Background

UNDP Myanmar has developed a new programme for 2013-15 with the aim to promoting local governance, growth and sustainable development with the emphasis on rights-based, gender sensitive, inclusive and equity. This goal will be pursued through three complementary pillars where Pillar I focuses on strengthening local governance, Pillar II on climate change, environment, energy and disaster risk reduction and Pillar III on strengthening responsive and inclusive governance. Pillar II focuses on strengthening capacities at local, regional and national level to manage and utilize natural resources in a sustainable way, to enhance resilience and adaptive capacity to long-term climate change including variability impacts and to reduce the associated risk of natural disasters. Project activities will focus both on policy and capacity development at the national level and community level in disaster prone and areas of environmental degradation in Myanmar.

Under the overall guidance of the Programme Analyst, the Project Assistant provides project support services ensuring high quality, accuracy and consistency of work. The Project Assistant works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project staff in the CO and UNDP HQ as required to exchange information and support programme delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Support financial management;
• Provide administrative supports;
• Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing;
• Support to resource mobilization.

Support financial management

• Maintain proper control over financial records;
• Undertake in the preparation of budget and financial reports;
• Assist to ensure timely financial payment for External Resource Organization, Consultants etc;
• Check documents and reports from partner organizations and consultants for completeness, informs and follows up missing sections/attachments when necessary;
• Extract and inputs data from various sources in financial or accounting systems;
• Maintain internal expenditures control system including timely corrective actions on un posted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers;
• Create requisitions in Atlas for development projects, registers goods receipt in Atlas;
• Make budget check for requisitions, POs and vouchers;

Provide Administrative support

• Ensure all general administrative and logistic support such as preparing advanced cash, arranging of venue, meals, arrange travel such as booking of tickets, advanced DSA, accommodation of staffs and consultants, DSA/expense claims etc. for workshops and trainings;
• Provide administrative support to organization of conferences, workshops, meetings  and other events, keeps record of attendance, keeps minutes of meetings, and keeps tract and follow up submission of relevant reports;
• Register incoming and outgoing correspondence and track circulation of letters and memos; maintain up to date chronological files and office files in a systematic manner;
• Receive and direct visitors; receives and direct incoming calls and visiting staff; receives and delivers telephone messages for staff;
• Coordinate with UNDP Team for procurement of logistics needs when necessary;
• Assist in monitoring the use of office equipment, furniture, machinery and other inventory and ensures timely service and repairs, in coordination with Support Team;
• Any others complementary tasks as assigned by Programme Analyst.

Support knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Participate in trainings operations of projects staff and provides feedback both administratively and logistically;
• Contribute to knowledge sharing networks and communities;
• Actively work towards continuing personal learning, act as learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Supports resource mobilization

• Review of contributions agreement, managing contributions in Atlas;
• Support and prepares fund allocation in line with the Atlas system.

The key results have an impact on the overall performance of the Programme Unit and success in implementation of programme strategies. Accurate analysis, data entry and presentation of information ensure proper programme/project implementation.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

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;
• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals.

Building Strategic Partnerships

• Maintaining information and databases;
• Analyzes general information and selects materials in support of partnership building initiatives;
• Maintains databases of donor information;
• Tracks and reports on mobilized resources.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

• Implementing processes and uses products;
• Documents and tracks innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches;
• Responds positively to new approaches;

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;
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools, and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals

Research and analysis

• Identifies relevant information for advocacy for UNDP’s goals for a variety of audiences.

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;
• 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;
• Informed and transparent decision making.

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;
• Prince2 training and certification, RMG.

Experience: 

• 5 years of progressively responsible administrative or programme experience is required at the national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in English and language of the duty station.