Join UNDP as an Administrative Associate Empower Communities and Drive Sustainable Development. 2024

June 8, 2024

8 minutes read

Job Posting: Administrative Associate at UNDP

Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Agency: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Grade: NPSA-7
Contract Duration: 1 Year
Application Deadline: June 21, 2024
Job ID: 18753

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a global development network advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. UNDP offers a variety of job opportunities for the right candidates who have the necessary skills, competencies, and qualifications to help achieve our mission.

At UNDP, diversity, equity, and inclusion are core principles. We value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate. We foster inclusion as a way of ensuring that all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

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.

Office/Unit/Project Description

Lebanon is a country that has historically faced numerous challenges, including political instability, economic crises, and social inequality. In recent years, these challenges have been exacerbated by an unprecedented financial and economic crisis, a history of violence, and the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million displaced Syrians, along with 31,400 Palestine refugees from Syria, 35,000 Lebanese returnees, and a pre-existing population of more than 174,422 Palestine refugees. This situation has created a significant strain on the country’s social, economic, and environmental resources, impacting social cohesion and stability.

The compounded crises have resulted in devastating impacts on Lebanon’s social, economic, and environmental capital. The country’s institutions and systems have been severely undermined, leaving vulnerable populations even more exposed. The situation is further complicated by the lingering consequences of the Syrian displacement crisis, which has been exacerbated since 2019 by a severe economic, fiscal, and governance meltdown. Additionally, the pressure from climate change continues to increase, further straining the country’s resources and resilience.

Communities hosting large numbers of displaced populations are facing numerous challenges with inadequate institutional capacities, fast-dwindling resources, and insufficient collective approaches. These communities are struggling to cope with the immediate impacts of the compounded crises, including breakdowns in essential services, rising poverty, and increasing inter- and intra-community tensions. The ability of these communities to overcome systemic challenges through a development approach is severely curtailed by the protracted presence of displaced populations with no durable solutions in sight.

To address these challenges, the Lebanon Host Community Support Project – Phase 2 (LHSP 2.0) has been developed. LHSP 2.0 builds upon the long-accumulated experience and lessons learned from implementing the LHSP since 2014. The project proposes to anchor stabilization activities more firmly into an integrated local development paradigm, to work more at an area-based level in clusters and unions, and to strengthen its support to municipal capacity development. The goal is to increase the impact and sustainability of stabilization support.

Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), the incumbent will perform the following functions:

Provide support for effective administrative and financial control of the project.

Administer, monitor, and track the project management budget and payments.
Review and control submitted project management (administrative, logistical, and financial matters) payments prior to having them signed by the CTA to ensure that all expenditures related to each project are charged to appropriate budget lines, ensuring that all UNDP financial rules and regulations are adhered to.
Administer and track national and area staff salaries and remunerations.
Prepare and perform budget allocation and revision for all donors’ contributions.
Follow-up with the project Procurement Unit to ensure that funds are fully reserved/allocated in line with the Annual Work Plans.
Follow-up with the project Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) team to ensure that all allocation is properly planned and ensure that financial figures’ inputs are properly reflected in the narrative donors’ report.
Support and assist the CTA in the preparation and finalization of financial proposals to donors.
Provide substantive inputs to assist the CTA.
Consolidate financial data for budget estimates and financial planning/forecast.
Assist the program in all aspects of accounts maintenance and budget control by providing timely and updated reports on financial status, procedures, exchange rates, costs, and all other expenditures of relevance, as well as highlight potential funding issues and take preemptive actions to avoid escalation in the future.
Ensure relevant, timely, and accurate monthly and quarterly submission of donor’s financial reports.
Ensure efficient provision of administrative and financial services in the areas of accounting control, recording, reporting, management, and tracking of project assets.
Follow up on agreements with donors, anticipated funds, and timely donors reporting for timely funds transfer and activities implementation.
Alert the CTA in advance of any anticipated budget shortfall and ensure that the CTA is regularly briefed about the financial status of the project.
Follow up on all financial matters of the project with the CTA and UNDP country office.
Maintain the financial records related to project management and files in a way that information is up to date and easily accessed.
Assist the CTA in developing and implementing an Action Plan for the improvement of financial management systems and procedures, including audit recommendations.

Support in the Human Resources and General Office Administration:

Follow-up on contracts of staff (extensions, renewals) and maintain various personnel records and files. Ensure all files are in order and updated.
Ensure systematic briefing to project staff about administrative matters and provide administrative support as/when required.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date office assets records.
Assist with travel arrangements for international travel.
Support in organizing workshops, training events, and other activities as required.
Carry out other tasks as deemed necessary by the CTA Management.

Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing, and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff. Provide support to other capacity-building activities, including the design and delivery of tools and materials for workshops or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action.
Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the Country Office and regionally. Keep abreast of emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project.
Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products, and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

Perform other duties within the functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The selected incumbent will be working under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the UNDP CTA/Local Development Portfolio Coordinator.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
Think Innovatively: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
Learn Continuously: Open-minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
Adapt with Agility: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
Act with Determination: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
Engage and Partner: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Appreciates/respects differences, aware of unconscious bias, confronts discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.
System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system and to consider how altering one element can impact other parts of the system.
Effective Decision Making: Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise, and resources.
Risk Management: Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
Operations Management: Ability to effectively plan, organize, and oversee the organization’s business processes to convert its assets into the best results in the most efficient manner. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.
Documents and Records Management: Overall document (hard or electronic) management, including registry and retention policy, storing, and archiving.
Contract Management: Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles, and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Secondary Education is required; or
University degree in Business Administration or any related fields will be given due consideration but not a requirement.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years (with a secondary education) or 4 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of progressive relevant experience in finance and administration.
Demonstrated experience in attention to detail, ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously and accurately.
Experience in producing quality outputs in a timely manner when assigned a given task.
Experience in applying policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines.
Advanced computer skills, including word processing (Word), spreadsheet (Excel), and data management programs, and ability to quickly learn new applications.

Desired Skills in Addition to the Competencies Covered in the Competencies Section:

Prior experience working in international and/or local NGOs/agencies is an asset.
Experience and knowledge of UNDP Operational functional services, regulations, rules, procedures, and processes is desired.
Prior experience in development projects is an asset.

Required Language(s):

Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required. Working knowledge of French is a plus.

Disclaimer

Important Information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders):

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional-level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to the commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship, and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant Information About UNDP Rosters:

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience, and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination:

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Equal Opportunity:

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin, or other status.

Scam Warning:

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing, or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names, and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Key Words:

Administrative Associate
Finance and Administration
Project Management
UNDP
Lebanon Host Community Support Project
Crisis Management
Budget Control
Knowledge Sharing
Diversity and Inclusion
Local Development

Join us at UNDP and contribute to making a difference in Lebanon during these challenging times. Apply now to be part of a mission that transforms lives and communities.