Jobs at UNDP

The United Nations Programme (UNDP) Nigeria announces the following vacancies:

COORDINATION ASSISTANT TO THE UN COORDINATION SPECIALIST Abuja, Nigeria
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
• Demonstrates commitment to the UN System and UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Functional Competencies:
• Shares knowledge and experience
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Actively works to gain updates on Atlas and Atlas Training
• Actively works towards knowledge Information Technology
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
• Ability to perform a broad range of specialized activities aimed at effective and efficient functioning of RC office, including data/ schedule management, maintenance of protocol, information flow.
• Confidentiality
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, elaboration and implementation of new data management systems and databases
• Ability to work in Atlas and experience of UNDP financial reporting and functions
Leadership and Self-Management:
• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to delegation and feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• Secondary School completion
Experience:
• Minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible professional work experience in management, office administration, finance/account, some of which at the international level.

UN HOUSE MANAGER Abuja, Nigeria
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Systematic management review of the UN Office Premises.
• Certification and confirmation of operational transactions.
• Monitoring compliance with all operational system and procedures.
• Participate and provide technical inputs in UN Common Services Work-plan & Budget
• Acquisition of all expendable and non-expendable property
• Arrange with government authorities for all operational facilities.
• Participate in timely management of recruitment of common services staff.

Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Functional Competencies:
Knowledge Management and Learning
• Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Development and Operational Effectiveness
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
• Ability to lead formulation and monitoring of management projects
• Solid knowledge in financial resources and human resources management, contract, asset and procurement, information and communication technology, general administration
• Ability to lead business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change
Management and Leadership
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Leads teams effectively and shows mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills

Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• Masters degree in Business Administration, Management or related field.
Experience:
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in management, office administration, finance/account, some of which at the international level.





CONSULTANT: STOCKTAKING IN SUPPORT OF REPLICATION AND EXPANSION OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (LDP)

Duties and Responsibilities
Objective

The objective of the assignment is to undertake stocktaking and provide strategic inputs to support the expansion and replication of LDP during CPAP 2009-2012.

Specific Objectives

The consultant is required to:

Conduct stocktaking to assess how programme is developing, specifically examining the following: (a) relevance of the programme to the Niger Delta context; (b) the level of trust and cooperation achieved within communities and between communities and their local governments; (b) any signs of changes in the capacity of communities and local governments to identify, plan, budget and manage development initiatives/projects; (c) preliminary evidence about the effects of LDF funded projects on local level development; (d) the extent to which the relationship between States and LGCs has been affected by the work of the LDP; and (e) the level of popular and political ‘demand’ for LDF type interventions.
Identify evolving best practices and lessons being learned based on progress thus far.
Review extent to which participating States, local governments and communities are effectively carrying out their obligations and recommend ways of strengthening each party’s responsibilities.
Review operational manual, facilitators guide on participatory planning and other relevant materials prepared under LDP to be used as guides. Specific attention shall be given to proposing procedures for improving LDF compliance, management, and accountability.
Consider reports of baseline survey, capacity building assessment and legislative study and propose how they would be utilized to benefit potential programme States and local governments.
Propose recommendations that deal with: (a) the implications of lessons learnt for developing sustainable capacity for local governance; (b) emerging policy and financing issues that need to be addressed such as the legal and regulatory framework for local governance and options and approaches being used to finance LGCs; and (c) the scope for an expansion of the LDP and, if recommended, timeframe and sequencing for any such scaling-up, in addition linkages with the Country Office’s up-stream outcomes and programmes such as anti-corruption and procurement reform, public accountability, HIVAIDS, peace building/conflict resolution, SME development
As currently no LDF has been disbursed to Bayelsa, review of fund management and accountability practices will focus on local governments and communities in Ondo.

Reporting and Deliverables

The consultant is expected to achieve the above objectives by employing a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach liaising with UNDP, States, local governments and other stakeholders, notably development partners and potential partner States.

The consultant will be responsible to submit the following reports:

Inception Report detailing work plan and working strategy submitted not later than 3 days after commencement of the assignment.
Draft Stocktaking Analysis Report to be presented at stakeholders’ workshop.
Final Report based on workshop feedback and review comments received
Required Skills and Experience
Advanced University degree, preferably in political science, economics, management or administration.
At least 10 years experience.
Strong understanding and knowledge of local governance, development and participatory approaches.


FINANCE SPECIALIST
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of key functions:

Ensures implementation of operational strategies
Manages the budget of development and management projects and organizes an optimal cost-recovery system
Ensures proper control of project accounts
Ensures promotion of knowledge sharing and management for results approach
1. Ensures implementation of operational strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Under the direction of the Operations Manager, conduct financial accounting of projects income and expenditures, following project management structures, operational procedures, project document set of activities and most importantly, UNDP rules and regulations;
• Ensure effective management of the two projects resources in connection to the overall multi donor relationship and funding arrangements;
• Advices on the management of funds as per agreed budget and disbursement schedules;
• Ensures full compliance of financial activities, financial recording/reporting system and audit follow up with UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, proper design and functioning of the financial resources management system;
• Ensures routinely monitors financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigates anomalies or unusual transactions. Prepares corrective steps for such transactions for consideration of supervisors and senior management in compliance with rules and regulations;
• Supervises submission of necessary documentation for an audit of the two projects;
• Provides other financial services as required by the projects;
• Provides substantial advice on supervision of expenditure in effectively monitoring resource utilization by other partners of the projects;
• Ensures the collection of accounts, reports and receipts from the sub-contractors are done within established timelines;
• Prepares all documentation for the regular financial summary narrative(s) and consolidated accounts of the projects;
• Supervises the payroll of national PMU personnel both long-term and short-term;
• Supervises and manages the operational advance account (including a petty cash management) and issue/receive cash payments for operational expenses of the PMU;
• Guide and advices Reporting Officer in preparing Quality and accountable reporting system by supervising Reporting Officer;
• Supervises and leads two Finance Associates of the two projects;
• Oversee other assignments such as Census project funds management and reporting, etc.

2. Manages the budget of development and management projects and organizes an optimal cost-recovery system focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Management of Financial resources through planning, guiding, controlling of the resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations;
• Preparation and monitoring of projects budgets;
• Establishment of the development projects’ budgets preparation/modification monitoring system, control of budgetary status versus authorized spending limits (ASL) and budgets delivery levels;
• Process project budget for sending to Commitment Control (KK) by the Senior Management based on signed prodocs and project budgets;
• Submission of financial reports to donors on a timely and quality basis.

3. Ensures proper control of project accounts focusing on achievement of the following results:
• Elaboration of the internal expenditures’ control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed;
• Correctly recording of transactions and posting in Atlas;
• Control of projects accounts closures;
• Approval of vendors.

4. Ensures promotion of knowledge sharing and management for results approach

• Prepare and organize training for all PMU staff on UNDP Financial rules and regulations
• Develop Finance staff learning plans in line with UNDP corporate direction and manuals
• Supervising of Finance staff learning in connection to the roles and functions
• Promote knowledge sharing through practice network and encouraging use of best practices
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Accounting, Economics or related field.
Experience:
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing financial services and managing staff and accounting systems.
• Knowledge of internal financial management and control framework(s) is required.
• Experience with UNDP-EU Financial Administrative Framework agreement (FAFA) and/or procedures employed by other donors such as DFID and CIDA in project financial management and reporting.
• Experience in web based ERP systems, e.g. UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Atlas or other ERP platforms.


Language Requirements:
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

CONSULTANT: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) CONSULANT
Duties and Responsibilities
Proactively manage the UNDG PolicyNet portal by reviewing and updating materials posted, maintain a bird’s eye view of existing content of the website, hosting of the portal and identifying needs and opportunities
Develop new templates and update update content to Poverty Website and UNDG Policy Network as needed
Determines application systems integration and linkage issues ensuring that all design aspects are addressed and control and security mechanisms are established
Ensure that all content is appropriately categorized according to the corporate taxonomy
Identifies potential problems, including those relating to security and efficiency of performance, and liaise with technical staff accordingly
Revise the current Poverty Website CSS to switch templates from fide width to fluid design (consistent with UNDP site) and produce mock ups for home page and internal pages using the new CSS and ensure multi-browser capabilities.
Determine functionality needed to improve presentation and usability on the Poverty Website of the “From the People” and “Development Dictionary” components within the Poverty web pages. Review current presentation and propose cost-effective alternatives for managing these sections, and present 2-3 options for selection and approval
Create and input Templates, formatting, layout and design for publications to include but not be restricted to: MDG Good Practices, MDG News Update and Gleneagles Publication
Specifically, the consultant will have to deliver the following outputs:
Re-launch of updated Policy Network with input from the Network Facilitator
Production of a monthly/bi-monthly MDGNews Update
Creation and design of a publications template for approval to be used on the MDG Good Practices
Poverty public website pages are adjusted to be presented in a fluid rather than fixed width format based on new CSS
Poverty website “Development Dictionary” and “From the People” presentation and performance enhanced
Poverty website search will be enhanced within the limits of current technology (this may rely on dependence of UNDP’s IT department for certain information/access to be determined)
Required Skills and Experience
Post-secondary education, preferably with a university degree in information management, communication, computer sciences, or related fields.
At least 5 years of experience in development and maintenance of open source web applications, preferably in support of a policy-making body, an international organisation or from a scientific or publishing environment.
Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to take initiative and be innovative. Ability to work collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment.
Ability to establish an effective and harmonious working relationship with both computer specialists and non-specialists.
Previous experience with UNDP or another UN agency is desirable


Method of Application:
For further details on the job description and application process, please visit http://jobs.undp.org and submit applications.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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.

Closing Date: 6th November, 2009.