Program Assistant

Job #: req24470

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Administration/Office Support

Grade: GC

Term Duration: 2 years 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic

Required Language(s): English, Spanish

Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 10/13/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

World Bank Context:

Innovation and partnership bond the five institutions of the World Bank: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help developing nations reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and share prosperity. The World Bank’s work focuses on achievement of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goals call for eliminating poverty and achieving inclusive and sustainable globalization. The MDGs lay out a blueprint for the World Bank, setting its priorities and measuring its results. The World Bank is also the world’s largest funder of education; the world’s largest external funder of the fight against HIV/AIDS; a leader in the fight against corruption worldwide; a strong supporter of debt relief; and the largest international financier of biodiversity, water supply, and sanitation projects.

Latin America and the Caribbean Context:

The World Bank Group serves 30 client countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state. Despite immense resources, dynamic societies, and an average annual per capita income of about $4,000, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region’s people living in poverty. The Bank’s strategy in LCR is focused on five pillars: (a) stimulating growth and improving competitiveness; (b) reducing poverty and inequality; (c) making governments and institutions work for people; (d) providing a platform for tackling global issues (climate change, trade, disease, migration), and (e) reducing risk, whether from extreme weather events, climate change, crime and violence or other.

Central America and the Dominican Republic Context:

Within the World Bank, the Dominican Republic Country Office is part of the Central America CMU, which covers Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The CMU is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Bank’s business model and the effective delivery of services through country strategy formulation and implementation, policy dialogue, portfolio management, and country relations.

Dominican Republic Context:

As of September 2023, the IBRD active portfolio totals USD$ 1,837 million for 12 projects, five Investment Project Financing in areas such as energy, social protection, water and sanitation, agriculture and emergency response and resilience. The IBRD is also providing USD$1,030 million in budget support under energy and a CAT-DDO. The portfolio is structured around three high level objectives as indicated in the most recent Country Partnership Framework 2022-2026: i) improved access to quality public service delivery; ii) increase the number of high quality jobs and; iii) increase resilience to climate change.

Collaboration with development partners is strong and synergetic, and the lending program is strategically complemented by trust funds and advisory services and analytics (ASA). Overall performance of the portfolio has been positively stable.

There are trust funds focusing in the areas of governance reform, education, extractive industries, reduction of emissions, forest degradation, disaster risk management, social accountability, energy and deforestation under REDD+. The program is fully aligned with the Government’s priorities and with the Bank’s existing program. A few key Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA) are in the making, such as the DR Investment Climate Diagnostic, DR Country Climate and Development Report and the DR Agricultural Review.

The Program Assistant (PA) provides a full range of office support work and administration in support of unit’s work program. He/she will report to the Resident Representative and will coordinate extensively with the Office staff and liaise frequently with team members both at Headquarters and in the Country Offices, as well as external counterparts. The selected candidate will provide support to the RM/Transactions team, and Communications in the overall management and administration of the country office.

Role & Responsibilities:

Duties and Accountabilities

The Program Assistant’s duties will include, but are not limited to: Planning

– Check invoices and bills from vendors and prepare payments for purchase of services and goods;

– Ensure vendors provide remittance information for payments and that this documentation is properly archived by the hiring unit;

– Consult with clients inside and outside the Bank to effect timely payments and resolve accounting related issues under the guidance of the RM Analyst.

– Analyze and prepare documentation for expenses for fiscal year end accruals.

Transacting

– Create ePayables requests for consultants and vendors, within the SAP framework;

– Process e-banking transactions (as backup), file accounting documents, and call vendors for data accuracy;

– Follow up on payment issues;

– Communicate with Manager/TTL to gather all required information pertaining tocontract creation and ensure requirements are met;

– Enter and process requests for payment to vendors for all contract types;

– Assist in the process of monthly Pcard reconciliation for the Office Driver

– Handle tax exoneration requests and take appropriate actions to ensure fully compliment.

– Perform monthly Vehicle Car Log

Controlling

– Adhere to ex-ante and ex-post controls related to travel, consultants and procurement of goods and administrative services, including providing supporting documentation to Auditors as requested;

– Adhere to record retention policies regarding commitment items procured within the office;

– Ensure consistent application of accounting rules, policies, and procedures, including obtaining approvals for every transaction;

– Handle filing of administrative records; keep relevant documents and invoices systematically to fully support the bank accounts;

– Review documentation for travel statement of expenses;

– Work together with RMA on the review, follow up and resolve issues noted in accounting scorecard and other quality assurance reports.

– Follow up on audit recommendations which relate to the accounting function.

– Provide overall administrative support on office matters and assist on requests which are related to administrative and accounting transactions.

Monitoring

– Check status of specific contracts; being able to download and analyze information retrieved from the system;

– Monitor and take immediate action on any rejected payment requests in SAP;

– Check consultant appointment status;

– Check goods and services payment status;

– Maintain an updated spreadsheet of authorized tickets issued to verify travel agency invoices submitted for payment processing;

– Maintain an updated spreadsheet of tickets reimbursements due to the Bank and follow them up with the authorized travel agency.

Communications

– Prepare the daily Media Monitoring Report;

– Support the implementation of the Dominican Republic Country Office Communications Strategy;

– Support the Communications team in the preparation of the DR Newsletter

– Monthly update of the videos played in the WB Country Office monitor in WB lobby;

– Collect, format and edit data for the “Series of DR Data” published periodically on the Bank’s Web Page for the DR;

– Liaise with the local economic and country team to collect/communicate information on projects;

– Produce online and printed material as needed (feature stories, multimedia, press releases);

– Update the country office photo collection and coordinate periodic submission to EXT in LAC;

– Provide support to local events, official functions and meetings related to media and strategic dissemination (inviting journalists, distributing press releases and providing materials as needed);

– Update the Client Database (private and public sector journalists, opinion leaders, editors), double-checking data with clients on a regular basis; and

– Assist with briefing notes and translations as needed.

Selection Criteria

* Minimum Education/Experience: College preferred/High school diploma with 5 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

* Proficient English and Spanish skills (verbal and written)

* Ability to retrieve reference materials from various sources (e.g. databases or other filing systems, Internet, etc.).

* Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with utmost discretion.

* Committed, self-motivated team player with good inter-personal skills, and ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.

* Ability to produce high-quality work under pressure.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.