UNDP Jobs - 45511- Grant Manager, “Local Entrepreneurship and Economi

Grant Manager, “Local Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (LEED)”

Location :

Minsk, BELARUS

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

01-May-2014

Application Deadline :

16-Apr-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

with a possible extension up to one year

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Please read carefully the below information!

Before you apply on-line, please download and fill in the P11 form (UNDP personal history form), that should be attached to your on-line application.

UNDP will use a transparent and competitive screening process, though will only contact those applicants in whom there is further interest. No telephone inquires will be entertained. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The UNDP PERSONAL HISTORY FORM (P11) will be considered for screening of applications. It can be downloaded at the following link:UNDP Personal History Form

The UNDP implements the USAID’s Local Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Project (USAID/UNDP LEED). The overall Project's goal is to strengthen the role of the private sector in the economies of Brest and Grodno regions and in the thriving tourism sector of the Republic of Belarus through achieving the following specific objectives:

Creating favorable environment for the ecotourism private sector development and introduction of public-private partnership mechanisms into the sustainable local development strategies;
Strengthening capacity of private ecotourism stakeholders and business support organizations;
Establishing sustainable public dialogue, conducting information and education campaigns, promoting the region as an ecotourism destination.

The National Executing Entity of the Project is the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus (the MST).

Duties and Responsibilities

The Grant Manager will be based in Minsk. The Grant Manager provides assistance to the Project Manager in the implementation of day-to-day project activities and bears primary responsibility for the administration of the Local Initiatives Component designed to support the development and growth of private micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through clustering activities, creating and enhancing the business support infrastructure, etc. with NGOs, business support organizations and other non-governmental entities operating in the area of ecotourism as main beneficiaries. The Grant Manager reports to and coordinates with the Project Manager. He/she works in tight cooperation with the Ecotourism Adviser and Local Task coordinators in regions. The Grant Manager is expected to:

Provide all necessary support to the Project Manager in planning and implementation of the project activities at the local/regional level and in the implementation of local initiatives in accordance with the UNDP procedures and USAID requirements;
Assume primary responsibility for the daily activities of the regional project personnel including both organizational and substantive matters, budgeting, planning and monitoring of the activities implementation to ensure the results are in accordance with the Project Document and the rules and procedures established in the UNDP Programming Manual and USAID requirements;
Coordinate the work of the regional project personnel in the framework of the Local Initiatives component implementation in line with existing rules and requirements;
Provide technical and substantive support to the recipients of grants at the stages of implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting through training events and ad hoc consultations;
Be responsible for the organization and conducting at least 2 workshops and trainings to assist the grantees through the financial reporting according to UNDP procedures, Environmental Impact Assessment and development of environmental report, the USAID branding and marking requirements, national requirements;
Organize Local Initiatives monitoring visits to the project pilot regions and provide monitoring support to the Local Task Coordinators;
Control an effective monitoring and reporting mechanism on the Local Initiatives component and ensure proper documentation of lessons learnt and best practices;
Monitor expenditures, commitments and balance of funds under the Local initiatives project activities’ budget lines;
Assist Project Manager in drafting project correspondence, documents, and integrated reports related to the Local Initiatives effective implementation;
Interact with the grantees for timely submitting of good quality financial reports, required by UNDP/USAID rules and procedures as well as national regulations (e.g. clearance of lists of goods and services through the Ministry of Economy);
Based on the information provided by the regional project personnel prepare narrative and financial reports on the implementation of the selected initiatives as well as general progress under the Local Initiatives component;
Assist PR/event coordinator and the Ecotourism Adviser in drafting informational materials and creating visibility to ensure wide dissemination of information about the experience of Local Initiatives implementation;
Coordinate project activities relevant to the Local Initiatives with other project activities and relevant technical assistance programs in Belarus;
Provide English translation as required.

Other:

Perform any other administrative and financial duties as requested by the Project Manager.

Competencies

Demonstrates corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Self-development, initiative-taking;
Acts as a team player and facilitating team work;
Outstanding analytical, organizational and administrative skills;
Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

University degree in economics, finance, public administration, management, or related field;
At least 2 years of experience in partner/stakeholder activities coordination;
Experience in managing small grants disbursed to non-state actors and knowledge of the related national procedures are a strong asset;
Excellent finance and budgeting skills;
Working knowledge of UNDP financial rules and regulations is an asset;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages. Knowledge of Atlas is desirable;
Fluency in written and spoken English and Russian is mandatory, including the ability to draft, edit and finalize documents in English and Russian.