Вакансія Small Grants Officer

Background

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has had a direct and highly negative impact on social cohesion, resilience, livelihoods, community security, and the rule of law. Recognizing the need to urgently address reconstruction, economic recovery and peacebuilding needs in areas affected both directly and indirectly by the conflict, in late 2014 the Government of Ukraine requested technical assistance and financial support from the international community to assess priority recovery needs. In late 2014, the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union conducted a Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment, which was endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers in mid-2015.

In response to the situation, in 2016, UNDP has established a Project Office in eastern Ukraine with a view to consolidate and deliver the various recovery and governance projects through a comprehensive, area-based Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (RPP) in five conflict-affected oblasts: Donetsk and Luhansk (Government Controlled Areas), as well as Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro, and Kharkiv oblasts. RPP frames UNDP’s interventions in Eastern Ukraine to address the recovery needs of conflict affected population and communities. The Programme Component has three components focusing on: (1) economic recovery and restoration of critical infrastructure; (2) restoration of governance and support to decentralization reform; (3) strengthening community security and social cohesion.

UNDP Ukraine invites applications from highly qualified and experienced Ukrainian professionals for the post of the Small Grants Officer (SGO) to lead the process of identification, preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the small grant support for the projects and initiatives at the local and regional levels.

Organizational setting

The main Project Office is in Kramatorsk, with sub-offices in Severodonetsk SGO will work under the supervision of Community Security and Social Cohesion Specialist and is responsible for substantially contributing to the management and oversight of the grant-making process, its operations and efficient delivery of the results. In line with UNDP policies, rules and procedures, the SGO provides operational oversight of small grant fund, including providing support to audit processes, development of work plans, periodic review of the workflow and the management of human, material, and financial resources.

The SGO will also be required to coordinate closely with community mobilisation activities conducted by international and UN actors working in the East of Ukraine. While not working directly in non-government controlled areas, SGO will be required to be aware of, and sensitive to, the needs of communities and individuals in those areas and ensure that their specific needs are taken into account in programming.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under overall supervision of Community Security and Social Cohesion Specialist, providing support to the implementation of the programme activities:

Grants management:

• Provide strategic and operational support in the conceptualization, development and implementation of the overall grant-making process;
• Provide guidance related to grants-management, including monitoring the implementation of grantee projects, and in close collaboration with M&E Specialist, assure the quality of monitoring and reporting;
• Ensure the implementation of the call for proposals and grantee selection processes including through review and assessment of concept notes and full-fledged proposals, accompanying budgets and monitoring and evaluation frameworks;
• Lead the design and execution of the grants application system, including design and production of assessment criteria;
• Ensure close and effective cooperation with community mobilization team, rule of law, social cohesion and community security team, decentralization and support to small business components on the issues of planning, linking programmatic and operational processes and ensuring reaching of planned deliverables;
• Ensure provision of guidance to all potential grant applicants to support the completion of applications, including concept notes and full-fledged proposals;
• Oversee the grant allocation processes ensuring coordination with all relevant stakeholders, in line with the grant agreements and/or guidelines;
• Oversee recipient organizations’ compliance with programmatic and financial rules;
• Maintain a centralized portfolio of all active and closed grants, and provide portfolio updates to RPP management;
• Maintain cooperation with the project partners that provide assistance in the implementation of the project small grants scheme to ensure its effectiveness;
• Monitor grantee performance to ensure achievement of project performance targets and proper use of funds by reviewing grantee programmatic and financial reports, performing site and event visits to grantees;
• Consult grantees on financial accounting and reporting issues concerning grant project budget is in compliance with the UNDP SOPs;
• Undertake technical and monitoring missions to grant recipient projects;
• Establish and maintain a harmonious working environment; seek to strengthen team-building by encouraging active participation and interaction at all levels; foster staff motivation, professional development and lead by example.

Measurable outputs of the work assignment:

• Grantees programmatic and financial reports prepared and analysed in timely manner;
• Quality and timely advice provided to the grantees on grant projects implementation and financial reporting;
• Sufficient and verified information on grants projects progress and results achieved regularly obtained from grantees through reports and monitoring visits;
• Monthly/quarterly/annual/ad hoc reports, risks assessments are prepared and updated;
• Programme activities implemented in keeping with personal work plan;
• Community workshops, focus group discussions and other meetings organized and supported;
• All assignments performed in a quality and timely manner.

Performance Indicators for evaluation of results:

• Respective sections of the annual work plan for Community Security and Social Cohesion component of RPP is fully and timely implemented;
• Programme and Component activities are carried out in strict accordance with UNDP rules and procedures;
• Programmatic activities on small grants support are duly overseen, timely enhanced, and properly reported on.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Leadership;
• Communication;
• People Management;
• Delivery;
• Innovation;
• Demonstrate/safeguard ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Self-development, initiative-taking;
• Encourage and participate in open communication in the team, communicate effectively;
• Create synergies through self-control;
• Manage conflict;
• Informed and transparent decision making.

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies:

• Excellent organizational skills;
• Excellent computer skills (including, MS Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.);
• Sound knowledge of local community development principles, trends, and policies in Ukraine;
• Familiarity with the rights-based approach to development;
• Ability to set priorities, meet specific objectives, use political judgment and knowledge;
• Good interpersonal skills, diligence, open mindedness, and dedication.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Public Administration, Political Sciences, Law, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Social Sciences, or other relevant areas;
• Minimum of 3 years of proven relevant experience with civil society, business administration or social science;
• Experience in grant management, especially in the areas of community security, local development, social cohesion, civic engagement, support to civil society;
• Experience in results-based management (RBM);
• Experience with databases and data management will be considered as an asset;
• Previous experience within UNDP or other UN agencies, a governmental, other multilateral or civil society organization is highly desirable;
• Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian and English.

Application Instructions:

• DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 08-June-18 (Midnight New York, USA).
• UNDP will use a transparent and competitive screening process, though will only contact those applicants in whom there is further interest. Applications may only be submitted for specific vacancy. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.