Project Assistant

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Job Description

UNDP country programme document (CPD) that defined UNDP Brazil priorities for the quadrennium between 2024 and 2027 is aligned with the Brazil Pluriannual Plan 2024-2027 and United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 and is informed by the UNDP Strategic Plan, 2022-2025, through the application of its signature solutions and grounded in the UNDP regional vision of a three-lane road comprised of effective governance that simultaneously advances towards inclusion, resilience, and productivity. CPD recognizes that despite gains from earlier decades, inequalities and discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, geography, and age continue to be development challenges in Brazil. A fundamental shift in financing and action is needed to accelerate the current pace of development and achieve the 2030 Agenda.

In light of the above and inspired by the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’, the UNDP 2024-2027 vision is to leverage sustainable development action by collaborating for structural changes in Brazil to make the society more inclusive, productive and resilient. UNDP will focus on reducing multidimensional vulnerabilities by accelerating human development capacities and capabilities. UNDP also acknowledges that strengthening women’s economic empowerment and leadership is pivotal to shifting social norms for gender equality—and it is an intersectional pursuit that involves addressing racial and gender prejudices that Afro-Brazilian women face. CPD defines 4 main results areas: i) economic transformation for sustainable development; ii) social inclusion for sustainable development, iii) environment and climate change for sustainable development; iv) governance and institutional capacities for sustainable development. These results areas generated through an organizational structure that includes 3 thematic clusteunitsrs:

Socially Inclusive Development (People & Prosperity: poverty reduction, social policies, livelihoods, public-private partnerships, etc).
Environmentally Sustainable Development (Planet: environment, climate change, DRR, Montreal Protocol).
Governance and Justice for Development (Peace: prevention of violence, justice, transparency,anti-corruption, human rights, local capacity development).

Given the imperative to support the country in the implementation of the SDGs and improve human development in the most excluded and vulnerable populations, UNDP Brazil has adopted a strategy to enhance CO presence at territorial level through establishment of an organizational unit dedicated to strengthen partnerships with Brazilian states and municipalities through 3 state level offices as well as other sub-national partnerships and initiatives.

Decentralized Cooperation and Territorial Development transversal support area aims at contributing to advance on inclusive governance and human development to achieve sustainable development –social, economic and environmental- in Brazilian States and Municipalities. The main objective is to leave no one behind at the sub-national level through the implementation of the SDGs at territorial level in line with national policies and plans and the UNDP Integrated Framework to Support Local Governance and Local Development (LGLD) as well as MAPS framework.

The Decentralized Cooperation and Territorial Development area will promote the coordination of integrated development initiatives within a given territory, taking into consideration the local political, social, cultural, geographic, economic, historic, andenvironmental complexities as well as opportunities to implement SDGs and accelerate their achievement. This will allow a more coherent cooperation at subnational level to be framed under a broader and integrated strategy aligned to the national level through a territorial approach for development. A UNDP Brazilstrategy for decentralized cooperation will further guide thisfunction and itspriorities (geographical and thematic).

To enable the implementation of projects under the Decentralized Cooperation and Territorial Development portfolio, the Project Assistant will provide – under the supervision of the Project Coordinator of the Local UNDP Office in Salvador/Bahia, and general guidance of the Territorial Development and Decentralized Cooperation Advisor – logistical and administrative support to DIM and NIM projects in the state of Bahia and other states, as assigned to him/her.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator of the Bahia State Project Office, and general guidance of the Territorial Development and Decentralized Cooperation Advisor, the Project Assistant will be responsibleto support activitiesrelated to the implementation of the territorial development portfolio, especially the project portfolio of Bahia State office, in the modalities of direct execution and support to national execution, in particular (but not limited to) to the following activities:
Support in monitoring the financial execution of projects: carry out budget reviews of projects, when necessary; mandatory reviews and final review of projects; subsidize requests and follow-up on the progress of authorization requests related to the project (ASL request, other relevant actions for each case), prepare financial reports for project donors; assist in the preparation of progress reports, annual work plans with focus on results and deliverables and final reports;
Support in maintaining cordial working relationships with all UNDP partners, especially in meeting the demands presented by counterparts in the implementation of projects and activities, ensuring the delivery of quality, fast and effective services. Maintain direct contact with private sector counterparts for various surveys.

Create purchase requisitions, conduct and monitor the bidding process when relevant, monitor the approval of purchase orders and issuance of contracts for signature of the parties, review individual contracts and submit them for approval by the Program Officer. Request and monitor payments, provide additional documentation, ensure posting of supporting documentation on corporate platforms; conduct micro-purchasing processes for services or purchases below established limits.
Keep up-to-date on UNDP administrative, financial and operational rules: Program and Operations Policy and Procedure (POPP), in order to alert the team about updates or performance of any activity that does not comply with them; take necessary actions for creation of new or updates of existing suppliers in Quantum and other systems and monitor their approval and implementation in the system;
Assist in the preparation of Terms of Reference for the consultant’s selection, purchase of goods and services, as well as in the preparation of draft documents such as: Contracts, Memorandum of Understanding, etc.; Review individual contracts and send them for approval by the Program Officer.
Keep electronic and physical files up to date and well organized; Support national implementation projects in terms of good document management including preparing them for auditing; Provide quantitative and qualitative technical reports for evaluation and monitoring of activities, whenever requested, including project monitoring tools; Monitor the signed contracts schedule and agreed activities; maintain contacts with private partners, ensuring the execution of planned activities and proposing actions for adjustments to the execution schedules, if necessary;
Support in presenting technical information in a systematic way and in the format required for official communications with the private and public sectors, dissemination materials, meetings, seminars, training and for the Annual Progress Reports;
Perform other tasks required by the Territorial Development and Decentralized Cooperation Advisor and the Coordination of Bahia State Project Office in the context of the objectives, duties, activities and responsibilities of the project assistant function; Support the organization of project missions and meetings, including arranging for ticketing and payment of per diems, preparation of agendas and related activities.
Provide assistance in organizing and conducting local and external technical meetings as well as prepare meeting minutes.
Provide support to unit and state project office coordination in ensuring good functioning of Bahia State office premises, technical equipment, maintenance of security parameters as well as other administrative and logistics tasks as needed.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements:

Secondary education (High school education) is required.
University degree (Bachelor´s degree) in Administration,Social Sciences, International Relations, Law, Economics or related fields will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Min. years of relevant work experience:

Minimum of 5 years (with high school) or 2 years (with bachelor´s degree) of practical and relevant work experience in administration, support to the management and implementation of technical cooperation projects, with preference in Territorial Development and Decentralized Cooperation and/or local contexts.

Required skills:

Experience preparing and monitoring contracts, projects, agreements, reports are required.
Proficiency in the use of computers, office package (MS Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.) and knowledge in data and information systematization is required.
Experience in the technical and logistical organization of meetings, seminars, qualifications and training is required.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

Experience working in partnership with government, civil society and the private sector is desirable.
Previous experience in UNDP/UN AFP web-based systems – Quantum, extranet or similar – will be considered an asset.

Required Language(s):