Under the overall guidance of the Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat and Programme Analyst, the Programme Associate ensures effective delivery of the CO programme by entering and managing data and supporting programme implementation consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

The Programme Associate may supervise support staff of the Technical Secretariat of the Fund. The Programme Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and projects’ staff in UNDP CO, and support other UN Agencies that implement projects financed by the Fund.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key Duties and Accountabilities

1.Provide effective financial support to the management of the Fund, focusing on achieving the following tasks, in coordination with the Fund’s Programme Analyst

• Ensure up-to-date information on the Fund’s financial resources and their constant monitoring, including donor contributions, project disbursements, direct and indirect costs.
• Prepare updated financial reports under the guidance of the Fund Coordinator, for external presentations, donor reporting, and the general public.
• Support monitoring and evaluation area to update information flow on project-approved resources and disbursements.
• Ensure proper financial management of resources and budgets, raising necessary early alerts related to agreement validity, resource availability, unspent balances, pending donor deposits, GMS reserves, among others.
• Prepare necessary budget reviews and budget adjustments, including reversals and requests ensuring sound budget management.
• Under established financial regulations, review the eligibility of expenses to be processed in the Fund and maintain accounting and financial control of each one carried out by the Fund.
• Provide administrative and financial management support to projects funded by the Fund.
• Ensure the flow of updated information on fund availability among different implementation bodies.
• Prepare, support, and process program requests: payments, contracts, purchases, tenders, accounting reversals, travel requests, procurement processes, among others, in accordance with established norms and procedures.
• Prepare relevant financial documentation for audits.
• Prepare financial reports of agreements and contribution agreements, as well as reports to donors with the periodicity indicated in the agreements, as well as counterpart reports.

2. Provide administrative and project management support to the Fund, focusing on achieving the following tasks, in coordination with the Fund’s Programme Analyst:

• Ensure coordination with the headquarters of Multi-Partner Trust Funds as Administrative Agent, to constantly update actions related to the Fund, including decisions, newly announced contributions, and participation of new actors.
• Support Fund coordination, ensuring established operational processes and the correct workflow throughout the Fund’s project cycle.
• Assist in the organization and development of Technical and Steering Committees, and provide additional general support required by the Fund’s coordination to ensure its proper functioning.
• Support the Fund in the development of administrative activities related to its responsibilities, ensuring efficient and effective implementation management. This includes organizing missions, events, and meetings, managing work schedules, preparing support materials, documents, and presentations, among others, as required.
• Prepare meeting minutes of the Committees, ensuring quality and accuracy in the information of the decisions made.
• Provide information to participating Agencies, Government entities, and civil society organizations about fund processes, calls, and resources.
• Facilitate and support the process of new members’ accession to the Fund, ensuring the signing of Agreements established by the Fund.
• Monitor contracts within the framework of Fund execution (employment, suppliers).
• Carry out overall administrative management of the Fund and its Technical Secretariat
• Monitor agreement dates and deadlines for reporting to donors and partners.
• Keep the inventory of furniture, equipment, and supplies up to date.
• Maintain monthly updated records of absences and vacations (Monthly Leave Report) for the project team.
• Keep both physical and digital Fund files up to date and organized.

3. Provide effective and strategic support to counterparts of the Fund

• Support communication with counterparts, resolve questions about the Fund, and provide strategic support on inquiries related to projects under review by the Committees, in coordination with the Fund’s Program Analyst
• Facilitate communication between donors, implementers, and the MPTFO regarding new agreements or signing of MOUs or SAAs.

4. Support programmatic cycle of projects in coordination of Fund´s Program Analyst

• Review concept notes and projects received by the technical secretariat, provide a general assessment of relevance and alignment with the overall priorities established by the Fund, and give a specific evaluation of the financial viability of the project, including the relationship between the budget and the proposed outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and ensuring compliance with the financial rules set by the Fund.
• Coordinate external gender and environmental assessments for each project before conducting the technical committees.
• Compile the recommendations from the committees for each project and follow up to ensure their integration by the implementers before disbursing the funds.
• Financial monitoring of all projects until ensuring their operational closure, including tracking refunds in case there are unspent amounts.

5. Facilitate the generation and exchange of knowledge and best practices of the Fund, focusing on achieving the following tasks:

• Support and facilitate the development of the Fund’s Technical Secretariat’s work related to its planning, preparation, review, and execution.
• Facilitate understanding of the Fund’s processes and procedures so that partners are familiar with their implementation.
• Support the systematization and construction of lessons learned on the work of the Fund in Colombia to facilitate to facilitate exchange through mechanisms such as South-South cooperation or the establishment of new MPTFs in Colombia and other countries.
• Respond to inquiries, requirements, and follow up on issues related to administrative and financial matters of assigned projects.
• Ensure compliance with administrative and financial processes under established financial regulations and policies.
• Promote the systematization of lessons learned and best practices of the administrative functioning of the Fund. This includes participating in the development of the manual of administrative norms and procedures to be applied during the execution of the Fund.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: May supervise support staff.

Requirements

Education

• Secondary education is required.
• A university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, International Relations, Social Sciences, or related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience, Knowledge, and skills

• A minimum of 6 years (with secondary education) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant progressively responsible administrative/management or programme experience is required at the national and/or international level.
• Previous experience at united nations system is required
• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), database packages and related systems.
• Ability to review and edit documents, ability to produce meeting reports identifying key actions.
• Desirable: Knowledge administrative rules and procedures, quantum management and/or functioning of the Multi-Parner Trust Fund will be an advantage.

Language Requirments

• Fluency in Spanish and English is required

Expected Demonstration of Competencies

People Management 

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies