The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia and plays an important role in the stability of the region. Environmental degradation and more frequent climatic events are likely to be key political, economic, and security disrupters over the longer term. Humanitarian crises can undermine growth, reverse development gains, increase poverty, and cause instability that can last for decades.

To address this challenge, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the support of the Government of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Philippines (DFAT), is implementing the Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) Program. Australia invested AUD18 million in SHIELD which aims to make all people in target communities safer and more resilient to the impacts of natural hazard events and climate change. This will be realized by achieving three interdependent components:

• Component 1: Government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders in targeted local government units (LGUs) are collaborating to unlock funding and implementing informed and inclusive resilience actions
• Component 2: Relevant national government agencies (NGAs) are prioritizing action on local climate and disaster resilience
• Component 3: Philippine scientific agencies are producing tailored and accessible information for local resilience action

The SHIELD Program is implemented in partnership with the Government of the Philippines through the Department of Interior and Local Government and four Consortium Partners, namely, United Nations Human Settlement Program (UN-HABITAT), Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), National Resilience Council (NRC), and the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS).  The program will assist 11 vulnerable provinces, Metro Manila and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

UNDP has set up a SHIELD Support Unit (SSU) responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program. The SSU will undertake key functions to support the SHIELD Program Board, Executive Committee, Program Management Team, and collaborate with Multi-stakeholder Partners at the national and sub-national levels.

The Program Associate shall be directly supervised by the Component Leads, with overall guidance from the Program Adviser. They will be working closely with the SHIELD SSU, UNDP Country Office and Bangkok Regional Hub, Consortium Partners, national and subnational partners and stakeholders, and DFAT. The incumbent has the direct report under the supervision of the Project Coordinator.

Under the direct supervision of the SHIELD Program Component Lead, the SHIELD Project Associate will perform a variety of technical and administrative support functions contributing to the design, planning, implementation, management and monitoring of activities under his/her respective Component.

The Project Associate will work closely with the SHIELD SSU, UNDP Country Office teams and program stakeholders to ensure relevant requirements are fulfilled in a timely manner with the required quality, following standards in line with UNDP guidelines and procedures.

Technical Support to the implementation of the project activities:

• Provide project coordination, planning and implementation of the project activities.
• Collect, analyze and present information to support program planning, strategy development, and implementation.
• Prepare background information and materials, documentations, activity designs, strategy papers, presentations, correspondences and other related documents.
• Assist in the design, conduct, and documentation of meetings, consultations, missions, capacity building activities and other related activities to support Program objectives .
• Assist in tracking and documenting progress towards achievement of targets and objectives of the Program.

Assist in maintaining partnerships and delivering to stakeholders:

• Regularly meet with the consortium partners and key project partners to ensure agreed work plans are prioritized by the consortium and key project partners.
• Meet and coordinate discussions with partners and stakeholders on issues affecting the project and bring the same to the attention of the SHIELD team.
• Attendance at any forums where project stakeholders might highlight issues that could affect the project or add to the scope of the project, and bring the same to the attention of the project team.

Support monitoring & evaluation and reporting of project outputs and deliverables:

• Undertaken monitoring missions to project sites.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual reports of project activities, outputs and deliverables.
• Timely acquittals and reporting after field visits.
• Ensure contracted stakeholders follow their contract and deliver on planned activities.
• Provide recommendations for the mitigation of identified risks, sustainability strategies and improvements in project implementation as well as resource mobilization based on findings of monitoring missions.

Facilitate logistical, travel, procurement, and financial and asset management for the project:

• Preparation of events budgets.
• Timely acquittals and reporting after field visits.
• Ensure contracted stakeholders follow their contract and deliver on planned activities.
• Timely provision of support to procure goods and services required by the project, in liaison with the relevant project staff, participants, project stakeholders and relevant units of the UNDP Country Office.

Contribute to Knowledge Management and Learning from the project activities:

• Compiling, organizing and filing information and documents, including correspondence and minutes, for reference and use by team members.
• Document lessons learned and recommendations to improve activities in the communities.
• Liaise with Communications support personnel to create Communications Plans for events and to highlight project results.
• Prepare activity reports, with analysis of project outputs and relevant findings to information reporting to UNDP Philippines and DFAT. [Quarterly/annual reporting]

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

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy

• Effective Decision Making: Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources

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

Audit &Investigation

• Procurement concepts, processes and management: Knowledge of procurement processes and management.

Finance

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