UNDP Jobs - 64010- National Consultant on Fiduciary Standards (financ

National Consultant on Fiduciary Standards (financial management and integrity, institutional capacity and transparency) for establishment of the Energy Efficiency Fund

Location :

Tirana, ALBANIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

25-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

25 working days over the period from March 2016 to June 2016

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 overall development goal of the UNDP/GEF Solar Water Heating project in Albania is to facilitate the installation of 75,000 m2 of new installed collector area over the duration of the project, an annual sale of 20,000 m2 reached by the end of the project and with expected continuing growth to reach the set target of 520,000 m2 of total installed SWH capacity by 2020.

The project intends to achieve the following outcomes:

An enabling legal and regulatory framework to promote sustainable SWH market (policy);
Enhanced awareness and capacity of the targeted end-users and building professionals to consider and integrate SWH systems into different types of buildings (information);
Increased demand for SWH systems by the availability of attractive end-user financing mechanisms or other delivery models, such utility driven models (finance);
A certification and quality control scheme applicable for Albanian conditions and enhanced capacity of the supply chain to offer products and services promoting sustainable SWH market (technology and business skills);
The provided support institutionalised and the results, experiences and lesson learnt documented and disseminated.

The adoption of the new Law on Energy Efficiency by the Albanian Parliament (November, 2015), constitutes a concrete contribution of the Albanian government to support a national policy to encourage, promote and improve the efficient use of energy. This EE Law is created in accordance with Directive 2012/27 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 "On energy efficiency”. The law envisages for the establishment of the Energy Efficiency Fund, as a legal entity, with the status of a non-profit organization, aiming at providing financial support in cases of investments providing for energy efficiency measures, contributing to the overall achieving of the national EE targets. The EE Fund should be based on the principles of self-financing, transparency in the administration of revenues, equal treatment of all beneficiaries of the Fund, partnership and cooperation with the private sector co-investment projects for energy efficiency. From this fund can benefit companies of energy generation, transmission, distribution and supply, final consumers, energy service companies, and the ones providing for measures to improve energy efficiency. The Energy Efficiency Fund would certainly serve as the sustainable financial incentive mechanism for the SWH systems and market transformation.

Scope of the assignment:

A National Consultant needs to be hired to further contribute to the institutionalization of the Energy Efficiency Fund and provide for its operational policies/manual of procedures in line with EU and other international standards. In this context, the national consultant will be responsible for elaborating the necessary operational policies and procedures for the Energy Efficiency Fund with regard to fiduciary standards (accounting, auditing, control, procurement, investigation).

Duties and Responsibilities

The expected tasks will include the following:

Cooperate with one international and one national consultant tasked with assisting with the establishment of the Energy Efficiency Fund. Ensure that own contributions are fully compatible with the work and outputs of the international and the national consultant.
Participate in and contribute to two Tirana missions of the international consultant (2 missions, each lasting 3-5 days);
Elaborate sections to the Operational Manual of the Energy Efficiency Fund containing policies and procedures with regard to the following areas, ensuring that these policies and procedures are compatible with relevant Albanian standards and international standards (in particular Green Climate Fund standards, see item No. 4 “Fiduciary Standards” on the website http://www.greenclimate.fund/ventures/accreditation/fine-print a. accounting; b. auditing; c. control; d. procurement; e.investigation
Review and comment on the draft legal act for the EE Fund to ensure that the draft legal act is completely compatible with the proposed fiduciary policies and procedures in the areas accounting, auditing, control, procurement and investigation. Note that the draft legal act will be elaborated by the international and national consultant.

List of deliverables:

Sections on accounting, auditing, control, procurement and investigation of the Operational Manual for the EE Fund delivered – two months after the contract signature;
Written comments on the draft legal act for the EE Fund delivered with regard to accounting, auditing, control, procurement and investigation – two months after the contract signature;
Final Report – four months after the contract signature.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Functional Competencies:

Strategic vision, strong technical and analytical capabilities;
Strong reporting and writing abilities;
Ability to work in a team, develop synergies and establish effective working relations with government counterparts, donors, NGOs and other development partners;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment, tact, and negotiating skills, and the ability to cope with situations which may pose conflict;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to accommodate additional demands on short notice;
Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
Ability to manage heavy workload and solve complex problems with minimum supervision.

Required Skills and Experience

Education/Academic Qualifications:

Advance Degree in economics other related disciplines relevant to the task of preparing policies and procedures in the areas accounting, auditing, control, procurement and investigation;

Work experience:

A minimum of seven years of professional experience, preferably in accounting, auditing, public finance knowledge of forensic accounting and internal control mechanisms, including experience with Albanian standards and international standards (preferably international financing institutions such as development banks, and/or relevant institutions in the European Union).
Experience with any national or international accreditation body would be an advantage.

Language requirement:

Fluency in spoken and written English.

Evaluation of applicants:

Applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies specified above. The inclusion into the International Expert will be offered to those individual consultants whose offers have been evaluated and determined as (a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and (b) having received high scores specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation – max. 100 points:

Relevance of education to the selected thematic area (hereafter ‘area’) – 10 points;
Relevance of specific professional experience to the area – max. 15 point;
Familiarity with the UNFCCC National Communication Process – max. 10 points;
Proven drafting and formulation skills (based on the record of existing publications) – max. 20 points;
Familiarity with UNDP mandate and/or approach relevant to the area; experience working with other international organizations or in public sector; experience with public policy or capacity development – max. 10 points;
Fluency in English– max. 5 points;
Interview – 30 points (Only highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job based on the CV desk review will be invited for an interview).

Financial Criteria – 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points.

UNDP applies the ‘Best value for money’ approach - the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

Contracting Arrangements:

The total duration of the assignment will be up to 25 working days over the period from March 2016 to June 2016. The national consultant will work in close cooperation with one international consultant and one additional national consultant, and will report back to the SWH Project Coordinator.

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter, including applicant's qualifications for the advertised position. The letter should be pasted into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form for SC and ICs; (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/operations/jobs.html Please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
Financial Proposal – daily fee in USD

Applications without financial proposal will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all other requested materials.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) - Blank form Download here.
Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. UNDP retains the right to contact references directly. Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.