Administrative and Finance Specialist

Background

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in more than 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet.

Development challenges in Papua New Guinea are as diverse and complex as the country itself. To respond to these challenges, UNDP in Papua New Guinea concentrates its efforts on building the country’s capacity to promote inclusive, green, and pro-poor growth, effective governance, and sustainable and resilient development. We help our partners in identifying relevant solutions to complex development challenges and offer policy and implementation services to address these challenges.

Guided by the UNDP’s Country Programme Document for Papua New Guinea 2018-2022, the Country Office’s policy, advisory, programmatic, and implementation services focuses on the following areas:

• Peace: promoting inclusive governance, justice, and peace
• Prosperity: inclusive, greed and sustainable growth
• Planet: sustainable management of natural resources, biodiversity conservation, strengthened    climate and disaster resilience and management.

In addition to these areas of focus which reflect country’s developmental priorities, UNDP emphasizes gender, climate change, social protection and inclusive growth, in all aspects of our work.

The country office is in the capital city Port Moresby and hosts approximately 80 personnel. UNDP also maintains project office presence in Buka (Autonomous Region of Bougainville), Mendi (Southern Highlands Province), Wewak (East Sepik Province) and Wabag (Enga Province).

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), supported the “Sustainable Financing of Papua New Guinea’s Protected Area Network” project, which aims to strengthen the Government of Papua New Guinea’s ability to fulfil its protected area mandate and implement the Protected Area Policy and law. In recognition of this need, the project included a component focused on the establishment, operationalization and mobilization of funding for a Biodiversity and Climate Fund to primarily support funding of PNG’s Protected Area Network to ensure the protection of biodiversity, while working to provide nature-based solutions to support climate mitigation and resilience.

The Papua New Guinea Biodiversity and Climate Fund (BCF) was designed to be an independent entity to attract, manage and disburse funds. The Fund will provide greater transparency and accountability for donors and private sector supporting the implementation of the identified finance solutions. During its start-up phase the Fund will be incubated over four years (2022 to 2026) within the project at UNDP to ensure that the Secretariat receives support to successfully implement its governance systems, mobilise resources, and deliver a pipeline of successfully funded conservation projects. Part of this support involves the opportunity to also build the capacity of not only the secretariat but also of the fund’s key beneficiaries who lay at the heart of this initiative. The initial funding from the UNDP GEF 6 Project will be used to assist the BCF in carrying out its secretarial operations, grants and financial management and monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

The BCF Secretariat is looking for a full-time Finance and Administrative Specialist. The Specialist will provide administrative, project budget/finance support to the BCF Secretariat in their operations, grants management, and financial reporting.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Finance and Administrative Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager (Head of BCF) under the GEF-6 project. The Specialist will be based within the BCF secretariat working closely with the secretariat team.

Duties and Responsibilities 

Ensure Effective Financial Management

• Ensure timely preparation of payment orders, receipts, invoices, and all other pertinent documents.
• Ensure that the coding of invoices, receipts, contracts, and other pertinent documents by expense code and by donors is accurate and done promptly.
• Take responsibility for the proper maintenance of accurate, complete, and up-to-date financial records following the relevant statutory regulations and donors’ contracts.
• Analyse and reconcile key accounts on time to proactively identify issues or risks and inform the Program Manager/Finance and Administrative Manager.
• Prepare monthly financial and management reports.
• Prepare financial reports for review by the BCF management and board.
• Audit financial transactions and documents

Ensure compliance with accounting standards, internal controls, financial policies, and procedures.

• Liaise with external parties such as banks, financial contractors/auditors, board secretaries, and relevant parties.
• Guide other Finance and Administrative Specialists to enhance best practices in financial procedures, internal controls, and workflow processes and update the Policy and Procedures Manual.

Ensure Effective Administration, Human Resources, and Information Technology

• Guide project to coordinate with CO ICT for project equipment/asset
• Guide project to coordinate with CO HR for recruitment and onboarding
• Make recommendations for cost saving opportunities and process improvements.
• Identify and mitigate financial and operational risks.
• Contribute to registration and maintenance of all BCF assets on a daily basis.
• Assist all necessary financial disbursement and procurement of goods and services in a timely manner
• Contribute to the overall management of the organization.

Ensure provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

• Identify policy-driven issues; and identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals.
• Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.
• Coordinate and ensure integrated support in development of policies and institutions to address country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion:  LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business direction and strategy

• System Thinking – Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management

• Partnership Management – Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Event planning and execution

• General (across the functions) – Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP’s overall brand and mandate

Procurement

• Financial analysis – Knowledge of evaluating businesses, projects, budgets, and other finance related transactions to determine their performance and suitability

Finance

• Financial reporting and analysis – Understands changes in regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks and standards for financial reporting in the public sector. Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring.
• Understands the benefits of integrated reporting, including non-financial resources such as human, social and intellectual capital, and environmental and governance performance
• Financial planning and budgeting – Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP’s long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analysing and reporting

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advance university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Accounting, Commerce, Economics, Business Administration or related field is required, OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree areas stated above.

Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in finance, accounting, business management, administration or project management.
• Microsoft Office, Windows-based applications, integrated web-based management systems, spreadsheets and databases
• Experience working with Grants at UNDP and/or in a similar development field is preferred.
• Familiarity with UNDP policies and procedures is an advantage
• Experience working in the UN or other international organization is an asset
• Experience in high-level planning, organizational, and time management skills, including flexibility, attention to detail, and the ability to work under pressure to meet challenging deadlines is an asset.
• Experience in project cycle financial management in the public or private sector or international organization is an asset.

Required Languages

• Fluency in English and Tok Pisin is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.