Project Associate

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. 

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

UNDP in The Gambia is working to strengthen and provide a broad response to the people of The Gambia’s aspirations for a transparent, accountable, and responsive transition to democracy. Increasing citizen engagement and, in particular, the active participation of women and youth is an important focus, including the Gambian diaspora, considering its substantial technical and financial contributions to good governance and national development. UNDP works to ensure equal access to justice, particularly for women and marginalized groups across the country, working in close collaboration with a range of partners and Stakeholders and justice sector institutions. The objective of “The Gambia's Responsive and Accountable Democratic Transition Project (EU-UNDP GREAT initiative)” is to enhance The Gambia's democratic system. This is rooted in national priorities and political willingness, as demonstrated by a strong commitment to the post-TRRC process and the White Paper published in May 2022. When former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh went into exile on January 21, 2017, he left a legacy of grave human rights abuses spanning 22 years. 

In response, the government initiated a comprehensive transitional justice and reform agenda in January 2017 to address past violations, divisions, and inequalities. This agenda seeks to create conditions for security, democratic progress, and socio-economic transformation. Drawing on past experiences and lessons learned, this project aims to contribute to The Gambia's democratic transition through three specific objectives: (i) Supporting constitutional and legislative reforms to strengthen checks and balances and safeguard human rights, including those of minorities and vulnerable populations. (ii) Enhancing the ongoing transitional justice process, rule of law, and human rights. (iii) Strengthening the effectiveness of local governance structures. 

Overall, this initiative responds to the aspirations of The Gambian people for a more transparent, accountable, and responsive transition to democracy with a key focus on increasing citizen engagement, particularly the active involvement of women and youth. This initiative aligns with SDG 16, which promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, access to justice for all, and the establishment of effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.  The project also aligns with the NDP Strategic Priority 1, which aims to restore good governance, respect for human rights, and the rule of law and empower citizens through decentralization and local governance. Additionally, it supports UNDP's Strategic Plan Outcome 2 by ensuring that citizen expectations for voice, development, the rule of law, and accountability are met through stronger democratic governance systems.

• Assist in ensuring project business processes comply with UNDP Project Operational Policies and Procedures (POPP) and UNDP Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). When necessary, provide project staff with guidance on business processes, administrative requirements, and other procedures. 
• Provide comprehensive support in all aspects of project implementation in accordance with the project documents, annual work plans, and other agreements between UNDP and responsible partners. Ensure the quality of delivery by consultants, beneficiaries, and contracted companies and communicate findings to the supervisor. Support setting up of project annual work plans in Quantum are in accordance with budgets prior to committing project resources (send to KK function). 
• Ensure advance payments and direct payments for partner vendors are properly reviewed, submitted to project finance to be processed and retired, as well as ensuring that payment information is properly recorded into the quantum system on a timely basis.
• Compile and summarize information and data for the formulation of project work plans, draft annual/quarterly budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements, and other specific project-related topics or issues. 
• Support gender equality mainstreaming in project implementation, including data collection and compilation. Prepare gender equality background materials for discussions, briefings, and correspondence.

• Support implementation of the project monitoring system in alignment with its Monitoring and Evaluation framework to ensure effective information sharing, provision of feedback, and elaboration of high-quality progress reports. 
• Collect, analyze, and present information to monitor and evaluate project implementation against project targets and for audit purposes. Identify gaps in implementation and provide support in bridging those gaps in consultation with supervisors and partners.
• Assist in implementing effective risk management for the project with a well-documented risk mitigation plan in place. Support monitoring of previously identified and emerging risks.
• Regularly monitor expenditures and commitments against the project budget and relevant plans and provide finance-related information to support project implementation. When necessary, recommend corrective actions and draft various correspondence concerning finance, operations, and budgetary issues.
• Prepare and consolidate required project reports on a timely basis and in line with monitoring and reporting guidelines and donor requirements.

• Provide administrative and logistical support to ensure successful project delivery, including receiving and disseminating all correspondence, organizing/coordinating project events and selecting appropriate venues, coordinating project procurement procedures, maintaining project records and files, recruiting project team members, and supporting contracting activities. Provide all administrative support for conferences, workshops, and retreats.
• Assist in organizing field and study visits, missions, workshops, roundtables, and conferences within the project. Arrange logistics, prepare agenda, execute and coordinate logistical requirements by drawing up an event/workshop timeline, programme schedule, and checklist for successfully holding the event/workshop. 
• Engage visitors, partners, consultants, and project personnel to assist in arranging appointments and meetings, acting as interpreters when required, and/or taking minutes. Compile and prepare the briefing and presentation materials, speeches, background information, and documentation for meetings and missions.
• Arrange all vehicle transportation, regular vehicle maintenance, insurance, travel, and hotel reservations, ensure supplier profiles in quantum, prepare travel authorizations, and process requests for visas, identity cards, and other documents.
• Maintain a proper filing system and user-friendly maintenance of all records, documents, and files, ensuring the safekeeping of confidential materials. Ensure proper control of supporting documents for payments and financial reports.
• Create e-requisitions, procurement requests, processing of invoices and proper receipting of goods and services.
• Act as a custodian for managing office stationery supplies, including maintaining a stock list of stationery, distributing stationery as required by staff, and keeping a log of distribution. 
• Manage project assets and lead the maintenance of office premises.

4. Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing, and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

• Support assessment of financial management capacities of implementing partners and develop an action plan to close identified gaps. Assist in the provision of guidance and capacity building to partners and grantees on issues of finance – from contracting and banking issues to budgeting, accounting and reporting.
• Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff. Provide support to other capacity building activities, including the design and delivery of tools, materials for workshops, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action.
• Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally. Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project.
• Participate in CO finance unit, operations meetings and Operations Management Team (OMT) if needed to share information on cross-cutting areas and collaboration opportunities to achieve greater economies of scale. 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.