1. Office/Unit/Project Description

The UNDP Viet Nam programme portfolio consists of a mix of national implementation and direct agency implementation. UNDP Viet Nam continues to provide critical support in the areas of democratic governance and participation; inclusive and equitable growth; and sustainable development, climate change and disaster risk reduction. Efforts to support Viet Nam’s development agenda are firmly grounded in the context of the UN SDCF and the CPD.

Programme governance, management, and administration will therefore require a high degree of flexibility and agility, with a focus on contribution to offering high quality policy advisory and project implementation services.

The Project Associate is recruited to provide support to deliver country office programme and projects; and supports programme and project implementation under Governance and Participation Team (GPT)

He/she will be under the guidance of the Unit Head and relevant programme/project officers; collaborates with programme and operations staff, relevant government of Viet Nam and project staff, staff in the country office and UNDP Head-quarters/Regional levels, relevant staff of development partners.

2. Scope of Work

The Project Associate has following functions:

• Provide effective support to management and implementation of CO projects
• Supports formulation of new projects and resource mobilization
• Provides financial and administrative support to the Participation and Governance Team (GPT) wide activities.

Provide effective support to management and implementation of the CO projects.

• Tracking and controlling program/project expenditures/disbursement rate against commitments to ensure the conformity with approved annual workplans and Budget, determining gaps between budgets and expenditures, committed and actual allocated funds to advise programme officers for taking actions, supporting operation and financial closure of a project in QUANTUM.
• Supports to effective Procurement and Recruitment and contract management process.
• Support programme officers in periodic review of project work-plans and advise programme officers and Implementing partners on the progress and work-plan’s conformity to agreed results and outputs for finalization.
• Quarterly reviews of (DIM) Project Advance and Financial Reports (FACE) forms with the approved annual workplan and quarterly work plan and corresponding Activities and Expenditure accounts.
• Supporting the organization of overseas study tours and monitoring visits, including daily subsistence allowance entitlement calculation and transportation.
• Taking timely corrective actions and unposted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions and unapproved vouchers.
• Supporting timely operational and financial closure of project, determination of unutilized funds and processing operational/financial closure of projects in QUANTUM;
• Support the direct implementation of country office projects, including recruitment of international and national consultants, organizing technical workshops, training activities, consultations, travel arrangements and procurement of goods and services.

Provision of guidance on policies and procedures to Implementing partners:

• Updating programme officers and implementing partners on changes in financial policies, rules and procedures.
• Providing advises, guidance and on-the-spot couching to DIM project personnel on applicable policies and procedures (UN Harmonized Program and Project Management Guidelines-HPPMG, Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfer-HACT, Cost Norms)

Quality assurance (HACT, M&E):

• Supporting programme officers and implementing partners in day-to-day monitoring and implementation of project activities to ensure the project progress achievement of results and outputs as planned.
• Providing inputs to the auditing of DIM projects, supporting programme officers and implementing partners in follows-up on timely implementation of audit recommendation;
• Supporting assessments of technical and financial management capacity (micro assessment) of implementing partners;
• Supporting spot-checks on implementing partners, supporting the coordination of DIM audits and ensuring effective client liaison
• Supporting project mid-term reviews and final evaluation including recruitment or consultants, arrangement of working missions/interviews, collecting information and relevant documents, liaising with concerned parties.

Supports formulation of new projects and resource mobilization:

• Support Programme Officers/experts in collection, analysis and presentation of financial background information for preparation of UN and UNDP documents such as UN One Strategic Plan, Country Programme Document, etc.
• Contribution to (i) the planning/budgeting of the project formulation process, (ii) preparation of project document and (iii) appraisal processes, ensuring effective liaison with partners in this regard;
• Supports to effective procurement and recruitment and contract management process for project idea/proposal development;
• Support to financial management of the grants/facilities for the formulation of project ideas and proposals;
• Entering approved project proposal into the UNDP online management system – called QUANTUM – for project award generation; creation of projects including project activities and budgets in QUANTUM, revision of project award and project status when required and delegated.
• Tracking and reporting on mobilized resources. Review of contributions agreement, managing contributions in QUANTUM.
• Assist liaison and partnership activities with funding partners.

Provides financial and administrative support to the GPT wide activities

Overall budget and Finance (as required and arrangement among Project Associates)

• Support Unit Head in planning and managing the direct project costing (DPC) and tracking incomes and expenditure relating to staff costs of the Unit;
• Analyze and monitor overall program financial situation in consultation with Unit Head, Programme Officers and project staff.  Report on program/project financial expenditures and alert Unit Head and Programme Officers on shortfalls and over-expenditures;
• Liaise closely with Finance Unit and Programme Support Unit for tracking overall expenditures in relation to commitments and report on delivery status to Unit Head.
• Maintain and update the GPT pipeline project in the system.
• Serve as the focal point for financial, administrative, operation or substantive matters within the unit or for the Country Office, as needed; this includes Spot Check, M&E, Audit preparation, retreat, trainings, project profiles, etc., as required.

Initiation Plans (as required and arrangement among Project Associates)

• Support project formulation, planning, budgeting, management and implementation of these specific projects.
• Co-ordinate all mandatory and rephasing exercises. Initiate budget revisions, in line with available resources. Make necessary adjustments at the requests of project authorities.
• Maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that voucher processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in QUANTUM.
• Timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions and unapproved vouchers.
• Creation of requisitions in QUANTUM for development projects, register of goods receipt in QUANTUM.
• Making budget check for requisitions, POs and vouchers.

Serve as the Compliance (M&E) Focal Point: (as required and arrangement among PAs)

• Support to timely monitoring and actions towards satisfactory scorecard performance for the office
• Play a role of M&E focal point (Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating…);
• Provide support for Pre-PAC & LPAC in conformity with CO’s SOPs/guideline.
• Follow and update the Project Risk log, SES.
• Timely reminding PO/PA on project ending date and support procedures for closure if needed.

Serve as the HACT focal point (as required and arrangement among PAs)

• HACT compliance consists of micro assessment, financial spot-checks, documentation of programme meetings/visits/meetings.
• Vertical Fund compliance includes checklists of new projects, time sheets- allocation of time to GEF, GCF projects by senior management and related staff.
• Provide support for Audit preparation.

GPT Admin and other relevant work (as required and arrangement among Project Associates)

• Support to timely monitoring and actions towards satisfactory scorecard performance for the office.
• Contact and liaise with counterparts for meetings, workshop, partnership development, etc.
• Support to timely monitoring and actions towards satisfactory scorecard performance for the office.
• Serve as the focal point for financial, administrative, operation or substantive matters within the unit or for the Country Office, as needed; this includes Spot Check, M&E, Audit preparation, retreat, trainings, project profiles, etc.
• Support in organization and facilitation of Unit events and activities.
• Support documentation and dissemination of lessons learnt.

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

3. Competencies

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA