Administrative Associate

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Description

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Administrative Associate works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations, Communications and project teams in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex programme/project-related issues and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, internal SOPs, as well as implementation of the effective internal control 

Scope of Work:

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Operations the incumbent assists in the effective and efficient provision of administrative services to projects and UN Agencies.  Administrative Associate applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

The incumbent supports CO to provide services of financial and administrative type to projects and UN agencies based on long-term arrangements or ad-hoc requests:

• Administrative and travel management
• Provide support to projects’ requests on administrative related issues;
• Pro-actively contribute to day-to-day project implementation and ensure conformity to expected results and project work-plans;
• Make pertinent logistical arrangements for events organized by projects, CO and UN agencies;
• Assume overall responsibility for administrative matters of a more general nature, such as registry and maintenance of project files and records, where applicable;
• Provide support for procurement of equipment, supplies and services;
• Create and manage e-requisitions in Quantum;
• Provide services of travel administration (organizing travel, procuring tickets, preparing requests for travel and processing travel claims);
• Guide and assist staff, international advisors and national consultants on all aspects of allowances, travel claims and other financial matters and calculate payments due for claims and services;
• Prepare and submit proposals for annual DSA review;
• Respond to queries from the beneficiary institution, donor and UNDP with respect to travel aspects and external auditors wherever required;
• Prepare recurring travel reports as scheduled and special reports as required for budget preparations and audit;
• Monitor Travel and Expense Dashboard and follow up on pending claims, tickets and cash advances;
• Provide on the job related induction briefing for newcomers;
• Maintain proper filing system for travel records and documents

Financial and accounting support: 

• Prepare requests for direct payments; 
• Ensure proper control of the supporting documents for payments and their compliance with established procedures and regulations;
• Prepare all types of payment invoices for development, management projects and on-behalf of Quantum and non-Quantum Agencies;
• Respond to queries with respect to financial aspects and follow up any questionable finance related issues with UNall;
• Provide support for timely preparation and clean-up of cost-recovery information for services provided by UNDP. Proper clean-up, sorting and compilation of reports for efficient cost recovery;
• Assist internal and external auditing of management and development projects;
• Provide support to Finance Unit for preparing financial reports.

Coordination support:

• Act as the primary coordination point among Procurement, Finance, HR, ICT units to ensure seamless administrative operations.
• Facilitate communication and information sharing across the Operations Team.
• Monitor administrative workflows, ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently and in alignment with organizational policies and deadlines.
• Organize and coordinate operational meetings, including drafting agendas, preparing minutes, and ensuring follow-up actions are tracked and implemented.
• Prepare summary reports for senior management on key administrative updates and challenges.
• Ensure all administrative documents, SOPs, and guidelines are up-to-date and accessible to relevant staff and personnel.
• Assist in interunit coordination for logistical and operational needs, including office space management, procurement planning, and onboarding of new staff.
• Work closely with Procurement, and Finance units to facilitate procurement of office supplies, and budget tracking for administrative costs.
• Identify and address administrative bottlenecks by coordinating between relevant units and escalating issues when necessary.
• Provide support in troubleshooting operational challenges to enhance efficiency.
• Support training and knowledge-sharing initiatives for administrative best practices within the Operations Team.
• Act as a resource person for staff on administrative procedures and systems.
• Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project. 
• Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff. Provide support to other capacity building activities, including to the design and delivery of tools, materials for workshops, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action. 
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA:

Min Academic Education:

• Secondary Education is required. 
• University Degree in Economcs, Finance, Accounting, Law, Public Administration or related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement. 
• Certification in financial or travel management would be an advantage.

Min years of relevant Work experience:

• Minimum of six (6) years (with secondary education) or three (3) years  (with bachelor’s degree) of experience in administrative work, accounting/finance, economics, or other substantive area is required.

Required skills and competencies:

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling web-based management systems.
• Previous experience in development assistance or related work for a donor organization, travel company, international company or NGO is a very strong advantage.
• Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews is an asset.
• Experience and knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools is desired. 
• Proven experience in travel management is an asset.

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English and Romanian is required.
• Knowledge of one or more minority languages relevant for Moldova, including Russian, Romani, Gagauzian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and sign language, is an asset.

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/24322

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