Project Finance and Admin Analyst

Office/Unit/Project Description

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UNDP in The Gambia is working to strengthen and provide a broad response to the people of The Gambia’s aspirations for a transparent, accountable, and responsive transition to democracy. Increasing citizen engagement and, in particular, the active participation of women and youth is an important focus, including the Gambian diaspora, considering its substantial technical and financial contributions to good governance and national development. UNDP works to ensure equal access to justice, particularly for women and marginalized groups across the country, working in close collaboration with a range of partners and Stakeholders and justice sector institutions. The objective of “The Gambia’s Responsive and Accountable Democratic Transition Project (EU-UNDP GREAT initiative)” is to enhance The Gambia’s democratic system. This is rooted in national priorities and political willingness, as demonstrated by a strong commitment to the post-TRRC process and the White Paper published in May 2022. When former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh went into exile on January 21, 2017, he left a legacy of grave human rights abuses spanning 22 years. 

In response, the government initiated a comprehensive transitional justice and reform agenda in January 2017 to address past violations, divisions, and inequalities. This agenda seeks to create conditions for security, democratic progress, and socio-economic transformation. Drawing on past experiences and lessons learned, this project aims to contribute to The Gambia’s democratic transition through three specific objectives: (i) Supporting constitutional and legislative reforms to strengthen checks and balances and safeguard human rights, including those of minorities and vulnerable populations. (ii) Enhancing the ongoing transitional justice process, rule of law, and human rights. (iii) Strengthening the effectiveness of local governance structures.

Overall, this initiative responds to the aspirations of The Gambian people for a more transparent, accountable, and responsive transition to democracy with a key focus on increasing citizen engagement, particularly the active involvement of women and youth. This initiative aligns with SDG 16, which promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, access to justice for all, and the establishment of effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. The project also aligns with the NDP Strategic Priority 1, which aims to restore good governance, respect for human rights, and the rule of law and empower citizens through decentralization and local governance. Additionally, it supports UNDP’s Strategic Plan Outcome 2 by ensuring that citizen expectations for voice, development, the rule of law, and accountability are met through stronger democratic governance systems.

Institutional Arrangement: 

The Project Finance and Administration Analyst under the general supervision of the EU GREAT Project Manager and collaborates closely with the Project Team and the UNDP Gambia country office, particularly the finance unit.

Provide direct supervision for the Project Associate and Driver under the overall supervision of the EU GREAT Project Manager.

Scope of Work 

Ensure implementation of operational and financial management strategies and adapt processes and procedures. 

• Ensure proper planning, expenditure tracking and audit of financial resources, in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations. Ensure project financial activities, the financial recording/reporting system, and audit follow-up comply with UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) and strategies; 
• Provide researched information and reports for audit exercises and support the closure of audit gaps. Implement effective internal controls and ensure the proper design and functioning of the financial resources management system;
• Support the Project Manager in preparing and reviewing project Finance business processes mapping, elaborate/establish internal standard operating procedures for the Project Management Unit, and control Project Management Unit workflows; 
• Ensure that financial procedures used by the responsible parties comply with the financial/accounting and procurement requirements of UNDP Policies and Procedures. Harmonize reporting and accounting practices of responsible parties including budgeting and key financial performance indicators;
• Monitor implementing partners for accuracy of financial information and safeguards to eliminate fraud; ensure annual audits of sub-recipients;
• Continuously analyze and monitor the financial situation and potential risks and forecast allocated resources, transactions, and activities; 
• Prepare detailed cost estimates and participate in budget analysis and projections as required to manage the project office’s financial operations, make cash payments, and reconcile all accounts within the required time frame;
• Define the cost-effective measures for the optimal use of project resources. Elaborate and implement cost-saving and reduction strategies; 
• Routinely monitor financial exception reports for unusual activities and transactions and examine anomalies or unusual transactions. Inform the Project Manager of the review results and then the head of the Finance Unit before escalating to the CO senior management when satisfactory answers are not obtained;
• Implementation of the control mechanisms for financial services, maintaining records of finances and Ensuring oversight over all financial management matters in the project.

Manage project budget, properly control accounts, and organize an optimal cost-recovery system. 

• Manage financial resources through planning, guiding, and controlling them in accordance with UNDP POPP guidelines. Support the preparation of annual project workplans and related sub-plans (procurement plan, quarterly plans if required, and others as necessary). Ensure proper set up of project budgets to account for GMS components. Track the budget to ensure timely and high-quality implementation of work plan activities;
• Prepare budget plans and monitor the budget in Quantum; maintain financial records and monitoring systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports. Provide regular analysis and reports on budget approvals and the project’s delivery situation. Prepare weekly expenditure reports, financial analysis and oversight for all resources managed and provision of high-quality professional advice;
• Set new project in quantum, including budget structure and transfer of existing and new funds. In collaboration with project finance ensure implementation of control mechanism for development projects through monitoring budget preparation and modifications, budget vs ASL, follow up to ensure fund availability at fund level (cash limits & ASLs). Track budget approval processes, requests for advance and sending to KK in quantum;
• Elaborate on proper mechanisms to eliminate deficits in budget management. Ensuring that advance payments and direct payments for the projects is properly reviewed and made on a timely basis, as well as ensuring that payment information is properly recorded into the quantum system on a timely basis;
• Support continuous monitoring of progress against the approved work plan. Monitor expenditures to ensure that they align with approved budgets, AWPs, and UNDP Programmed/Financial policies; 
• Follow-up with partners on contributions, and receipt creation in Quantum and Certification of reimbursement of expense claims. Ensuring that cost-sharing contributions are properly transferred to UNDP on a timely basis. Timely identification and recording of receipts for income application;
• Ensure timely processed invoices are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in ERP, and travel claims and other entitlements are duly processed in IPSAS compliance;
• Ensure timely corrective actions on unposted invoices, including invoices with validation errors, match exceptions, and/or unapproved invoices. Provide timely responses to requests to resolve financial data issues;
• Perform cash custodian duties, being primarily responsible for the project’s cash disbursements. Maintain the project’s petty cash book and payrolls. Review the cash position timely to ensure sufficient funds are on hand for disbursements;
• Review of zero-balance account bank statements in Quantum to monitor Imprest level; identification and recording of contributions if required;
• Ensuring timely and accurate bank reconciliation, including documented review of exceptions;
• Analyze potential problems concerning administrative-financial issues and take respective measures to provide adequate project resources on time for implementing the project activities;
• Submission of financial reports to donors on a timely and quality basis;
• Exercise appropriate delegated authorities for transaction approval;
• Ensure control of the Accounts Receivables and accounts closure.

Provide support for effective administrative of the Project.

• Implement the control mechanism for administrative services, maintain administrative control records such as commitments and expenditures, and ensure compliance with business continuity requirements; 
• Review, research, verify, and reconcile various data and reports, ensuring accuracy and conformance with administrative rules and regulations; create vendor set-up information in Quantum; analyze results; and initiate corrective actions when necessary;
• Ensure the proper maintenance of office premises, equipment, furniture, and vehicles and monitor the condition and use of said resources in accordance with established guidelines;
• Advise and assist project staff, experts, and consultants on all respects of allowances, salary advances, travel claims, and other financial and administrative matters, and calculate and authorize payments due for claims and services;
• Review of travel authorizations, documentation, and payments. Ensure that travel requests are in accordance with UNDP guidelines, follow up on and finalize travel arrangements for the project team and activity participants;
• Supervise proper issuance and payment of inventory items and supplies;
• Ensure oversight over all administrative and financial management matters in the project

Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing, and capacity building relevant to the assigned project. 

• Provide the project manager with accurate, prompt, and appropriate information and reports on administrative and financial matters related to the project;
• Assess the financial management capacities of implementing partners and develop an action plan to close identified gaps. Provide guidance and capacity building to partners and grantees on issues of finance – from contracting and banking issues to budgeting, accounting and reporting;
• Organize/conduct financial and administrative management training for the project staff;
• Synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in finance and administration;
• Participate in CO finance unit, operations meetings and Operations Management Team (OMT) if needed to share information on cross-cutting areas and collaboration opportunities to achieve greater economies of scale. Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

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

• Accounting (General): Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, regulations, policies and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.
• 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, analyzing and reporting. 
• Audit Risk Management: Ability to address audit issues raised in the course of an audit and propose solutions in order to ensure a true and fair audit opinion is achieved.
• Financial Risk Management: Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management.