Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a UN agency that works in about 170 countries and territories, helping eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience. It thereby helps them sustain progress and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In Ukraine, UNDP operates in three programme priorities, such as Democratic Governance and Inclusive Social Fabric, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery and Growth, and Sustainable Environment and Energy Transformation.

Since the start of the hostilities in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, UNDP in Ukraine has been present on the ground, through its hubs around the country, supporting regional and local authorities and civil society partners in their emergency response and crisis management.

Lessons from the past years informed the development of UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2025-2029) and the scale-up of the Area-Based Recovery (ABR) Framework. The Framework’s programmatic pillars of Reconstruction, Returns, Resilience, and Reforms are focused on ensuring community recovery and creating conditions for the return to a development pathway in Ukraine.

Addressing the country’s complex reconstruction and recovery requires a holistic, systems-based response that empowers all parts of society — including government, local authorities, the private sector, and citizens — with the capacity and resources to respond effectively. To ensure a whole-of-society approach, the framework offers an integrated, participatory, and inclusive methodology to advance recovery in communities most affected by the war.

In this context the Grants Associate will support UNDPs partnerships with community-based organizations and civil society in achievement of the whole of society approach. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Assist in developing, implementation and monitoring of grants programs, preparing and maintaining related records, reports, and documentation

  • Providing initial review of grant applications for completeness and compliance, assist with tracking grant applications and managing timelines and deliverables.
    • Processing and sending final grant agreements, amendments, and routine correspondence, keep Project team abreast of progress of agreements/amendments/correspondence.
    • Supporting monitoring grantee performance to ensure achievement of project performance targets and proper use of funds by reviewing grantee programmatic and financial reports, performing site and events visits to grantees.

Facilitate liaison and cooperation between the Project, donors and key partner stakeholders

  • Assisting in the development and maintenance of knowledge and familiarity with current and potential partners, support to establishing and maintaining strategic contacts with relevant partners, follow-up proactively on plans and agreed actions;
    • Supporting organization and coordination of capacity development activities, meetings, training sessions, conferences and other project events in online and offline format through liaison with project partners, maintaining events’ calendar, providing input to compilation and preparation of agendas and briefings, background and presentation materials, engaging and registering participants, documenting the results.

Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building

  • Participate in trainings on internal procedures for the project staff. 
  • Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the ABR and the Country Office. 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.

Support the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in the field of expertise; promote a safe and enabling environment free of discrimination and abusive behaviour corporate standards.

  • Assist with ensuring the project contributes to the promotion of gender equality by reaching, involving, and benefiting both women and men.
  • Use the principles of gender-responsive communications in line with the UNDP corporate standards.
  • Be aware of relevant gender issues and concerns in the field of expertise.
  • Support the promotion of team culture of gender equality and zero tolerance to any sexual misconduct in the team through leadership and personal example.

Perform other duties within the functional profile as assigned by the first and second level supervisor.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the overall guidance of the Head of Area Based Recovery and the direct supervision of the Small Grants Officer, the Grants Associate will be responsible for assisting and supporting the management and oversight of the grant-making process, its operations and efficient delivery of the results.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
  • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
  • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
  • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
  • Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
  • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction & Strategy

  • Entrepreneurial Thinking:
    • Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate.
  • Negotiation and Influence:
    • Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations.

Business Development      

  • Knowledge Facilitation:
    • Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.
  • UNDP Representation:
    • Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities; advocate for UNDP, its values, mission and work with various constituencies.

Business Management          

  • Partnerships Management:
    • Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
  • 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.

External Relations & Advocacy       

  • Partnership management:
    • Knowledge and ability to forge multi- stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Secondary Education is required, or;
  • A university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Law, Social Sciences, Communication or other relevant areas will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

  • Minimum of 7 years (with Secondary Education) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in administration, finance, programme/project support or other relevant fields.

Required Criteria:

  • Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.)

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience in engaging with local stakeholders.
  • Experience in grant management, especially in the areas of community security, local development, social cohesion, civic engagement, and/or support to civil society.
  • Previous experience with UNDP or other UN agencies, a governmental, other multilateral or civil society organization.
  • Proven knowledge and experience working with UNDP enterprise resource planning software for finance and administration (Quantum)

Required Language(s):

  • Fluency in English and Ukrainian 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.

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.

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