CONSULTANT - PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE, Closing date: Monday, 23 February 2015

Closing date: Monday, 23 February 2015

CONSULTANT - PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE

Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Application Deadline : 23-Feb-15

Additional Category

Environment and Energy

Type of Contract : Individual Contract

Post Level : National Consultant

Languages Required : English

Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)

01-Mar-2015

Duration of Initial Contract : 12 months

Expected Duration of Assignment : 12 months renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability

Background

UNDP's Climate Change and Disaster Rick Reduction Cluster is organized into substantive technical teams to provide support to countries in the area of climate change through different initiatives. One such initiative is the Low Emission Capacity Building (LECB) Programme, funded by the European Commission, Germany and Australia. The LECB Programme is being carried out in 25 countries and has two overall objectives: (1) to build public sector capacity on developing greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory systems, nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs), low-emissions development strategies (LEDS), and monitoring, verification, and reporting (MRV) procedures; and (2) to build private sector capacity for mitigation actions in selected sectors (i.e. cement, iron and steel, petrochemicals, fertilizers). A Global Support Unit based in UNDP New York provides technical assistance to national teams to carry out their activities, as stipulated in the respective project documents.

Complementary to the LECB Programme UNDP is hosting the Project 'Technical dialogue on nationally determined contributions towards a 2015 agreement under the UNFCCC' or 'The INDC Project'. The INDC Prorect has the goal of establishing a technical dialogue between interested countries on different aspects of the process of putting forward nationally determined contributions towards a 2015 agreement under the UNFCCC. This short-term project is implemented through a series of regional workshops. The project intends to contribute to an enhanced dialogue within the donor community in order to find clarity around intended nationally determined contributions. Donors to this project include Austria, Belgium, the EU, France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the LECB Programme Manager, BPPS, the Programme Associate Consultant is responsible for the provision of financial, procurement and administrative support functions for the LECB and INDCs projects.

The Programme Associate Consultant works in close collaboration with the staff of the BPPS HQ and UNDP Country Offices to ensure consistent service delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provides financial support for effective financial control of the LECB and INDCs projects to ensure smooth delivery of programme objectives, including

• Support substantive and financial project reporting and monitoring processes, including project and budget revision;
• Produce financial information, reports and analysis for project management and decision making, including donor reporting;
• Maintain internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed and transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Atlas;
• Manage project tracking in Atlas in accordance with UNDP procedures;
• Maintain proper control of supporting documents for payments and financial reports for projects, including preparation of Requisitions and Receipts;
• Work in collaboration with centralized Operations personnel to ensure smooth delivery of programme objectives.

Provides procurement and administrative support for LECB and INDCs projects, focusing on achievement of the following results

• Oversee small-value procurement processes in accordance with UNDP guidelines, including preparation of micro-purchasing forms, RFP, RFQ, CAP submission forms, evaluation summaries of bids, proposals, contracts with successful bidders, monitoring deliverables established in TORs and processing payments accordingly;
• Manage the recruitment process and extension of contracts for programme consultants in accordance with UNDP Individual Contract Guidelines, including preparation IC procurement notices, preparation of IC recruitment evaluation summaries, and IC performance evaluation forms, as requested;
• Manage travel arrangements for programme staff and external participants of workshops and events; preparation of travel requests, processing F10 forms and other travel-related documents;
• Assist in logistical planning and preparation of programme workshops, meetings and special events, to include sending invitations, tracking registration, liaising with UNDP Country Office colleagues to arrange authorizations, etc.;
• Track and maintain national project contact lists;
• Assist in the preparation of quarterly report for donors;
• Undertake additional administrative functions as requested.

Competencies

Functional Competencies

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Fundamental knowledge of processes, methods and procedures;
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures related to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Promoting Organizational Change and Development

Presentation of information on best practices in organizational change

• Demonstrates ability to identify problems and proposes solutions.

Design and Implementation of Management Systems

Data gathering and implementation of management systems

• Uses information/databases/other management systems;
• Provides inputs to the development of simple system components;
• Makes recommendations related to work procedures and implementation of management systems.

Client Orientation

Maintains effective client relationships

• Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion;
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the Unit and with internal and external clients;
• Responds to client needs promptly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Completion of secondary education;
• Bachelor's degree is highly desirable.

Experience

• 5 years of progressively responsible administrative/programme/ finance experience is required at the national and international levels;
• Demonstrated experience with international event planning;
• Proficiency in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages;
• Excellent knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures and practices, including knowledge of Atlas and UNDP Procurement processes;
• Knowledge of IPSAS highly desirable.

Language

• Fluency in English; working knowledge of French or Spanish is desirable.

Evaluation of Applicants

• Individual consultant will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants' qualifications and financial proposal;
• The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
• responsive/compliant/acceptable, and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;
• Only the highest ranked candidates who are found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation - max. 70 points

Criteria A

• Required skills and experience: Education;
• Scoring Rationale;
• min. education 3;
• Associate/Certificate 4;
• Bachelor Degree + 5;
• Maximum Points 5.

Criteria B

• Required skills and experience: Relevant Experience;
• Scoring Rationale;
• min. years 7;
• each year thereafter plus 2;
• Maximum Points 15.

Criteria C

• Required skills and experience: UNDP Policies and Procedures;
• Scoring Rationale;
• Basic knowledge 7;
• Demonstrated procurement knowledge=11;
• Demonstrated procurements and results reporting knowledge=15;
• Maximum Points 15.

Criteria D:

• Required skills and experience: Event Planning;
• Scoring Rationale;
• 1-2 years event planning 10;
• 3-4 years event planning 12;
• 5-6 years event planning 14;
• 6+ years event planning 15;
• Maximum Points 15.

Criteria E

• Required skills and experience: Technical Exam;
• Maximum Points 20.

Total 70 pts

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

Applicants must read the following documents which can be found at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=20541

• Terms of Reference;
• UNDP General Terms and Conditions.

Applicants should submit the following documents by the deadline to be considered for this position- documents can be downloaded from: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=20541

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website.

The application should contain:

• Duly completed Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Application cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position;
• Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

Please submit your offers with the email subject: JobID#20541 -Programme Associate Consultant as follows: Confirmation of Interest form to eeg.jobfinproposal@undp.org

P11 and application cover letter to eeg.jobvacancies@undp.org

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.