Background

The United Nations Development Program Green Commodities Facility (UNDP GCF) and the United Nations Environment Program Financial Initiative (UNEP FI) will execute a 12 month project.  
The project aims to contribute to the phase out of deforestation and forest degradation from productive and financial supply chains.

It will achieve this by:

• (i) Identifying necessary incentives, levers and enabling conditions for supply chain actors to adopt sustainable agricultural practices; and
• (ii) By identifying financial instruments and mechanisms to channel private sector finance and investment, away from conventional, and into sustainable land-use activities and REDD+.
  

The project will builds on the comparative advantages of the United Nations Environment Program Financial Initiative (UNEP FI) and the United Nations Development Program Green Commodities Facility (UNDP GCF), under the auspices of the UN-REDD Programme, to address the single largest driver of deforestation (the production of agricultural commodities), and to facilitate private sector finance and investments into REDD+ and sustainable forest management and utilization. The project focuses largely on agricultural commodity production through both the ‘physical economy’ (production and consumption) and the ‘financial economy’ (financial transactions and services) simultaneously, capitalizing on the fact that global production and trade of key agricultural commodities is highly concentrated both in terms of producers/traders, and is enabled to varying degrees by the finance sector. This project seeks to address the well-documented issue that agricultural and private sector finance stakeholders, who are critical to the ultimate success of REDD+, have largely been marginal to the REDD+ debate so far.

The Administrative and Finance Assistant will be responsible for the financial and administrative management of the project activities and provide assistance in the preparation of quarterly and annual work plans and progress reports for review and monitoring by UNDP.

Duties and Responsibilities

• To develop and implement the financial and administrative actions that the project require in an efficient and effective manner, in order to achieve the project results and targets.  
  

• Implementation of operational strategies;
• Efficient administrative and financial support;
• Support to supply and assets management;
• Assists to the overall management of administrative services, administers and executes processes and transactions ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. 
• Support the project to perform in full compliance with UNDP financial rules and regulations , maintain proper financial records and reports, provideaudit follow up.
• Promote a client, quality and results-oriented approach.
  

• Provide general financial and administrative support to the project;
• Take own initiative and perform daily work in compliance with annual work schedules;
• Assist project management in performing budget cycle: planning, preparation, revisions, and budget execution;
• Provide assistance to partner agencies involved in project activities, performing and monitoring financial aspects to ensure compliance with budgeted costs in line with UNDP policies and procedures;
• Monitor project expenditures, ensuring that no expenditure is incurred before it has been authorized;
• Assist project team in drafting quarterly and yearly project progress reports concerning financial issues;
• Ensure that UNDP procurement rules are followed during procurement activities that are carried out by the project and maintain responsibility for the inventory of the project assets;
• Organization of procurement processes including preparation of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their preliminary evaluation;
• Perform preparatory work for mandatory and general budget revisions, annual physical inventory,  auditing;, and assist external evaluators in fulfilling their mission;
• Prepare all outputs in accordance with the UNDP administrative and financial office guidance;
• Ensure the project utilizes the available financial resources in an efficient and transparent manner;
• Ensure that all project financial activities are carried out on schedule and within budget to achieve the project outputs;
• Perform all other financial related duties, upon request;
• Organization of workshops, conferences, retreats;
• Coordination of surveys, DSA, travel agencies, organization of common services and other administrative surveys,
• Support with protocol matters, registration of staff, coordination with local authority on space and other administrative matters.
  

Impact of Results:

The Administrative and Finance Assistant is expected to have all project activities properly organized.  Provide administrative and financial support to the Project Coordinator and maintain the project budget properly administered, as same as keeping a high standard quality on the reports, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the project.

Competencies

• Demonstrated ability in the financial management of development projects and in liaising and cooperating with government officials, NGOs, etc.;
• Good knowledge of Word, Outlook, Excel, and Internet browsers is required.
  
• Solution-Oriented Analysis;
• Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure;
• Building Relationships;
• Communicating Effectively;
• Promoting Team Work;
• Results-Oriented;
• Client-oriented.

Required Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Business Administration, or related fields.
  

• 4 years of relevant experience in administration or programme support service, preferably in an international organization or related to project implementation; previous experience working with UNDP projects is considered an asset.
  

Language:

• Excellent verbal and writing communication skills in Spanish and English; demonstrated proficiency in English to be tested.
  

Note: