Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and overall supervision of the Sector Leader, the Project Associate will support implementation of the “Environmentally Sound Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Hazardous and Industrial Waste Sectors” project, funded by the Government of Seden. The project intends to prevent the release in Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the environment through the improvement of health care waste management, implementation of green chemistry initiatives in the industry and agriculture along with destruction of identified POPs waste stockpiles.

The following POPs will be targeted by the project: Dioxins (PCDD/F) released by unsafe incineration of medical waste and empty pesticide containers, POPs substances listed under Stockholm Convention (SC) on Persistent Organic Pollutants used in the manufacturing of plastic products, with special reference to plastic use in articles exposed to sources of heat; and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) existing in the dielectric fluid of electrical equipment, and obsolete POPs stockpiles/materials.

All these substances pose a global threat to the environment and human health due to their long persistence in the environment, their long term and cumulative toxic properties, and their capacity to bioaccumulate in living organisms. The overall objective of the project is to reduce risk for people’s health and the environment through the prevention of U-POP releases, shifting from POPs toward non-POPs chemicals in the plastic industry, and sound destruction of at least 50 tons of POPs waste.

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and overall supervision of the Sector Leader, the Project Associate will support activities implemented within the project by performing a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high-quality and accuracy of work. The Project Associate shall promote a client, quality and result-oriented approach.

To ensure consistent service delivery, the Project Associate will work in close collaboration with the POPs project staff, project staff of other climate change mitigation projects of the Energy and Environment Sector, as well as UNDP Country Office (CO) operations staff.

The incumbent will be based in UNDP BiH office in Sarajevo.

• Ensure business processes are in line with the UNDP regulations and rules and the UNDP internal control framework;
• Assists in the organization of field visits, missions, workshops, training, roundtables, conferences and study visits within the project;
• Maintains and updates all administrative, personnel and financial files and records as well as general office files related to the project;
• Assists in the preparation of draft job descriptions, vacancy announcements, requests for recruitments, interview minutes and requests for contracts as well as support;
• Assists staff by processing requests for personnel-related documents in accordance with requirements of the organization;
• Maintains the inventory of project assets/equipment and project correspondence and files;
• Ensures completion of monthly leave reports and attendance records of project staff;
• Organize travel and other logistics arrangements, in line with the project’s work plan.

b) Support to financial monitoring and management 

• Processes all financial transactions on the UNDP online Corporate Planning System, such as non-PO vouchers, receipts, requisitions, customer/vendor info updates, project budget revisions, etc.;
• Ensures proper receipt of goods and services;
• Maintains the internal expenditures control system that ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed; transactions are correctly recorded and posted in the online system;
• Takes timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers;
•  Supports periodic and ad-hoc financial reporting to UNDP and other parties;
• Regularly monitor expenditures and commitments against the Project budget and relevant plans, and provides financerelated information to support Project implementation and planning and recommend corrective actions when necessary;
• Draft various correspondence concerning finance, operations and budgetary issues as required;
• Assist team members, experts and consultants in liaison with UNDP Operations on financial and other operational matters;
• Prepares information for evaluations or audit purposes.

c) Support to project planning 

• Collects, analyses and presents information for monitoring and evaluation of project implementation against project targets;
• Compiles background information for the formulation of project work plans, draft annual/quarterly budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements, and drafts of quarterly project reports;
• Support in the monitoring of the quality of delivery inputs provided by the consultants, beneficiaries and contracted companies and communicates findings to the supervisor;
• Maintains timetables for the Project Board meetings and provides support to organizing and holding the meetings,
• including the preparation and dissemination of information and follow-up.

d) Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing 

• Participates in the trainings for the operations/projects staff on HR, POPP, etc. and organize briefings for the project staff where necessary on new internal procedures;
• When necessary, provides guidance to project staff in business processes, administrative and other requirements and procedures;
• Support the Project Manager in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

e) Support in mainstreaming of gender equality 

• Support the Project Manager in mainstreaming gender equality in the Project implementation;
• Support the Project Manager in preparing gender equality background materials for use in discussion, correspondence and briefing sessions;
• Ensure that all the data, when collecting and compiling inputs relating to programme, are gender disaggregated;
• In the preparation of meetings/consultations/trainings/commissions ensure a minimum of 30% participation of the other sex.

The incumbent will report to the POPs Project Manager, as part of the UNDP Energy and Environment Sector.