UNDP GEF Jobs - 51484- Project Administration & Finance Assistant

Project Administration & Finance Assistant - (Open to Swazi Nationals only)

Advertised on behalf of

UNDP GEF

Location :

Mbabane, SWAZILAND

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

01-Jan-2015

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

SB-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months (Renewable upon satisfactory performance)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 years

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

Despite the global significance of its biodiversity, Swaziland’s formal Protected Area (PA) estate is comprised of relatively small and vulnerable PAs, covering only 3.9% of the country and inadequately representing the countries varied ecosystems. There is therefore a need to expand the PA estate, while strengthening PA management competencies. This will in turn require the participation of a broad range of stakeholders, including private landholders, local communities and the tourism industry, to establish new State PA, private and community managed reserves. A landscape approach is needed, to strategically place these different PAs in proximity to one another, and manage land in immediately adjacent areas to reduce threats to biodiversity and improve connectivity between the PA sites. The long term solution is that Swaziland adopts a landscape conservation paradigm that allows a broader range of stakeholders to work together to manage biodiversity more effectively. Under this approach, PAs will be established and managed in critical biodiversity areas as clusters—different sites managed by the State, private landowners and communities in proximity to one another. These PAs will need to be managed as part of a matrix of land uses across landscapes that allow biodiversity management objectives to be integrated in the strategies, production practices and decisions of a range of land and resource users occupying land immediately adjacent to PAs (and between them—so as to maintain functional corridors).
The project’s goal is to strengthen the management effectiveness of the PA system of Swaziland to ensure a viable set of representative samples of the country’s full range of natural ecosystems are conserved, through a network of PAs. The project objective is to effectively expand, manage and develop Swaziland’s protected area network in order to adequately protect the biodiversity and landscapes of the country. This will involve devising a system of integrating land and natural resource management that transforms the current PA patchwork into a protected areas network, while creating incentives for all Swazis (land management agencies, conservancies, private landowners and tourism operators) to work together toward conservation and sustainable economic development. In order to achieve the project goal and objective , the project’s interventions have been organised in three components:

Component 1: Knowledge based platform operationalised at the National and regional level to address current and emerging threats to PAs and biodiversity conservation;
Component 2: Landscape approach operationalised and leads to expansion of PA network;
Component 3: Strengthening PA functioning through improved Conservation management and Operational support for existing and new PAs, including both formal and informal PAs.

Objective:

The SNTC seeks the services of an Administration and Finance Assistant who will be responsible, independent, efficient and timely execution of administrative, financial and procurement tasks and transactions facilitate the management and implementation of all other activities and responsibilities of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Administration and Finance Assistant will be working under the full guidance of the national Project Manager (NPM) and the key tasks will include:

Administrative support

Maintain work plans and budgets as well as off line financial status reports for the project work plans. Monitor and report on the implementation on a quarterly basis;
Undertake all aspects of official travel requests and reports for Project Manager (PM) and other structures, in coordination with the PM and prepare travel authorization;
Manage correspondence flow, ensuring prioritization, confidentiality and effective follow-up by NPM and SNTC and UNDP;
Maintain hard and electronic files and update data base systems ensuring timely and appropriate recording, safekeeping and disposal of confidential information;
Maintain leave and travel records;
Draft routine correspondence.

Financial control and procurement

Support the procurement procedures in full compliance with UNDP/GEF regulations (Public Requests for Proposals, submission to the NPM, Project Board, contracting, payments) fostering transparent, independent and competitive processes;
Arrange for purchase and ensure timely and appropriate distribution office supplies. Oversee sufficient inventory;
Prepare requisitions based on proper review of quotations for bids or proposals;
Maintain a systematic record of procurement and financial information for audit and management oversight purposes.

Support to knowledge building and sharing

Training of staff on administrative procedures;
Brief/debrief staff on procurement issues related to the area of work;
Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in procurement processes;
Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Competencies

Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems;
Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Remains calm, in control and good humoured even when under pressure;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities and has good interpersonal skills;
Hard-working and easily adaptable to new cultural working environments;
Negotiation, organization, coordination, skills to influence a win-win position to facilitate achievement of results;
Strong knowledge about the political and socio-economic context related to the CFS Master Plan, protected area system, biodiversity conservation at national and state levels;
Ability to communicate effectively complex, technical information to the audiences at various levels;
Strong computer skills, in particular mastery of all applications of the MS Office package and internet search;
Excellent command of English Language.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University Degree in areas of Administration, Finance;
Specialized training in accounting and finance is desirable.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of administrative and financial/accounting experience preferably in a large or international corporation or organization;
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 spoken and written English is required;
Proficiency in native (SiSwati) is an advantage.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.