (excel, online collaborative platform, sharing filing systems, etc.) is up to date at any given time.	To input the correct data in the project implementation tools, according to the procurement processes status so all project stakeholders, including the project team, the beneficiaries, the donor and the project consultants have access to the status of each procurement process at any moment in time

3. Support to business process quality assurance with the following expected results:

Responsibility	Output
Updates the expenditures against project budget. The Project Associate will check on the state of commitment of expenditures for each of the budget lines and inform the necessary partners about the status of budget and procurement implementation, so all project stakeholders know the status of their allocated budget at any moment in time.	To track disbursements in accordance with the project budget and procurement plan and update the data accordingly in the project monitoring tools.
Liaises with the financial unit once the contracts are finalized to follow up on the timely submission of invoices; maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that processed invoices are matched and completed, and transactions are correctly recorded in the project online management system for payment.	To update the internal expenditures control system which ensures that processed invoices are matched and completed, and transactions are correctly recorded in the project online management system for payment.
Safeguards, updates and organizes the content of the relevant internal databases for all processes, such as Terms of reference, case files, conflict of interest, notes to file, etc.	Internal recourses are maintained in accordance with approved filing procedures, and current policy. Monitors and supports with the correct filing of documents in the shared folders of the project, including information relevant to the procurement process.
Provides timely reporting and participate in the drafting ad-hoc of the administrative, technical and ﬁnancial reports.	To provide timely reporting and participate in the drafting ad-hoc of the administrative, technical and ﬁnancial reports.

4. Overall support to the project team with the following expected results:

Responsibility	Output
Supports project implementation and replication of experiences of local governments wishing to increase citizens participation and public services and public policy co-creation.	To support the elaboration of knowledge products able to help UNDP to improve their support to municipalities contracting PPPs for public service delivery. Elaborate and advise on legal instruments and pricing models for PPPs.
Supports the promotion of exchange of experiences amongst participating local governments on innovative PPPs to achieve the Agenda 2030.	To help increase citizens usability and participation into local service delivery.
Provides support and resources to the projects on UNDP Procurement Standards and Procedures, according to their specific knowledge and experience as required.	To support the organization of workshops, meetings on procurement and contracting issues with projects staff, counterparts as well as the required documentation for these meetings.
Keeps updated and in constant learning of regarding UNDP’s Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) and applies them as required.	To maintain constant learning through mandatory courses from headquarters and updates to UNDP’s Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) and applies them as required.

Competencies

Cross-functional

Results based management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
Client management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, pro􏰂ide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Proide inputs to the development of customer ser􏰂ice strategy. Look for gaps to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Technical

Administrations and Operations, Documents and record management: Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving.
Administrations and Operations, Registry and correspondence management: Ability to collect, register, maintain and deliver mail and UNDP pouch; ability to manage archives.

Procurement, data management: Knowledge of processing, storing, and validating procurement data.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Accounting, Data Analysis, Computer Science, Social or political science, International Development, or any related filed is required.

Required skills:

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages and knowledge processing platforms is required.

Required Language(s)

Fluency in both English and French languages is required.
Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

Desired skills:

Experience in procurement (specially in reviewing ToRs) will be an asset.
Experience in digital data analysis, collection, storage, management, sharing will be an asset.
Experience working with different project management platforms will be an asset.
Experience working in finance or budgetary control will be an asset.
Understanding of UN/UNDP rules and procedures or experience of completing UN assignments will be an asset.

Experience:

A minimum of one (1) years’ relevant work experience with bachelor’s degree in project support and/or procurement and/or contract management and/or contract administration and/or logistics and/or supply chain management is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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