UNDP Jobs - 51458- Consultant - Administrative support

Consultant - Administrative support

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Dec-2014

Application Deadline :

25-Nov-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months

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

The International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (IDPS) began in 2009 after the 3rd High Level Forum in Accra that provided the mandate. It brings together the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF) under OECD/DAC and the g7+. INCAF convenes international aid agencies and is co-chaired by UNDP. The g7+ was created in 2010 and now includes a group of 20 countries who self-identify as fragile states. The g7+ has received much positive international attention among donor agencies and in the international debate, as it represents an authentic voice of fragile states. It can help establish a basis for more focus on capacity development and a gradual and realistic movement towards greater use of country systems and long-term sustainable development.

The key achievement of the IDPS has been to launch the New Deal at the Busan High Level forum in November 2011 after an intensive process of negotiation between the g7+ and INCAF. It represents a new and improved approach to planning and assessment in fragile states with a strong focus on 5 Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals (PSGs). The New Deal recognizes the need for simple and streamlined planning processes, building on compacts agreed upon between governments and donors to ensure joint prioritization and mutual accountability. New Deal implementation typically includes a government-led fragility assessment organized around the 5 PSGs, a compact and a continuous monitoring and dialogue process.

A number of countries have carried out fragility assessments, including DRC, Comoros, Liberia, Timor Leste, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone; Afghanistan is now undertaking one. Somalia and Sierra Leone have established compacts and Liberia and DRC have decided to establish one. The Ebola crisis is currently preventing active progress in Liberia and Sierra Leone, but their governments remain strongly committed. Afghanistan and Yemen have established mutual accountability frameworks that are very close to New Deal standards for compacts, and Yemen recently joined the g7+. CAR and Guinea Bissau have both made their intention to use the New Deal as transition frameworks clear.

The New Deal expires in 2015, and the Steering Group meeting of the IDPS in Washington on 13 October agreed to conduct an independent review of the New Deal as part of the background to renew its mandate. The review will build on in-depth country cases and country discussions. In the remaining time under the current mandate, there is agreement to focus on achieving progress in a few countries and overcoming the obstacles to this, including through high joint level visits.

UNDP launched a donor funded New Deal implementation support facility in early 2014 with a two-year budget of USD 5.3 million, and this has allowed UNDP to step up our engagement in New Deal processes and provide support to work in Sierra Leone, Liberia, DRC and Guinea Bissau. At the same time, UNDP Country Offices continue their existing engagement in other countries, including in Afghanistan and Somalia. Beginning in April, UNDP has circulated quarterly updates with financial and results based information. Through the support facility, UNDP aims to effectively connect the country level with the global policy debate and learning process at the heart of the New Deal. In addition to the country level support, the facility provides capacity support to the g7+ and enables g7+ participation in international meetings on the New Deal.

UN transitions are high on the agenda as a number of peacekeeping and special political missions are currently planning for or undergoing drawdown, reconfiguration and withdrawal processes that greatly affect the presence and work of the wider UN. The United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) closed in March 2014, the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB) will close at the end of 2014, the United Nations Integrated Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is in the second phase of its security withdrawal and is beginning the civilian transition planning, and the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is in the process of consolidating and prioritizing mission activities. Similarly, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI) have initiated gradual reconfigurations to be able to provide more focused support in core mandated areas. These processes involve a revision of the approach and the division of labour among UN partners based on comparative advantage. It is critical that these processes are planned and managed in a joint and coherent manner by UN actors on the ground with Headquarters support to avoid precipitous and ill-designed transitions that jeopardize previous peacebuilding gains.

To support these transition processes UNDP in close collaboration with DPKO/DFS and DPA is implementing a three-year project on UN Transitions in Mission Settings. The project seeks to ensure that UN transition processes at headquarters and in the field are more efficient with reduced transaction costs and more effective through better support to host countries, thereby supporting the sustainability of peacebuilding achievements.

The project applies a four-pronged approach to achieve this objective: (1) Provide direct transition planning support to field presences engaged in a transition process; (2) conduct trainings and facilitate lessons learning across UN presences undergoing or planning for transitions including through regional trainings to increase planning skills and other capacities related to transitions; (3) lead guidance development based on lessons learned in collaboration with various partners across the UN family; and (4) engage in dialogue with Member States, both host nations as well as donors and peacekeeping contributors, on the challenges and experiences encountered in UN transitions. The Policy on UN Transitions in the Context of Mission Drawdown and Withdrawal (thereafter “Policy on UN Transitions”) endorsed by the Secretary-General in February 2013 forms the policy basis for this proposal.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP will engage a consultant to provide travel facilitation and other administrative support. The consultant will report to the project manager in BPPS. The contract is for an initial period of 6 months, with the possibility of an extension. During this period, the consultant will facilitate travel, financial management and reporting, and provide other administrative support as required, and will be compensated on a daily rate.

Maintain and revise a budget structure for the New Deal facility and the UN transition project with appropriate Atlas activity codes and accounts, ensure the necessary approvals for this and roll it out to country offices to ensure that they are informed and able to draw correctly on funds that have been made available to them. Confirm that this is happening and provide support to Country Offices as necessary by phone or email;
Produce regular financial reports based on the budget structure that accurately and with sufficient detail reflect spending and activities under the support facility;
Support other administrative tasks for the New Deal support facility and the UN transition project in cooperation with relevant BPPS staff, including recruitment processes, procurement, planning and budgeting, staff travel and financial reporting;
Coordinate closely with the OECD/DAC or g7+ Secretariat on an on-going basis about travel requests, verify that deadlines are met, obtain required information about the traveller, and relevant background information about the meeting, including program, meals and accommodation provided by organizers, and subsequently coordinate changes in requests and travel plans;
Inform relevant Country Office about the request and provide necessary information for DSA calculation, proactively follow-up and coordinate closely to ensure timely and correct processing. Verify deadlines, TRM, DSA and airfare amounts and issue Travel Authorizations based on UNDP rules and available information, as well as relevant changes in these. Work closely with the Country Office to follow-up, make changes, correct errors and resolve any issues as quickly as possible;
Follow-up with BPPS to ensure that approvals of requisition and voucher are issued on a timely basis as soon as possible, and based on correct information, and answer questions in this regard. Actively raise issues and problems for resolution;
Follow-up with Country Offices to ensure that post-meeting claim for remaining TRM/DSA is processed correctly and on a timely basis;
Follow-up with BPPS to ensure that vouchers for remaining TRM/DSA is approved within the deadline;
Keep BPPS project staff informed through email copy on all communication, and maintain an up-to-date overview of on-going travel arrangements in the form an excel spreadsheet for each meeting or event that is supported by UNDP. This overview must be complete and up-to-date on a daily basis and available to PPD management and other relevant staff. It must be fully reconciled with Atlas information to be used for financial reporting;
Other problem solving and coordination in connection with individual trips.

Competencies

A demonstrated ability to communicate directly and independently with external partners, operations staff in UNDP Country Offices and other HQ units, and ensure necessary follow-up;
A demonstrated ability to proactively identify issues and problems, resolve operations problems independently and coordinate with multiple external partners as required;
Ability to maintain a budget and activity matrix in excel spreadsheets on a day-to-day basis, and be held accountable for this;
An excellent team player with an open and service-minded attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary education. Specialized training in administrative, travel or related field;
University Degree in Finance and Business Administration would be considered an asset and not a requirement.

Experience:

5 years of progressively administrative experience is required in the administrative services;
Substantial experience from operational work in UNDP as a G-level staff;
Experience with Atlas based budgeting and financial management and reporting;
Experience with travel facilitation and procurement processes.

Language:

Fluent in English.

Note:

No travel is envisaged. Travel costs to travel to New York headquarters to take up assignment will be covered in Economy Class Fare, no DSA will be paid for travel or during the assignment.