Project Administration/ Finance Officer Job Vacancy at UNDP in Uganda

Job Title: PROJECT ADMINISTRATION/ FINANCE OFFICER
Location :     Kampala, UGANDA
Application Deadline :    16-Nov-12
Additional Category    Democratic Governance
Type of Contract :    Individual Contract
Post Level :    National Consultant
Languages Required :
    English 
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)    01-Dec-2012
Duration of Initial Contract :    3 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :    3 months

Background

Over the past few decades Uganda has made significant strides in the socio-economic and political arena.  Uganda transitioned to multiparty politics in 2005 and continues to consolidate the spaces of multi-partism and the opening of political space. The preceding ‘no party’ system of governance there were gaps in the critical socio-political spectrum that if not addressed had the potential to escalate into political crisis. Some analysts have argued that the underlying political factors also contributed to the structural aspects that led to an increasingly slowing economic growth path. Most importantly, within the context of  global slowdown of economies, most often the lack of appropriate national channels for dialogue and consensus building have created an  air of suspicion, uncertainty and a lack of confidence in the management of the political and economic landscape thus hurting small businesses, leading to the unfortunate loss of life and property. These lacuna were acutely felt in the 2012 ‘walk-to-work’ protests and the subsequent regional level protests around the country. These events served to highlight the cracks on the road to democratization and to threaten further consolidation of multiparty politics in the country and peace and stability.

Within this context, UNDP together with key national counterparts have jointly conceived a project to strengthen national capacities for peace and conflict management. Bringing together key state and non-state institutions and creating a multilayered response to lasting peace and stability in the form an infrastructure that can respond to dynamic social, economic and political realities of the country as the key focus of this intervention. The proposed project interventions are a combination of institutional capacity development and political level engagement for putting in place a mechanism for lasting peace and stability. A core premise of the project is that peace is not just about mitigating and resolving conflicts but also about having structures and means for collective solutions, consensus building and dialogic mechanisms. Opportunities of this nature will help in creating the political space for entertaining alternate views and expressions and therefore preempting possible socio-economic disruptions that are the result of discontent, street protests and political destabilization.

As part of the implementation of the project, UNDP CO intends to recruit a project administration/finance officer for the project to provide project management support (30%), project finance support (40%) and administration and logistical support (30%)

UNDP will be establishing project secretariat for managing different outputs of the project initiation plan. Project Secretariat is also expected to act as Secretariat for the National Elders Forum. Senior Advisor is to head the project secretariat and oversee the implementation of project activities. Working under the guidance and reporting to the Senior Technical Advisor and Governance Advisor, Project Administration/Finance Officer is responsible for 3 basic functions: provide project management functions (30%) and provide project finance functions (40%) and undertake all logistical and administration support functions (30%). Project Administration/Finance Officer will support the project manager in preparing all financial statements and reports and substantial progress reports. In addition, project finance officer is expected to liaise with the national stakeholders in managing payments and ensuring diligent accountability of project funds. Project Administration/Finance officer will be expected to take lead, along with the administrative officer, in terms of organizing events/workshops for all project related activities.

Project finance officer is recruited for an initial period of three months with possibility of extension

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

    Support in implementation of interventions of Project Initiation Plan and in-depth understanding of the financial reporting and preparation of financial statements;
    In-depth understanding and experience of project management functions. Knowledge of UNDP procedures and processes;
    Assist Senior Technical Advisor and Governance Advisor in management of project through assistance in collating information and preparing briefs;
    Preparation of cash-flow projections, monthly budget reports, and other aspects of financial management of the portfolio.
    Support in implementation of interventions of Project Initiation Plan and in-depth understanding of the financial reporting and preparation of financial statements
    Support in effective design and implementation of the PIP interventions in close consultation with the project secretariat staff;
    Develop strategic partnerships and sound working relations with state, government and nongovernmental stakeholders for successful implementation of project initiation plan interventions;
    Maintenance of archives, making sure files are properly stored and accessible; safe keeping of documents according to the office E-documentation system;

In-depth understanding and experience of project management functions. Knowledge of UNDP procedures and processes:

    Undertake project finance and management functions in line with UNDP DIM modalities;
    Undertake substantial monitoring functions in line with UNDP policies and procedures;
    Preparation of inputs for reporting, including donor reporting.

Assist Senior Technical Advisor and Governance Advisor in management of project through assistance in collating information and preparing briefs:

    Undertake regular analysis of the evolving development context in the country through review of papers, articles and sharing such information/analysis amongst staff of the project secretariat;
    Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to project goals

Preparation of cash-flow projections, monthly budget reports, and other aspects of financial management of the portfolio

    Managing project finances in close liaison with the administrative officer

Provide administrative and operational support for the successful implementation of project interventions;

    Responsible for arranging, coordinating and managing all administrative and operational actions (such as organizing workshops, meetings etc) to ensure successful implementation of project interventions;
    Undertake follow-up with procurement and finance unit focal-points on all operational issues of project
    Establishment and maintenance of records system of file movements within the office; maintenance of the office circulation and reading files using efficiently the office intranet system;
    Ensure timely disbursements and accounting of all project operational expenses and ensure adherence to payment schedules of all goods and services;
    Maintenance of all records associated with office space, project vehicle (in close cooperation with the Transport department of UNDP Office), and other operational requirements of project

Impact of Results

The consultancy as project finance officer is expected to provide implementation support to the project initiation plan interventions and work in close conjunction with the administrative officer to ensure smooth achievement of intended results. Primarily, working closely with the national stakeholders ensure effective project and financial management of the project.

Following are the three components of PIP:

Non-State Dialogue Component:

    Mediation, dialogue and negotiation mechanisms developed at national levels;
    Capacity building for members of the National Elders Forum in design and process aspects of dialogue and mediation provided;
    Independent Secretariat fully functional and research support for evidence based analysis to the National Elders Forum provided.

Political Parties Dialogue Component:

    Skills and capacities for internal dialogue and political settlements amongst members of National Consultative Forum strengthened.

Local Peace-building component:

    Strengthened local conflict management capacities in specific regions.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

    Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
    Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
    Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
    Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

    In-depth understanding of the financial reporting and preparation of financial statements;
    In-depth understanding and experience of project management functions;
    Proven experience in project finance and project management functionalities;
    Proven experience in preparation of cash-flow projections, monthly budget reports, and other aspects of financial management of the portfolio.

Management and Leadership:

    Remains calm, in control and good humor even under pressure;
    Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
    Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
    Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
    Good understanding of Result Based Management (RBM).

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

    Bachelors degree in social sciences or development studies/economics.

Experience:

    At least 03 years of experience of working on project finance issues and experience of working with UN agencies and UNDP is a definite advantage;
    Expertise and understanding of project management functionalities along with practical experience of managing project;
    Exposure to UNDP ATLAS project management functions will be an asset;
    Ability to engage with national actors involving multiple stakeholders.

Language requirements:

    Fluency in English in both writing and speaking.


Job Proposal:

The job proposal should include:

    Letter of Interest.
    Explanation as to why you consider yourself suitable for the assignment.
    A brief methodology on the approach and implementation of the assignment.

Personal CV:

    Highlighting past experience in similar projects.
    Work references - contact details (e-mail addresses and telephone numbers) of referees.

How to Apply:
http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=33847

Deadline: 16th Nov 2012