Project Budget Analyst

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.  

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.  

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.  

The central purpose of the Rome Centre is to ensure the effective implementation and further development of the strategic partnership between UNDP and the government of Italy across the objectives of sustainable development and in doing so advancing the broader partnership between UNDP and G7 and G20 countries.  

The Rome Centre focuses on the critical policy areas of youth engagement in climate action, energy for development and climate finance. These objectives are pursued through the effective implementation of three initial main programmes:  

The Italy-UNDP Energy Partnership 

Youth4Climate 

Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance (PISTA)  

• The Italy-UNDP Energy Partnership aims to promote access to sustainable energy in developing countries, contributing to SDG7. The goal of the partnership is to assist partner countries in unlocking finance to scale up the diffusion of clean energy solutions, increase access to energy and boost the energy transition. The Partnership is now in its pilot phase, and it focuses on a set of 8 countries in Africa: Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zambia, Eswatini and Comoros. Overall, the Partnership aims to foster the mobilization of public and private capital toward projects aligned with the international policy agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. It does so by connecting UNDP’s capacity and connections in emerging economies and developing countries with the public-private ecosystem of Italy and other G7 countries, in the crucial sector of energy.
• Youth4Climate promotes youth engagement in climate action, contributing to SDG13. Youth4Climate supports the implementation of youth-led and youth-inclusive solutions to environmental and climate challenges, both financially and through capacity development. It also gives young people around the world who are committed to fighting climate change a platform to engage with policymakers and global leaders.
• The Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance (PISTA), aims to mobilise finance for climate, energy, and environment. Specifically, PISTA aims to originate projects that contribute to the decarbonization efforts of developing economies and to their transition to climate-resilient economies, and it aims to catalyse international financial resources toward these initiatives. Matching impactful projects with investors and capital providers goes hand in hand with the engagement with financial institutions – both institutional and private – at Italian and global level.
• The Rome Centre also has a broader mandate to engage with the Italian ecosystem as a whole, which involves close collaboration with key actors in the public and private sector, with the aim to effectively mobilize financial resources for development objectives. To guarantee the effective implementation of the Rome Centre’s workplan, and indeed to ensure the strategic and long-term impact of both its programmes, the Centre will develop broader strategic partnerships and reinforce the overall collaboration with Italy and other meaningful partners.
• Delivering on its programmes, the Rome Centre will provide support to the international cooperation efforts of Italy, and it will support UNDP’s global policy initiatives. Recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will work to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Administration and implementation of programme operational and financial management strategies, adapting processes and procedures;
• Monitor and report on progress in implementing project activities and achieving the targets set;
• Coordination and management of project financial resources;
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing and advocacy between operations/ programme/projects staff and corporate RBM systems.

Ensures administration and implementation of programme operational and financial management strategies, adapts processes and procedures focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Full compliance with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, and policies of financial activities and follow-up on audit recommendations; implementation of effective internal controls, proper functioning of a client-oriented financial resources management system.
• Continuous analysis, planning and monitoring of the financial situation, presentation of forecasts for programme resources, monitoring of financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions.
• Regular monitoring of corporate financial rules/regulations updates, ensuring alignment of internal procedures, advice and guidance to management and programme colleagues in their implementation.
• Development of concepts to be applied in the financial management of programmes, monitoring of agreements, statistical information on donors, projects, funds and other relevant data and processes.
• Contribution to the mainstreaming of gender, innovation, greening in programmes/projects.
• Carries out budget revisions based on approve work plan and delegation of authorities
• Sets up and maintains document control procedures and a document filing system, including for supporting documentation for financial reviews, continuously integrating relevant new information/data;
• Provide support in managing requests for day-to-day financial administration, using advance of funds, direct payments, or reimbursement using Fund Authorization and Certificate of Expenditures;
• Maintains the internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed; transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Quantum;
• Takes timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers;
• Creates payment and coordinate with Operations Specialist for approval in Quantum.

Monitor and report on progress in implementing project activities and achieving the targets set.

• Monitor implementation and progress in achieving goals and targets in accordance with the established quality criteria and UNDP rules, regulations, and standards. Identify, analyze, and take adequate measures to manage emerging issues, problems, and risks.
• Liaise with the Finance Department at BPPS to ensure administrative requirements, budgets and use of financial resources are managed and executed in a timely and appropriate manner and within UNDP and donor rules and regulations.
• Prepare corporate, donor and government reports in line with the reporting schedule and UNDP and donor requirements.
• Maintains accurate information in Quantum for all work plan milestones;
• Ensure proper operational and financial closure of the project.
• Supports the Head of Project Management Support Unit in monitoring and facilitating compliance with management and administrative requirements from donors, including reviewing financial reports generated in Quantum, budget compliance and audit reports.

Coordination and management of project financial resources;   

• Contribute in guiding programme colleagues on establishment of cost sharing and trust fund agreements, their monitoring and management. Liaise with HQ for non-standard cases.
• Coordition of clearance of cost sharing and trust fund agreements and obtaining of clearances from HQ if necessary.
• Control of the Accounts Receivables for UNDP projects and maintenance of the General Ledger.
• Monitoring of cost-sharing contributions, delegation of authorities, financial allocations, revenue management, including all new agreements, installments and amendments, maintenance of DMS revenue module. Ensuring timely receipt of contributions in accordance with the revenue plan. Control of revenue related dashboard indicators.
• Analysis of requirements and synthesis of proposals for development and implementation of UNDP Rome Centre strategy
• Contribute in guiding programme colleagues on different donor reporting requirements;
• Ensuring compliance with partner requirements, including systematized UNDP Rome Centre reporting to donors.
• Quality control and monitoring of financial reports to be submitted to donors, ensure compliance with corporate standards and correctness of financial information presented. Maintenance of a system for tracking and reporting on mobilized resources.
• Monitoring of bilateral agreements and delegation of authorities provided to different UNDP offices, and maintenance of a system for tracking and reporting on resources allocated to Country Offices.
• Provides financial support to resource mobilization, maintaining information/databases on potential and actual donors, providing administrative information and editing support towards funding proposals.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s).

• Compiles and analyses historical data and forecasts of specific products and commodities;
• Supports management of data requests internal and external to the organization
• Ensure systematic knowledge sharing on budget and resource management by assisting in the organization of training workshops and in the development of knowledge tools;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in relevant to development, business administration, economics or related fields is required, or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• Minimum 2 years (with a Master’s degree) or 4 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, and/or hands-on experience in programme support and/or operations, project budget-related experience, implementation and monitoring of development projects especially for development-related projects and programmes is required.

Required  skills

• Extensive experience in using ERP Systems.
• Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is required for external candidates.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheets and web-based management systems such as ERP financials and database packages.
• Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
• Experience in UN system or with a multilateral organization of similar size and complexity is desirable.
• Working experience with UNDP related to project financial management and budget oversight is desirable
• Good knowledge of Quantum and Quantum +  is an asset
• Work experience from developing countries highly desirable.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
• Professional Certificates
• Certification in financial management, project management and/or procurement management is desirable.

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/job/19722