Common Service Associate
Port Moresby
- Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
- Location: Port Moresby
- Grade:
-
Occupational Groups:
- Closing Date: 2025-05-02
Background
UNDP Papua New Guinea seeks to consolidate the foundations for a next generation office that is fully capacitated to leverage strong development fundamentals built in the current CPD cycle and continue its trend of scaling up its presence and services. Leveraging its technical, coordination and administrative strengths, UNDP will continue to provide integrated policy advice, evidence-based solutions, quality assurance and management services supporting the national and sub-national implementation of a growing portfolio of activities. UNDP’s services under the operations areas to the implementing partners and UN Agencies remain as key areas of the business operations in Papua New Guinea.
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Head of Common Service Manager, the Common service Associate provides the overall administration and execution of varied and inter-related operational and logistical activities in the Country Office, ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Common service Associate coordinates with and supervises support staff engaged in the fields of registry, cleaning services, telephone operator/receptionist. The Common service Associate promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach.
The Common Service Associate works in close collaboration with the Common Service, Operations, Programme and projects staff in the CO and other UN agencies staff to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.
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.
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions:
- Implementation of operational strategies
- Provide finance and administrative support
- Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing
- Ensures implementation of operational strategies, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Full compliance of operations activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
- Provision of inputs to preparation of operations team results-oriented workplans.
- Elaborate proposals and implement cost saving and reduction strategies in consultations with office management.
2. Provide general and administrative support, focusing on achievement of the following results
- Assistance in proper control of the supporting documents for payments and payments executions.
- Processing of financial documents (vouchers, supporting documents, telephone invoices, etc) and maintaining internal expenditures control system. Travel claims, monthly payment orders (MPOs) and other entitlements are duly processed.
- Creates e-requisitions in Quantum for the common services budgeted activities.
- Processes receipts and journals as authorized by the Project Manager.
- Follow-up with other United Nations agencies for information relating to common services.
- Preparation of routine correspondence, emails memoranda and reports.
- Extracting, inputting, copying and filing data from various sources.
- Assistance in the preparation of budget, provision of information for audit.
- Perform any other duties as required.
3. Ensure effective operations and logistical support, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Assist in managing LTAs, contracts and purchase orders related to the common services .
- Ensure proper control of documentation supporting the procurement process and maintenance of the proper filing system for related payment records and documents.
- Assist in the organizing and coordination of meetings, events management (e.g. logistics, catering, venue preparation and document preparation for events).
- Assist in the uploading of common inventory items in Asset Management, and physical verification control in the CO assist in the monitoring and management of CO stationaries and equipment as an alternate focal point.
- Assist in monitoring, control and implementation of building maintenance services.
4. Support knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the CO, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Participation in the training for the operations/projects staff on administration.
- Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
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: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process |
| 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
Thematic Area Name Definition
| Administration & Operations | Documents and records management | Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving. |
| Administration & Operations | Events management (including retrerats, trainings and meetings) | Support office with event management including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc. |
| 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 | Digital Awareness and Literacy | Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skilfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed. |
| Business Management | Communication |
Ability to 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 | 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. |
| 2030 Agenda: People | Gender | UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal Initiative |
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Minimum of Secondary education with specialized certificate in administration, finance or relatable.
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance or relatable is desirable but not a requirement and will be given due consideration.
Experience:
- Minimum of 6 years (with secondary education) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) experience in administration, management and finance.
- Experience in finance, or support services is an advantage.
- Experience in report writing
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).
- Experience with web-based ERP systems an advantage.
Desirable Skills
- Working knowledge in ERP such as Quantum
- Experience in the UN or international organization
Required Language
- Flueny in English
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.
Scam alert
UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.