The overall objective of the five-year Programme is to strengthen the economic, territorial and social cohesion in the Republic of Moldova through smart, green, inclusive, sustainable and integrated local socio-economic growth as well as by improving the standards of living of the citizens in the focal regions of Cahul and Ungheni.

To this end, this Programme will address also the urban-rural divide as well as regional disparities, stimulate economic growth and job creation, refurbish and upgrade some social and technical infrastructure in selected areas (smaller towns and villages) while taking into account climate change and a gender perspective in the activities of the Programme.

Specific objectives:

• To strengthen transparency, accountability of local public authorities and citizen participation in local governance processes in the focal regions,
• To improve citizens’ access to quality public services and utilities in the focal regions,
• To create employment opportunities for men and women in the focal regions and improve the attractiveness of the focal regions for investors and entrepreneurs,
• To promote the smart specialization of the economy of the focal regions through the development of the clustering and value chain approach in key economic sectors.

The programme objectives will be achieved through measures targeted at: (i) capacity building to support the implementation and monitoring of local economic development plans; (ii) civil society engagement in local planning, governance processes and basic social service delivery; (iii) provision of investment funding in support of the creation and/or development of social and technical infrastructure which, combined with the outcomes from interventions (i) and (ii) above, will have an immediate, visible and tangible impact on employment creation, the standard of living of the population in the  focal regions.

Assist in efficient delivery of the Programme, focusing on achievement of the following results: 

• Undertake administrative, logistical, travel, procurement, financial and asset management tasks in full compliance with UNDP rules, regulations and policies;
• Provide support to procure goods and services required by the programme, in liaison with the relevant staff and units of UNDP Country Office;
• Provide administrative support in arranging Programme related meetings when needed;
• Participate in the preparation of work plans, operation plans and procurement plans and periodical reviews thereof;
• Provide support in quality control of Programme activities, including assessing impact and effectiveness, tracking outputs and results, and ensure timely and efficient delivery;
• Maintain an appropriate filing system and documenting the implementation to enable further operational and financial closure of the programme;
• Provide support in regular monitoring and data collection of Programme activities in accordance with work plan and procurement plan;
• Provide general secretarial and administrative assistance to the Programme in close liaison with UNDP teams, other UN agencies.

Ensure administration and implementation of operational strategies, adapt processes and procedures focusing on achievement of the following results: 

• Full compliance with respective UNDP and donor rules, regulations, and policies of financial activities, financial recording/reporting system and follow-up on audit recommendations;
• Implementation of effective internal controls, proper functioning of a client-oriented financial resources management system;
• Personal initiative to perform daily work timely, efficiently, and in compliance with established rules and plans;
• Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project;
• 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.

Provide financial support to the Programme, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Assist Programme team in drafting Programme progress reports with financial data;
• Assist programme management in performing budget cycle: planning, preparation, revisions, and budget execution;
• Provide assistance to partner agencies involved in Programme activities, performing and monitoring financial aspects to ensure compliance with budgeted costs in line with established policies and procedures;
• Monitor Programme expenditures, ensuring that no expenditure is incurred before it has been authorized;
• Perform preparatory work for mandatory and general budget revisions, annual physical inventory, auditing; and assist external evaluators in fulfilling their mission;
• Ensure that all Programme financial activities are carried out on schedule and within budget to achieve the programme outputs;
• Perform all other financial related duties, upon request;
• Ensure timely submission of financial reports to the UNDP Country Office to verify the accuracy of such reports for the national partner or donor.

Provide operations support to the Programme, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensure that UNDP procurement rules are followed during procurement activities that are carried out by the programme and maintain responsibility for the inventory of the programme assets;
• Coordination of surveys, DSA, travel agencies, organization of common services and other administrative surveys;
• Prepare and timely submit travel documents in accordance with UNDP requirements;
• Support with protocol matters, registration of staff, coordination with national partners on space and other administrative matters;
• Compile, organize and file information and documents for reference and use by team members;
• Preparation of documents set for vendor creation;
• Ensure proper control of the supporting documents for payments;
• Prepare and timely submit payment requests with proper support documentation to the UNDP Country Office;
• Provide financial monitoring over Programme commitments and expenditures and assist the Programme Manager in assuring proper Programme delivery;
• Control the usage and proper accounting of non-expendable equipment (record keeping, drawing up regular inventories), inventories and materials;
• Provide necessary administrative, financial and logistical support to the Programme events, including among other workshops, seminars, working meetings and visits of national and international delegations (visa support, transportation, hotel accommodation etc.);
• Keep files of Programme documents and expert reports and ensure general circulation of documents for knowledge management and sharing;
• Draft Programme correspondence and documents; finalize correspondence of administrative and financial nature; edit reports and other documents for correctness of form and content as required;
• Assist in collection, preparation and submission of support documents for NPSA contracts extensions.

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

Institutional Arrangement

The Programme Associate will execute the duties and responsibilities outlined above under the guidance and supervision of the Programme Manager.

• Operations Management:       
  • Ability to effectively plan, organise and oversee different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an integrated way, in order to convert the organisation’s assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.
• Knowledge Generation:
  • Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need;
  • Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches;
  • Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.
• Relationship management:       
  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
• Budget management:  
  • Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.
• Procurement Management:
  • The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source.
• Assets management: 
  • Knowledge of policy & procedures on PP&E;
  • Ability to prepare financial statements on PP&E;
  • Maintain Asset Management Module in Quantum, Asset Dashboard;
  • Develop supporting tools for assets certification and further enhancements for AM module;
  • Design and run training programs, etc. on assets management and assets recording;
  • Run AP-AM interface; perform AP-AM-GL reconciliation;
  • Perform analytical review of AM reports and asset information to ensure completeness and accuracy of asset information.
• Documents and records management: 
  • Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements