Background

Organizational Context

Myanmar is at an historic stage in its development. A new Constitution was adopted in May 2008 and elections were held in November 2010 with bi-elections in April 2012. Parliament and governments have been formed at the national and region/state levels. A number of reforms have already been undertaken focusing on good governance, human rights and reaching cease-fire agreements in a number of conflict areas. These reforms are seen as positive steps, which have led to increasing engagement with the international community and allowed the Executive Board of UNDP to lift mandate restrictions and agree on a UNDP country program.

Against this rapidly changing background, UNDP Myanmar is undergoing strategic repositioning of its capacities in order to effectively support national priorities of democratic transformation and reforms. After more than 20 years of working exclusively at the grassroots level through the Human Development Initiative (HDI), the country program for Myanmar (2013-2015) envisages contributions towards strengthening local governance, environmental governance and disaster/conflict resilience and democratic governance.

The country office is situated in Yangon with a liaison office in Nay Pyi Taw. At the field level the program is implemented through a network of Area Offices in selected States and Regions of Myanmar. These Area offices will be led by experienced local Area Office Coordinators, supported by a team of local experts in the respective programme areas. In Rakhine and Kachin, the Area Offices are led by international Early Recovery Managers, reflecting the particular context of these two states.

Programme implementation in each state is led by local programme staff reporting to respective programmatic staff (output leads) in Yangon. For Rakhine and Kachin, these programmatic staff in the Area office report directly to the ER Managers and maintain a second reporting line to the output leads. Area Office Coordinator will support the coordination of programme implementation in each state/region. Area Office Coordinator has three key functions; coordinating the programme in relation to national partners and stakeholders at the sub-national level, monitoring of programme activities and managing administrative and financial support to the programme staff in his /her office.

For Rakhine and Kachin, in addition to the above mentioned key functions, the Area Office Coordinator will support the ER Manager in i) Leading interagency ER coordination, ii) Leading strategic engagement with government and other humanitarian and recovery stakeholders positioning UNDP as a strategic partner, iii) leading UNDP programme design and delivery.

The Area Office Assistant will work directly under the supervision of the Area Office Coordinator and will ensure the smooth functioning (administrative and financial) of the office. S/He will support the programmatic staff in their respective duty stations.

The Area Office Assistant works in close collaboration with the UNDP Country Office’s Administrative, Human Resource, Finance and Procurement Units respectively.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected:

Summary of Key Functions:
  • Administrative, financial  and logistical support to the Field Office;
  • Support Programme implementation and monitoring;
  • Support communication and knowledge management.
Administrative, Financial and Logistical support to the Area Office focusing on the achievement of the following results:
  • Submission of proper supporting documents for requests for payments to the CO and filing of documents in the required formats and standards;
  • Maintenance of required administrative records – e.g. Time sheets/attendance sheets, leave reports, overtime statements, travel documents, etc.;
  • Responsibility for Petty Cash and proper documentation & reporting;
  • Responsibility of the use of Area office assets including vehicle management and asset report;
  • Arrangements of travel and hotel reservations, preparation of travel authorizations, identity cards and other documents for the relevant Area office staff;
  • Administrative, secretarial and logistical support to conduct of meetings, conferences, workshops and training programmes;
  • Custodian for management of office stationery supplies including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery as required by staff and keeping a log of distribution;
  • Maintenance of the filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential material;
  • Performance of ATLAS based on assigned role.
Support Project implementation and monitoring focusing on the achievement of the following results:
  • Support and facilitation provided to external evaluations, advocacy and knowledge sharing fora, training programmes, audits, donor assessments and other missions.
Support communication and knowledge management in  the Project Office focusing on the achievement of the following results:
  • Participation in the training for the Area Office staff on administration and Programme matters;
  • Perform any other tasks assigned by the supervisor.
Impact of Results

Accurate data entry and financial information have an impact on the quality and implementation of the UNDP programme. A client-oriented and efficient approach impact on the image of UNDP in the country.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:                
 
Support the preparation of information for advocacy:
  • Identifies relevant information for advocacy for a variety of audiences.
Results-Based Programme Development and Management:
Contributing to results through provision of information
  • Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation.
Building Strategic Partnerships:
Maintaining information and databases;
  • Analyzes general information and selects materials in support of partnership building initiatives.
Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations):
Providing information for resource mobilization strategies
  • Maintains information/databases on potential and actual donors;
  • Maintains database of project files;
  • Provides data and information needed for preparation of project documents.
Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:
Basic research and analysis
  • Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things.
Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:
Fundamental knowledge of processes, methods and procedures;
  • Understands the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position;
  • Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
  • Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.
Client Orientation:
Maintains effective client relationships
  • Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion;
  • Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
  • Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients;
  • Responds to client needs promptly.
Core Competencies:
  • Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;  
  • Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
  • Self-development, initiative-taking;
  • Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
  • Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
  • Creating synergies through self-control;
  • Managing conflict;
  • Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge; management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • Secondary Education preferably with specialized certification in Accounting and Finance;
  • University Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences and Social Sciences would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.
Experience:
  • 5 years of relevant administrative or programme experience is required at the national or international level;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and other software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems;
  • Knowledge of statistical packages would be an asset.
Language:
  • Fluency in English and national language of the duty station.