Job Identification : 14096
Locations : Kosovo (as per UNSCR 1244)
Posting Date : 10/11/2023, 09:58 AM
Apply Before : 10/25/2023, 09:58 AM
Job Schedule : Full time
Agency : UNDP
Grade : NPSA-6
Vacancy Type : National Personnel Service Agreement
Practice Area : Inclusive Growth
Bureau : Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS
Contract Duration : 1 Year with Possibility for extension
Education & Work Experience : Bachelor’s Degree – 3 year(s) experience OR High School certificate- 6 year(s) experience
Required Languages : Fluency in both English and Albanian language is required
Desired Languages : Knowledge of Serbian is considered an asset
Vacancy Timeline
2 Weeks
Job Description
Office/Unit/Project Description
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.
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 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP
Kosovo faces a complex development challenge, characterized by persistently high unemployment rates, which disproportionately affect women, youth, and non-majority communities. The private sector, especially small and medium-sized businesses, struggle to compete locally and internationally owing to a range of factors including import dependency, skill shortages, an unfavorable business environment, and limited access to funding and finance.
Kosovo’s creative industries (CIs) as a sector is one of the most promising avenues for economic growth, job creation, improved well-being and women’s empowerment. Kosovo institutions recognize the potential of CI and have highlighted it as an area with high potential both in the Smart Specialization Strategy and Kosovo’s Circular Economy Roadmap. The growth rate of the sector is higher than the overall economy, and CIs employ 5% of the workforce. Despite the growth potential, CIs encounter many challenges, such as limited technical expertise, insufficient financial support, legal obstacles, and inadequate cultural infrastructure.
The Creative Industries Kosovo project, funded by the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, aims to unleash the full potential of the creative industries as a key driver of economic growth in Kosovo. Evidence-based policies that support the development of creative industries and foster innovation based on protected intellectual rights will be promoted through the project, which will work closely with key institutions, including MIET, MCYS, and MESTI, to catalyze private sector engagement and unlock the transformative power of creativity. Young women and men in all their diversity will be empowered through formal and informal training programs, helping them develop the skills and expertise needed to thrive as future employees, entrepreneurs, or self-employed individuals in the growing sector of CIs. A stronger partnership between academia and the private sector will be established to facilitate the connection between young jobseekers, jobs, and creative entrepreneurship, providing support to private firms and promoting innovation in CIs under MIET
The project aims to contribute towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework outcome 3: “By 2025, vulnerable groups, particularly youth and women, will have increased access to decent work and will benefit from sustainable and inclusive economic development that is more resilient to the impacts of climate change, disasters, and emergencies.” This will be accomplished through a comprehensive set of interventions, including: a) supporting public institutions in creating an enabling environment for the creative industries to thrive; b) providing support to women and men in developing creative industry skills, generating employment opportunities, and facilitating green transition; c) improving access to finance for private firms operating in core and interdependent creative industries; and d) revitalizing cultural offerings and tourism at the municipal level.
Scope of Work
Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Associate will execute duties and responsibilities outlined below: Support project implementation
- Coordinating the administrative and operational elements of the project staff and office work;
- Support project implementation by administering and executing assigned processes and transactions.
- Review requests /transactions for compliance with plans, rules and processes and allocations; processing requests, researching information; identification and proposal of course of action for decision;
- Ensure efficient exchange of information between the UNDP Kosovo office and project team.
- Preparation for audit of project and implementation of audit recommendation.
- Undertake project visits, monitor activities and ensure compliance with UNDP rules and procedures
- Draft letters and assist with preparation of all types of agreements for the project
Support to project financial monitoring and management
- Maintain budgets and resources availability tables, examining monthly financial reports and preparing summaries or analyses related to the reports;
- Preparation and modifications of budgets for project, coordination of the mandatory and budget re-phasing exercises and follow up with UNDP office on all financial transactions related to project
- Implementation of the control mechanism for development projects through monitoring budgets preparation and modifications, budgetary status versus ASL.
- Timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers for reconciliation.
- Proper control of the supporting documents for payments and financial reports for the project;
- Prepare project financial statements and manage project budgets, monitor expenditures against established allocations;
- Provide specialized process delivery in a specific administrative service, prepare periodic financial reports and ensuring consistency and timeliness of delivery;
Administrative and operational support to project implementation, ensuring quality of business processes;
- Participate, as required, in interview process as secretary of the panel, contact candidates and ensure that supporting documents are completed for submission of the request for contract to UNDP Kosovo office;
- Accurate, thoroughly researched and fully documented work to facilitate subsequent action by a supervisor
- Maintain and file records, documents and work plans for the monitoring of project implementation
- Assist with organizing events and arranging meetings and missions; travel claims, and other entitlements are duly processed
Miscellaneous
- Assist the project team in preparation of annual work plan(s);
- Prepare the procurement plan in cooperation with the Project Manager; update the inventory list; assist in purchase of the project equipment and ensure maintenance as needed;
- Preparation of RDPs for project expenses, timely and accurate entry in Quantum, timely preparation of monthly cash flow forecast for use by the PM and timely accounts closure;
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization
Institutional Arrangement:
The Project Associate works under the general supervision of the Project Manager.
Competencies
Core
Achieve Results:
LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively:
LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously:
LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility:
LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination:
LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner:
LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:
LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Business Management
Working with Evidence and Data
- Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making
Business Management
Digital Awareness and Literacy
- Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed
Business Management
Customer Satisfaction/Client Management
- Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
Business Management
Communication
- Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.
Business Management
Monitoring
- Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
Technical – Finance
Budget management
- Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets
Technical – Procurement
Procurement
management
- The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source
Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA
Minimum Education requirements
-Secondary education is required, or
-University degree (Bachelor´s Degree) in finance, business, economy, or a related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.
Minimum years of relevant work experience
A minimum of 6 years (with Secondary Education) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible administrative or project experience is required.
Required skills
-Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
-Proven track record of experience on budget preparation, tracking, and revision, analysis of expenditures and forecast is required.
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
-Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews
-Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools
-Knowledge of project management processes
-Knowledge of procurement procedures of national / international organizations
Required Language(s)
-Fluency in both English and Albanian languages is required.
– Knowledge of Serbian is considered an asset.
Professional Certificates
N/A
7. The following documents shall be required from the applicants:
- Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
- A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
- Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.
