Project Associate

Position Information

Project: Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Advancing Women-Led Enterprises in Lebanon
Title: Project Associate
Duty station: Beirut, Lebanon
Type: Regular
Office- or Home-based: Office Based
Expected starting date: As soon as possible
 

Project Description

Lebanon is still going through one of the worst economic crises in its modern history. Since October 2019, the economy has shrunk by more than 39.9%, with GDP dropping from US$54.9 billion in 2018 to an estimated US$23 billion in 2022. This has led to a significant decrease in GDP per capita, falling from $9,225 in 2018 to an estimated $3,303 in 20221.

The brutal economic collapse has had severe social and humanitarian consequences, disproportionally affecting vulnerable groups especially women and youth. Vulnerable groups including women, youth among others have been bearing the brunt of the crisis: women unemployment rates reached as high as 32%2, exacerbating the existing gender gap.

UNDP Lebanon is implementing a comprehensive approach that would foster women equal access to resources, tools and economic opportunities (markets) that would enable them to do business better, while making sure that institutions (public and private) are more responsive to women’s needs and are able to provide them with the needed tools, systems and opportunities to be the main drivers of their economic success and empowerment. Emphasis will be put on supporting the most vulnerable women to improve their economic opportunities and their access to and control over productive assets and income.

By supporting women access to economic opportunities, the project will be supporting job stabilization as well as job creation directly and indirectly, thus contributing to poverty reduction. More specifically, by providing women with the tools to compete nationally and internationally, and by ensuring they are prepared i.e. their products and services have the needed quality to enter markets and generate opportunities, the project will ensure that women-led businesses can continuously generate the needed income to grow and sustain livelihood, thus contributing to poverty reduction. Furthermore, the various skills trainings provided for women in will also bridge the gap between the supply and the demand sides of the job market, thus directly supporting target beneficiaries in accessing employment.

Scope of Work

Under the guidance and supervision of the Project Manager and the Economist, the Project Associate will provide day to day logistical, administrative, and financial support to ensure the smooth running of the project, including:

a) Provide assistance in Financial Management and Procurement activities:

• Assist in the development of procurement related documents and in conducting evaluations in accordance with UNDP rules and procedures.
• Assist in tasks related to contract management, especially in relation to procurement contracts.
• Review project expenditures and ensure that project funds are used in compliance with the Project document and financial rules and procedures.
• Support in the monitoring and follow up on the tracking of deliverables and payments.
• Provide PMU-related administrative assistance, including keeping records of project funds and expenditures, and ensuring all project-related financial documentation are well maintained and readily available when required by the Project Manager.
• Provide necessary financial information as and when required for project management decisions.
• Provide necessary financial information during project audits.
• Review annual budgets and project expenditure reports and notify the Project Manager if there are any discrepancies or issues.
• Assist in the preparation of budget revisions, expenditure reports, etc. in coordination with the UNDP finance department.
• Provide support in monitoring the work of the partners of UNDP, ensuring smooth administrative, financial and activities implementation of the different interventions based on set timeframes.

b) Support Logistical and Administrative operations:

• Assist the Project Manager and PMU in day-to-day management and oversight of project activities.
• Provide organizational and administrative support in implementation of project activities including organization of roundtables, workshops, trainings, working meetings and other events.
• Ensure all project documentation (progress reports, consulting and other technical reports, minutes of meetings, etc.) are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies in an efficient and readily accessible filing system, for when required by the project manager, UNDP, project consultants and other PMU staff.
• Maintain of the filing and documents retrieval system; maintain proper inventory records.
• Draft correspondence in English and/or Arabic and follow up on correspondence.
• Assist in any related administrative tasks that are requested on ad-hoc basis.
• Prepare all logistical and administrative documents related to the project implementation in accordance with the UNDP rules and procedures, including terms of references.
• Prepare security, travel, accommodation, and transport arrangements for project staff and partners.
• Assist project staff in office communications, faxing, scanning, photocopying, etc.
• Facilitate cooperation and exchange of information with and between partners when needed.
• Support liaising between the project team and programme on various administrative issues.
• Perform additional tasks, within scope of work and as required by the Project Manager

Institutional Arrangement

The selected incumbent will be working under the overall guidance and the direct supervision of the Project Manager and the Economist and in close coordination with the project team

Competencies

Core

• 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

Functional Competencies

• Administration and Operations
  Documents and Records management: Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving
• Administration and Operations
  Events management: (including retreats, trainings and meetings): Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.
• Finance
  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
• Business Management
  Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
• Business Management
  Partnerships Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
• Business Management
  Risk Management: Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks
• Business Management
  Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication, to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Completion of Secondary Education is required; or
• University Degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Economics, Accounting, or any related fields will be given due consideration but not a requirement

Work experience

• Minimum 6 years (with secondary education) or 3 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of progressive relevant experience in the field of admin/finance.

Required skills and competencies

• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems such as ERP is required.
• Team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills/experience.
• Systematic, organized, proactive, motivated, and meticulous with an proven ability to be flexible and adaptive.
• Proven Ability to perform a variety of standard tasks.
• Proven Ethics and Integrity background

Desired additional skills and competencies

• Previous experience with the UN, UNV, NGOs or international organization(s) is an asset.
• Experience in Quality assurance is desired.
• Experience in financial accounting including recording of project transactions, classifying and summarizing transactions into financial reports and communicating financial reports to interested parties.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in both spoken and written English and Arabic.