Senior Project Associate - Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency Project

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND

GGGI's program in the Pacific supports green growth and climate action across different sectors in five GGGI members countries - Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu - as well as other partner countries in the Pacific. GGGI has been supporting the Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) in strengthening climate transparency systems and building capacity to meet reporting requirements under the Paris Agreement and Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).

The Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) project in Tonga is part of a broader regional effort to support PICs in meeting the ETF requirements under the Paris Agreement. The project is implemented by GGGI in partnership with the Government of Tonga and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Key components of the Tonga CBIT project include:

• Establishing institutional arrangements for effective coordination and oversight of transparency-related functions;
• Strengthening national GHG inventory systems aligned with the IPCC guidelines;
• Enhancing systems for monitoring and reporting on NDC implementation, including mitigation and adaptation actions;
• Developing mechanisms for tracking and reporting on climate support received in climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building support;
• Providing targeted training and capacity-building programs for government officials and technical staff involved in climate reporting;
• Fostering long-term capacity development in climate reporting and transparency by building national capacity through education institutions.

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Senior Project Associate will contribute to the effective delivery of the CBIT Tonga project by supporting both operational functions and technical coordination. This includes financial and procurement management, administrative and logistical support, and direct coordination of technical deliverables that contribute to Tonga’s ETF implementation. This includes coordination and inputs to strategic documents and partnerships such as the capacity building report and strategy, partnership with a national training institution and knowledge products. The position will work closely with the regional program lead, Tonga CBIT Project Officer, the GGGI Pacific and HQ team, relevant government counterparts, consultants, and service providers to ensure smooth execution of project activities in compliance with GGGI and donor requirements.

The position will be based in Nuku’alofa, Tonga and will report directly to the CBIT Senior Program Officer at GGGI.

PURPOSE

Reporting directly to the Tonga Project Officer and Senior Program Officer at GGGI, and under the guidance of the Director of Climate Change (government partner – Department of Climate Change) – the role will lead the coordination of administrative and technical aspects of the project.

The position will:

• Support day-to-day operations of the Tonga CBIT project in administration, finance, procurement and logistics.
• Coordinate the delivery of capacity building activities such as training workshops, peer exchanges, webinars and consultations, including travel arrangements.
• Provide administrative and travel support for project team members, consultants, and national stakeholders.
• Ensure operational processes are compliant with GGGI and GEF/UNEP requirements, including documentation and reporting standards.
• Maintain efficient record keeping of project activities, including reports, and meeting minutes, office systems, and financial monitoring for the project.
• Support the implementation of project visibility and outreach activities to develop and disseminate communication materials.
• Support Department of Climate Change with responsibilities/duties requested by the Director of Climate Change.
• Coordinate and support the delivery of technical outputs such as review papers and strategy, national partner identification, development of terms of references (TOR), stakeholder consultations and knowledge sharing activities.  
  
  

ENGAGEMENT

• Liaise with the project team and Finance and Corporate Services team of GGGI to support implementation of project activities.
• Coordinate with the Department of Climate Change of MEIDECC and other relevant government agencies and stakeholders.
• Serves as a focal point for logistics coordination with vendors, training institutions, travel agents and service providers.
• Engage with participants and stakeholders for smooth delivery of training events, workshops, and other capacity building interventions.
• Support communication and coordination with the government partner and GGGI’s regional and HQ operations teams.
• Perform other responsibilities/duties requested by the Director of Climate Change.

DELIVERY

Finance and Procurement:

-       Prepare project budget planning, financial monitoring and reporting.

-       Coordinate purchase requisitions, process payments and track expenditures.

-       Manage local procurement processes in line with policies.

-       Maintain documentation for audit readiness.

Administration and Travel Support:

-       Manage administrative tasks and office operations.

-       Coordinate recruitment and contract administration.

-       Process travel requests/claims and ensure efficient arrangements.

-       Assist with progress updates and donor reports.

Technical and Capacity Building Coordination:

-      Coordinate delivery of capacity building activities including trainings, workshops, and consultations.

-      Facilitate development and delivery of strategic outputs (e.g., capacity development strategies, ToRs, partnership frameworks).

-      Assist in organizing and documenting national and regional exchange events.

-       Ensure follow-up and quality assurance of deliverables in coordination with technical leads.

REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, public policy, international development, or related field.
• At least 4 years of relevant experience in administration, finance, and/or project coordination.
• Experience organizing events and consultations.
• Familiarity with financial reporting, procurement, and budgeting procedures.
• Strong IT  skills, especially in Microsoft Office suite, and familiarity with online collaboration tools. Enterprise Resource system experience is a plus.
• Excellent English communication skills; proficiency in Tongan is highly desirable.
• Must be a Tongan citizen or legally authorized to work in Tonga.
• Experience working in the climate change or development sector in the Pacific region is an asset.

WORKING CONDITIONS 

The Senior Project Associate is an X7, national grade level in GGGI's salary scale. For X7 national grade, the base salary starts from USD 11,115. Determination of base salary is subject to candidate's experience, academic background and internal equity. GGGI provides 15% of base salary towards retirement plan/long-term savings, 27 days of annual leave, and private health insurance that covers dental and vision. 

GGGI is committed to providing a work environment that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate diverse life-cycle challenges and assist staff members to achieve a better balance between work and personal/family commitments, thus ensuring high performance, long-term productivity, and well-being of staff members.