Project Management Associate

Post Title: Project Management Associate

Type of Appointment: Service Contract (SB-3)

Organizational Unit: UNDP Thailand.

Duration of Contract:   1 year (Renewable subject to good performance and availability of funds)

Duty Station:               Bangkok, Thailand with frequent travel to pilot projects in Thailand

Background:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in October 2012, launched the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) as a new global partnership seeking to address the biodiversity finance challenge in a comprehensive manner – building a sound business case for increased investment in the management of ecosystems and biodiversity, with a particular focus on the needs and transformational opportunities at the national level.

During BIOFIN Phase II (2018 – 2022), BIOFIN is supporting the Royal Thai Government and other key stakeholders from the private sector and civil society in implementing Thailand’s Finance Plan for Biodiversity.

• Thailand’s Finance Plan for Biodiversity identifies a mix of suitable biodiversity finance solutions to reduce the biodiversity finance gap in Thailand. The last component of the BIOFIN process is the implementation phase. The BIOFIN national teams make a selection between the prioritized finance solutions and provide technical support for their implementation. 

Biodiversity finance solutions will provide impacts designed to reach national biodiversity targets (i.e., NBSAP, 20-year National Strategy, etc.) through four main results:

1. Generate revenues – this may include any existing or innovative mechanisms or instruments that can generate and/or leverage financial resources to allocate to biodiversity. Examples include the attraction of impact investment in conservation projects, etc.;

2. Realign current expenditures – this includes any measures that can reorient existing financial flows towards biodiversity;

3. Avoid future biodiversity expenditures – this relates to measures that can prevent or reduce future investment needs by eliminating or amending existing counter-productive policies and expenditures; and

4. Deliver financial resources more effectively and efficiently – this relates to measures or instruments that can enhance cost-effectiveness and efficiency in budget execution, achieve synergies and/or favour a more equitable distribution of resources.

BIOFIN Thailand, together with a diversity of actors and experts, has developed the prioritized set of finance solutions for biodiversity which are now undergoing implementation (2018 – 2022). Finance solutions that are seen as the most promising and realistic were chosen and judged as being significant in terms of ‘impact on biodiversity’ and ‘impact on finance’ as well as ‘likelihood of success’.

Thailand’s prioritized Biodiversity Finance Solutions include:

1. User charges

2. Environmental trust fund

3. Conservation license plates

4. Realignment of local government budgets for biodiversity

5. Ecosystem service bond

6. Biodiversity impact investment

7. The Lion’s Share

8. Nutrient trading

9. Biodiversity offsets

10. Earmarking for urban green space

The objective of BIOFIN in Phase II is to support Thailand with the implementation of the Biodiversity Finance Plan and related finance solutions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

During BIOFIN Phase II (2018 – 2022), the Biodiversity Finance Initiative will implement its prioritised Biodiversity Finance Solutions which were endorsed by the National Steering Committee of BIOFIN Thailand, the Global team of UNDP BIOFIN and the Country Office of UNDP Thailand (December 2018).  The Project Management Associate will provide both project and financial management to ensure effective and efficient implementation in a timely manner.   S/he will be required to travel to pilot project sites in the country and attend key meetings/conferences/workshops as assigned by BIOFIN Thailand with official authorisation of the Programme Management of UNDP Thailand.

Under the direct supervision of the BIOFIN National Team Leader, the Project Management Associate will support the project in coordinating the day-to-day management and operations of the project, ensuring high quality, efficient and effective project delivery.  S/he will play an important role in administration support as back office for BIOFIN Thailand.  S/he will facilitate the BIOFIN Thailand and other contributing experts in order to implement the Project in Phase II.  The expected result of the work for the Project Management Associate will have an impact on the execution of the project and financial management in terms of quality, accuracy and timeliness. 

Coordination Support:

• Support the National BIOFIN Team Leader in the coordination of project activities;

• Keep the Project Management Unit of BIOFIN Thailand and the Programme Management of IGSD informed of day-to-day development, emerging challenges/risks, and provide solutions in a timely manner;

• Coordinate activities with pilot projects’ stakeholders, government agencies, private sector and communities, local and national NGOs, BIOFIN national steering committee members, international organizations, development partners, etc.

• Maintain regular contact with focal persons in pilot projects regarding the coordination of project activities in selected sites. Frequent travel to pilot project sites is anticipated;

• Strengthen the Biodiversity Finance Initiative network at national and global level;

• Keep the calendar of the Inclusive Green Growth and Sustainable Development Unit up to date with all relevant BIOFIN activities, and keep the communication officer informed of any planned activities two weeks in advance so that any event can be promoted with UNDP Thailand visibility by communications team;

• Maintain effective coordination role with government partners, civil society, and private sector entities within area of responsibility.

Planning:

• Support the National BIOFIN Team Leader in planning meetings involving the implementing parties, responsible parties, UNDP, and other relevant parties to develop annual and quarterly work plans and corresponding budget plans with clearly stated milestones contributing to the achievement of target outputs defined in the Country Implementation Strategy of BIOFIN Phase II;

• Discuss with the Project Management Unit of BIOFIN Thailand in order to develop and complete a multi-year Annual Workplan and Budget, update and revise the multi-year Annual Workplan and Budget to reflect the dynamic of project implementation at least twice a year (May and November), and carry out the workplan and delivery in meticulously and quality standards;

• Report the project’s financial statement/balance sheet on monthly basis by retrieving relevant information from UNDP’s Atlas system, and present the financial report to the Project Management Unit in Microsoft excel worksheet;

• Provide specific inputs to the Global BIOFIN’s quarterly report with precise financial delivery against the workplan and budget, and prepare any required data for finalizing progress reports (quarterly and annual/financial and substantive) and final project report;

• Participate in workshops, meeting, and missions in the projects’ field when needed.

Implementation:

• Support the team leader to organize the BIOFIN Thailand’s National Steering Committee (NSC) meetings on quarterly basis;

• Support the National BIOFIN Team Leader in overseeing the day-to-day project implementation and ensure achievement of targets as outlined in the project work plan and result matrix;

• Support the National BIOFIN Team Leader in the preparation of draft Terms of Reference (ToR) in consultation with UNDP and/or the Implementing Partner for required inputs (individual and institutional consultancy services, the procurement of goods, organization of training, seminars, etc.) with expert technical support as required;

• Take all necessary steps for the contractual procedures for the procurement of the goods and services as well as Individual Contracts are taken place in line with UNDP’s rules and regulations and update the procurement plan in system regularly;

• Provide logistical support and administrative functions to ensure smooth implementation especially for payments, financial reporting on a quarterly and annual basis, and in case of needs, according to the government and UNDP requirements;

• Provide lead time of work-in-process and expected completion of tasks and keep the team informed of the progress made;

• Issue the project-related payments and ensuring that all payments are proceeded in a timely manner in line with the UNDP’s financial rules and regulations;

• Make logistical arrangements for the missions of the project team, consultants and any other relevant actors to the projects’ field;

• Support the BIOFIN regional workshop in Thailand including all preparatory work, venue selection, accommodation arrangements, logistics, materials, and coordinating activities.

 Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks such as information and communication technology for finance and human resource management, procurement management; 

Reporting and Audit:

• Maintain good records of communications for traceability by utilizing UNDP official email correspondence in systematic manner, and develop BIOFIN filing system in a UNDP OneDrive for both soft and hard documents;

• Provide inputs to project progress reports (quarterly and annual / financial and substantive) against set targets and indicators, with an analysis of evidence of progress towards planned outputs according to schedules, budgets, and inputs provided by the project;

• Prepare inputs to the project report, with an analysis of progress towards expected results as defined in the Project Document and subsequent work plans and budgets; Support the National BIOFIN Team Leader in Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting exercises as needed. 

• Provide updates on the expenditures of the projects and regularly ensure adequate expenditure available of the financial resources provided.

• Prepare financial reports to be submitted to project management and donor when required.

• Establish and maintain a systematic filing system of key documents (in hard copy in BIOFIN folder and soft copy in UNDP One Drive system) in line with audit requirements.

• Assist the National BIOFIN Team Leader in closing projects operationally and financially in accordance with rules and regulations of UNDP and in close coordination with implementing agencies. Liaise with UNDP’s Global BIOFIN on the conduct of project audit and ensure access by auditors to project documentation, personnel and institutions involved in the project; and presentation of information for project audit.

Knowledge Building and South-South Exchange:

• Coordinate with the Biodiversity Finance Advisors and Consultants to organize technical consultation sessions, inception workshops, trainings, focus group discussions and knowledge sharing sessions under South-South Exchange programme;

• Draft supportive documentation, operational notes, note to file, UNDP official letters and translate key documents in Thai / English languages.  

Competencies:

Core Competencies:

• Maintains professional relationships with supervisors, co-workers and clients

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity  

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment

• Self-development, initiative-taking

• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work

• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively

• Creating synergies through self-control

• Managing conflict

• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others.

• Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.

• Informed and transparent decision making

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

• Identifies relevant information for advocacy for a variety of audiences

Results-Based Programme Development and Management

• Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation

• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals

Building Strategic Partnerships

• Analyzes general information and selects materials in support of partnership building initiatives

• Maintains databases of donor information

• Tracks and reports on mobilized resources

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

• Documents and tracks innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches

• Responds positively to new approaches

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Understands the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position

• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks i.e. ATLAS, PROMPT, etc.

• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning

• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

• Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools, and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Client Orientation

• Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion

• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines

• Responds to client needs promptly