The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been operating in Egypt for more than a decade as a trusted and credible partner, supporting the government through policy advice and programme management, leading nationwide initiatives and programmes, and playing an important role in strengthening national institutional capacities to address poverty reduction, job creation, and business promotion. The overarching approach for UNDP in Egypt is to support Egypt’s vision for sustainable development for all and meet Egypt’s strategic and national development priorities.

The Programme Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and projects’ staff in the CO and UNDP HQ, and UN Agencies to exchange information and resolve complex finance-related issues.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Support formulation of programme strategies and implementation of the Country Programme Documents (CPDs).

• Provide background information for preparation of CPDs and establishment of Baselines, Milestones and Targets (BMT).
• Provide information/evidence to guide future programming and identify implementation arrangements.
• Compile information, development, and presentation of background information for formulation of the country programme, draft project documents, work plans, budgets, proposals on project pipelines, and implementation arrangements within the assigned portfolio.
• Analyze data for programme development, research studies, and reports and provide input to relevant research or reports on issues related to social protection, urban development, local development, community resilience, as well as other related areas.

Provide effective support to management of the Country Office programme.

• Create project in ERP, prepare required budget revisions, revise project status, determine unutilized funds, and ensure operational and financial closure of a project.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to implementing partners on implementation of projects, and track use of financial resources. Contribute to managing digital technology solutions in programme implementation towards scalability and sustainability in line with UNDP’s digital standards.
• Contribute to the effective management of data in programme implementation, across the data lifecycle. Follow up on programme and project performance indicators/ success criteria, targets and milestones, preparation of reports, and implementation of corporate results-based management mechanisms and tools.
• Support planning, monitoring and reporting of programmes and projects pertaining to budget and resource management, and ensures support in quality control of financial resource management, flagging any deviations or bottlenecks, entailing assessing and reviewing submitted payments for portfolio’s projects against agreed workplans, frameworks, and UNDP guidelines.
• Identify programme related bottlenecks and propose solutions.
• Make preparations for external and internal programme/project audits, and support implementation of audit recommendations.
• Provide administrative support to the Programme unit by maintaining internal expenditure system and performing quality assurance review of technical reports and payments that includes following up with other units and taking timely corrective actions.
• Prepare and/or consolidate comprehensive reports, documentation, correspondence, briefing notes, etc. and conduct research in the area of work.
• Support the initiation of new projects through engaging in the formulation of project documents and, finalization of contribution agreement.
• Support and provide technical backstopping in project planning, implementation, evaluation and monitoring, as required, and day-to-day project management, including project communication and technical advice to Implementing Partners and counterparts, developing project-related documentation, and reporting, as required, to ensure efficient project execution and delivery.
• Draft and prepare quarterly and annual progress reports, project implementation reports, and assessment reports for the portfolio’s projects, when required, in compliance with planned workplans and financial reporting systems, UNDP and donors’ (if applicable) rules, regulations, and policies.
• Provision of technical and financial advice and guidance to the executing partners, agencies, or counterparts on routine implementation of projects. Act as a point of contact for timely and accurate resolution of a range of technical, operational, and financial queries and problems, specifically from respective counterparts and partner.
• Develop written communication material that complement the portfolio/programme’s larger communication and advocacy plans and strategic priorities, including reports, briefs, concept notes, etc.
• Presentation of information for audit of NEX/NIM projects, compile information for audit of NEX projects, and support implementation of audit recommendations.
• Research, tracking and monitoring of programme data on the respective portfolio.
• Efficient co-ordination of team workflows and key deliverables.

• Analyze information on donors and prepare donor profiles.
• Track and report on mobilized resources.
• Review contributions agreements and manage contributions in ERP.
• Engage in stakeholder meetings and dialogues and regularly liaise, coordinate, and communicate with counterparts form the Government, donors, and other pertinent stakeholders, ensuring effective collaboration and implementation of respective project activities, and robust monitoring and reporting on portfolio/projects’ implementation.
• Support the identification of areas for support and interventions within the thematic/sectoral areas assigned; through participating in interagency fora and meetings, with a view to identify areas of common interest.
• Contribute to development of project/programme pipeline proposals and new partnerships, identifying opportunities and areas for support and intervention within the assigned thematic/sectoral areas, through contributing with comprehensive research data and preparing concept notes, project proposals, funding proposals, aligned with UNDP’s strategic priorities, and the Country Programme Document, supporting the overall office effort in resource mobilization. This entails analysis and research of information on donors and preparation of donor’s profile.
• Ensure and/or perform accurate, timely recording of data and consistency of information presented to stakeholders.

Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the Country Office.

• In assigned programme areas:
• Organize and deliver programme related training for relevant programme and operations personnel.
• Compile lessons learned and best practices.
• Provide contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice and digital knowledge platforms.
• Provide inputs to support the portfolio/programme’s knowledge management and communication activities.
• Best practices and lessons learned proposed in technical, operational, and financial project/programme support for dissemination.
• Support the programme in capturing, codifying, synthesizing lessons from evaluations and assessments and helps in sharing and accumulating best practices and experience across teams and the region.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Achieve Results

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Management

Project Management:     

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Business Management

Customer Satisfaction/Client Management:

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
• Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
• Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Development

Knowledge Generation:

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Business Management

Risk Management

Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.

Business Management

Results-based Management:

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results.

Finance 

Budget Management:

• Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.

Procurement

Contract Management:

• Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.