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Friday 13 June 2014

Global Programme Support Consultant - Home-based with limited mission travel

Home-based with limited mission travelStarting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)Duration of Initial Contract :

The UNDP-GEF Unit is based in the Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) and is responsible for providing leadership, technical support and implementation oversight to the delivery of GEF Trust Funds. The Unit is organized into a number of substantive technical teams with staff located in both HQs and UNDP's Regional Service Centers in Addis Ababa, Istanbul, Panama, and Bangkok, and with a decentralized structure in terms of financial, operational, and budget managements with authority delegated to respective managers located in HQ or in the region.

With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and a number of donor countries, the Green, Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development Strategies (Green-LECRDs) technical team is implementing a wide range of Enabling Activities and Medium sized projects in more than 100 countries, including the National Communications (NC), Biennial Update Reports (BUR) and the Capacity Building (CCCD) Programmes. The Programme Support Consultant is needed to assist Technical Advisors with programme and administrative support and oversight for Enabling Activities at a global level, liaising directly with Country Offices in all regions. On a large scope key responsibilities will include monitoring project progress, quality assurance, tracking of financial status, and reporting to internal and external bodies on progress and implementation. The position demands the ability to meet deadlines and maintain high-quality output while working under pressure, as well as, practical experience with relevant databases and an understanding of the UNDP-GEF Project Cycle.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the UNDP/GEF Technical Advisors and Programme Managers for Cross-cutting Capacity Development and National Communication projects and carry out the following activities:

Management and oversight of project processes

Examines, reviews, processes and records all incoming documents relating to project portfolio; Communicates directly with UNDP Country Offices (COs), and when necessary, UNDP-GEF Headquarters and Regional Coordination Units to support project development and implementation;Ensures compliance with UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules and the Internal Control Framework; Provides support to CO’s ensuring that UNDP and Global Environmental Facility (GEF) guidelines are followed for project formulation and implementation;Coordinates with the UNDP/GEF financial unit and COs regarding operational and financial aspects of project approval and implementation; Provides quality assurance in the form of organizing and updating project records, as necessary, in PIMS and any other reporting mechanism; Provides facilitation and oversight of program implementation and development, including processing of approval letters, assistance with technical and financial clearances, securing relevant signatures, and ensuring quality assurance within digital project files;Develops tailored spreadsheet tracking tools for project progress monitoring;Provides quality control and corrective/anticipatory feedback regarding project submissions, contributing to quality and accuracy of project proposals and documents.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitor project delivery and submission of progress reports;Tracks and reports progress as directed/necessitated by the GEF Secretariat, UNDP/GEF, and the UNFCCC in the form of bi-annual NC and BUR status reports;Responsible for collection, data completeness and analysis of relevant surveys and questionnaires including Project Implementation Reports (PIR)/Annual Project Reporting (APR), including review of relevant mid-term and final evaluations. Liaise with relevant COs, project team and/or RTA to ensure correction, completeness and quality of every PIR with due consideration of the PIR quality evaluation criteria, which will be provided.

Financial Support

Coordinate review and approval of budget revisions and approval of Authorized Spending Limits of individual projects in close collaboration with Country Offices and UNDP/GEF financial unit;Analyzes individual project budgets and advises COs on any adjustments that may be needed to comply with Project Documents and UNDP/GEF regulations; Assist COs with financial clearance of Project documents.

Country Office and Regional Coordination capacity support

Manage information flow among COs, RCUs and HQs;Advise, provide guidance and training on UNDP-GEF programming and regulations, facilitate understanding of the GEF project cycle, as well as, the development and implementation of projects funded by the GEF.

Key performance indicators (figures will be reviewed during the course of the year, as necessary):

All 150 pipeline and under-implementation projects are recorded and updated in the UNDP-GEF project database (PIMS); 30 PIF, EA and CEO approval requests, including Project Documents, are reviewed for data completeness and finalization; The finalization and signature of 70 PIF/EA-approved and CEO-endorsed projects are secured; 120 AWPs are reviewed and analyzed to ensure ASL is allocated; Project Implementation Reports (PIR)/Annual Project Reporting (APR) are collected, reviewed and finalized;Biannual status reports on the progress of BUR and NC projects are collected, reviewed and consolidated.

 Information on Working Arrangements

Irrespective of his/her location, the consultant will be expected to be available during the regular business hours of the ECIS-based UNDP-GEF team; The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;A monthly progress report will be required to be shared with the Supervisor, on the Status of the Portfolio; Due to the demand-driven nature of a number of activities, and the different peak-periods during the 12 months linked to the different Programming Cycles, monthly deliverables will be reassessed and agreed upon with the Supervisor on an ongoing basis;The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection; Payments will be made once a month upon satisfactory submission and acceptance by the supervisor of the monthly progress report against deliverables and detailed time sheet and certification of payment form providing details of time spent on respective deliverables and their timely execution. 

Travel

International travel, not exceeding 30 days, may be required subject to discussion with and clearance by supervisor. The purpose of missions will include: Detailed administrative and financial support to country office teams and national stakeholder in order to advance project inception and early implementation and/or participation in inception meetings;Any necessary missions must be approved in advance and in writing by the supervisor; The Advance and Basic Security in the Field II courses must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel; The incumbent is responsible for ensuring that s/he has the necessary vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director; The incumbent is responsible for obtaining any visas needed in connection with travel with the necessary support from UNDP; Consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives; The incumbent will be responsible for making his/her own mission travel arrangements in line with UNDP travel policies; All related travel expenses will be supported by the project travel fund and will be reimbursed as per UNDP rules and regulations upon submission of an F-10 claim form and supporting documents. 

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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 favouritism.

Functional Competencies:

Planning and Organizing

Sets priorities, produces quality outputs, meets deadlines and manages time efficiently; Ability to set and juggle multiple priorities and work under pressure; Strong attention to detail within an overall context of high-performance.

Client Orientation

Strong service and client orientation; Anticipates evolving client needs; Excellent interpersonal qualities with the ability to put people at ease and to communicate sensitively and effectively across different constituencies.

Teamwork

Ability to participate effectively in a highly team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating harmoniously with others;Willingness and ability to travel as work requires.

Communication

Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and in writing);Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Proven ability to use information technology effectively as a tool and resource.

Education:

University degree in economics or other closely related field (7 points); Certification in project management would be desirable (5 points).

Experience:

Minimum of five years of experience in financial resources management, budget management, and/or a project management support functions (10 points);Solid experience with UNDP-GEF processes, project oversight and/or management (10 points); Knowledge of tools and methodologies to follow-up on projects and project cycle management (8 points); Experience at the national or international level with organizations that manage grants is a plus (5 points); Mastery in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, as a minimum; database management as a plus), (5 points);Experience with Capacity Development and National Communications project cycle work is an advantage (5 points).

Language requirements:

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English language (5 points); Spoken and written fluency in French and/or Spanish highly advantageous (5 points).

Evaluation method:

Only those applications which are responsive, compliant, and acceptable will be evaluated. Applicants must submit a duly completed and signed UNDP Personal History form (P11). Kindly note you can upload only ONE document to this application. Incomplete applications will not be considered;Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the qualifications will be weighted at 70% (max 65pts), and the financial offer will be weighted at 30% (out of max. 100pts.);Only candidates obtaining 50 points or more from the review of qualifications will be considered for financial evaluation; Applicant receiving the highest combined score and has accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

General Conditions of Contract for the ICs:

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.

UNDP Personal History form (P11) required of all applicants:

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc. 

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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