Overview
The Project Finance and Administration Specialist will ensure the highest efficiency in financial resources management and provide accurate financial information for the Tonga Coastal Resilience Project. The role focuses on effective delivery of financial services and transparent utilization of financial resources.
Key Responsibilities
- Support full compliance of procurement activities with UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
- Implement and guide on contract management within the project.
- Prepare procurement plans for the project and monitor their implementation.
- Support in preparing procurement documents such as RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, their evaluation and support negotiation of contract conditions.
- Manage reporting requirements to Project Management on delivery of procurement services and goods.
- Prepare Purchase Orders and contracts under UNDP Corporate ERP system (Quantum).
- Evaluate offers and make recommendations for purchases and contract awards.
- Guide the Project Manager in day-to-day management and oversight of project finance activities.
- Contribute to the preparation of documents for work plans, progress reports, and periodic reviews.
- Update work plans and budgets in the UNDP Corporate ERP system (Quantum).
- Ensure timely preparation and submission of payment requests from project partners and consultants.
- Guide with monitoring of project budget implementation/expenditures.
- Advise and support in the development of contacts with national and provincial government institutions, NGOs, civil society organizations, and resource persons.
- Provide necessary support to the Project Manager and project staff with complete administrative services.
- Responsible for administrative and logistical support to organization of events, workshops, and missions.
- Facilitate in the preparation of agendas, prepare minutes and circulate to stakeholders.
- Prepare reports, memos, letters, presentation and other documents.
- Facilitate in organizing project-related meetings and sessions with various stakeholders.
- Disseminate project reports and respond to queries from concerned stakeholders.
- Support in carrying out regular spot inspections on project partners.
- Ensure partners’ requests for information and materials are provided in a timely manner.
- Facilitate in the establishment and strengthen of knowledge networks and organize knowledge sharing sessions.
- Compile success stories.
- Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
- Build strategic partnerships at project level.
- Be familiar with the activities of other development projects in the sector/area.
- Create and maintain partnerships with local institutions, private sector in project target areas.
- Ensure all project related documentation are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies.
- Ensure proper assets management, monitoring, recording and disposal.
Required Experience
- Minimum of five (5) years (with a master’s degree) or seven (7) years (with a bachelor’s degree) of progressive relevant experience in the area of resource management of programme projects and/or financial reporting in UNDP/UN Agency or an international development agency.
- Experience and in-depth knowledge of Accounting and Financial Reporting software is required.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and working knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, as well as experience in the handling of web-based management systems.
- Demonstrated experience in financial audit and assurance process of projects.
- Demonstrated experience in financial management and oversight, including managing multi-donor budgets and meeting donor reporting requirements.
- Experience from previous UN assignments and/or multilateral and bi-lateral aid organizations.
- Demonstrated experience of work in various aspects of administration including general administrative, procurement and human resources.
- Demonstrated extensive experience in developing grant budget proposals, estimation and costing of detailed budgets of development projects.
Qualifications
- A professional accounting qualification from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy, and/or Advanced (Masters) University Degree in Finance and/or Accounting is required.
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Finance and/or Accounting, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- Candidates with professional accounting qualifications from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
- Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications, but with degrees that major in accountancy and/or finance must complete the Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited.
- Candidates satisfying the two above criteria are exempted from undertaking the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT).
- Candidates with MBA or master's in finance with no accountancy qualification but with relevant experience must successfully undertake the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT) to be eligible for shortlisting.
- CIPS level 4 is highly desirable for this position and candidates holding this level at the time of application will have a distinct advantage. If the desired certification is not available at the time of recruitment, it should be obtained within one year of recruitment.
- Candidates holding a CIPS certification at any level below at the of application will have a proportionate advantage.
