Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

As the lead United Nations agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries develop policies, leadership skills, partnerships and institutional capabilities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

As outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2026-2029, UNDP’s work is guided by four strategic objectives that together define our contribution to human development: expanding prosperity for all, strengthening effective governance, safeguarding a healthy planet and building crisis resilience. These objectives are enabled by three accelerators that drive transformative impact across our portfolio: digital and AI innovation, gender equality and sustainable finance. Through this integrated approach, UNDP supports countries to deliver tangible improvements in people’s lives and to advance sustainable development at scale.

UNDP, through its Sustainable Finance Hub (https://sdgfinance.undp.org/), supports partners in promoting financing for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  As an accelerator of the UNDP Strategic Plan, sustainable finance strengthens countries’ ability to mobilize, align and deploy finance at scale for national priorities. UNDP supports international and country level policy reform as a catalyst for system-wide change, stronger policy environments, better-functioning markets and more coherent financing strategies for sustainable development. 

UNDP hosts the Secretariat of the Better Than Cash Alliance. The Better Than Cash Alliance, established in 2012, is an 80+ member partnership, including governments, corporates, industry bodies, international and regional organizations, partnering to promote the transition from cash to responsible digital payments thereby enabling meaningful financial inclusion, in order to reduce poverty, drive inclusive growth and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Alliance Secretariat delivers advisory services, supports advocacy, facilitates knowledge generation and exchanges across members, or partners, to advance equitable access to responsible digital payments and other financial services. 

Billions of dollars in cash payments and transfers are made daily in emerging and developing economies, including payment of salaries, social welfare and relief, payments to suppliers, remittances, etc. The problems with these cash payments include a lack of transparency, accountability, and security, as well as inefficiency. Furthermore, the individuals who receive the cash payments are often part of the 1.3 billion excluded from the formal financial sector. This means they are excluded from access to a range of appropriate and affordable financial services to help them save safely, take advantage of economic opportunities, and reduce their vulnerability to risk.

Shifting these payments from cash to digital has the potential to improve livelihoods, particularly for women -who are twice as likely to be excluded from the financial system, providing them with more control over family finances, increasing personal security, and improving economic opportunities. The change to responsible digital payments, as an alternative to cash, further gives governments, development organizations, and the private sector a more transparent, time and cost efficient, and often safer means of disbursing payments. 

The Better Than Cash Alliance Secretariat is hosted by UNDP with a globally distributed team based in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The Alliance Management Support Team provides overall management of all operational, HR, and financial aspects of the Better Than Cash Alliance Secretariat work in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations. The Team works to enhance the institutional effectiveness of the Alliance Secretariat in its core functional areas of accounts and finance, admin, and travel as well as operations and procurement.

Under the direct supervision of the Managing Director of the Alliance Secretariat, the Project Management and Coordination Analyst is responsible for contributing to project, financial, HR, and operations management, promoting a client-focused, quality, and results-oriented approach, working in close collaboration with the Secretariat’s Program Administrative Analyst, and the Program and Partnerships Specialist, as well as across the entire Alliance Secretariat team, and with UNDP HQ corporate operations, and UNDO Country and Regional Offices, where required. The position is strategically based with location in Kigali, Rwanda, as the Managing Director as direct supervisor, and the Head of Africa, leading the biggest budget of the Alliance’s work with 70% of resources allocated to work in Africa, are based in the same duty station.

Scope of Work

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, the Project Management and Coordination Analyst will ensure project support and day-to-day operations and will be responsible for the performance of the following duties and responsibilities: 

Ensure effective project management and coordination in compliance with UNDP administrative requirements: 

  • Contribute to the corporate planning, monitoring, and reporting exercises; 
  • Contribute to the preparation of key program documents, such as the Project Document, Multi-year and annual Workplans, and further project reports, including narrative and financial reporting; 
  • Responsible for preparing, monitoring, and updating the program budget, including on Quantum, and constantly reviewing project revenue and expenditures, monitor budget implementation, prepare, and enter project budget revisions as may be needed. This further includes;
  • Regular reporting and consultations on program delivery and budget execution with the Alliance Secretariat Global and Regional Implementation teams; 
  • Prepare of budgets/financial reports and other related inputs for stakeholder meetings such as the Executive Committee, and other required donor/partner reporting; 
  • Prepare financial authorizations to enable financial transfers/allocations, or other actions as needed to ensure smooth allocation/funds deployment processes, with close focus on any existing Letter of Agreements (LOAs); 
  • Review project accounts and initiate corrective actions and resolve issues on exceptional transactions, including budget errors;
  • Ensure timely preparation and submission of requests for payment while coordinating inputs into the Payment tracker and full alignment with the existing Contracts; 
  • Contribute/respond to audit requests, program evaluation activities, as well as risk assessment procedures such as HACT (Micro Assessments, Spot Checks, Audits) and UNDP Private Sector Risk Assessment;
  • Contribute to Human Resource processes for hiring, contract extensions, and other related activities, including supporting the drafting of position descriptions, hiring strategies, etc.

Ensure partnerships and coordination:

  • Support in strengthening partnerships across UNDP/BPPS and especially the Sustainable Finance Hub, and with UNDP Country and Regional Offices and other UN agencies, where the Alliance Team requires support and coordinated efforts, especially regarding the organization and execution of activities on the ground in country; 
  • Contribute to the drafting, clearing and signing of contribution agreements with resource partners, and others such as Letters of Interest/Agreement, including managing agreements on the Quantum platform, and monitoring reporting requirements/timelines; 
  • Research and prepare, as needed, the Team updates on the use of any new tools/portals while ensuring full support and guidance throughout the roll out and implementation;
  • Work in coordination with Project Management and Operations Analyst), and the rest of the team. 

Facilitate knowledge building, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder guidance:

  • Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, and provide guidance to stakeholders on financial matters;  
  • Synthesize lessons learned and good practices in programme and project finance; 
  • Contribute actively to knowledge networks and communities of practice. 

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

Institutional Arrangement

Project Management and Coordination Analyst will report directly to the Managing Director (Program Manager).

Competencies

Core Competencies

  • Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pay attention to details, deliver quality work by the deadline;
  • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements;
  • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback;
  • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible;
  • Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident;
  • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships;
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional/Technical competencies

Business Management

  • Project Management

    • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

  • Operations Management

    • Ability to effectively plan, organize and oversee different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an integrated way, in order to convert the organization's assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.

Finance

  • Financial planning and budgeting
    • Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP's long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and reporting.
  • Budget management
    • Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets
  • Financial reporting and analysis
    • Understands changes in regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks and standards for financial reporting in the public sector;
    • Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring;
    • Understands the benefits of integrated reporting, including non-financial resources such as human, social and intellectual capital, and environmental and governance performance.

Business Direction and Strategy

  • System Thinking

    • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Partnership Management

  • 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education 

  • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field is required. Or:
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields of study, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

  • Minimum of two (2) years (with master's degree) or four (4) years (with bachelor's degree) of relevant professional experience in finance, accounting, project management, programme management support or other closely related area is required.

Required skills 

  • Demonstrated experience in budget preparation, monitoring, expenditure analysis and financial reporting in line with donor and organizational requirements is required;
  • Experience in financial reporting, quality assurance, and compliance, with established regulations, policies, or standards is required;
  • Demonstrated experience using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for financial transaction processing and reporting is required.

Desired skills

  • Demonstrated experience in developing and supporting the implementation of donor contribution and partnership agreements is desirable; 
  • Experience in overall operations for projects or programmes is desirable; 
  • Previous programme/project experience with UN is desired;
  • Experience with the implementation of the UNDP HACT framework and supporting project audit exercises is desirable; 
  • Experience providing guidance to project personnel on budget and finance matters is desirable; 
  • Experience and knowledge of UN/UNDP financial rules, regulations, policies and procedures is desirable; 
  • Experience working in global or geographically distributed virtual teams is an asset;
  • Experience and knowledge of IPSAS and/or IFRS is an asset.

Languages

  • Fluency in written and spoken English is required

Professional Certificates

  • Professional certification in accounting, finance or project management from a recognized international institution — such as ACCA, CPA, CIMA, CIPFA, PRINCE2 or PMP — is an advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Data Privacy

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