Albania has made important progress in establishing relevant institutional and policy frameworks for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, in line with international, regional, and national gender equality standards and obligations. Despite significant efforts, the legislative framework has gaps, institutional response mechanism face challenges to improve and strengthen inter-institutional co-operation in preventing and handling violence against women (VAW) cases. Therefore, in order to ensure an effective response, it is critical to mobilize government, civil society and people in local communities to act in unison to fulfill national and international commitments to prevent and eliminate VAW.
On this long road to end VAW, the United Nations (UN) has supported Albania for the past 13 years. In line with current challenges Albania needs to address in ending VAW, and Output 2.5 of the UN’s Programme of Cooperation for Sustainable Development (PoCSD) with the Government of Albania (GoA), the UN Joint Programme (JP) (three years programme) aims to produce these output level results: (1) a strengthened normative and accountability framework related to VAW; (2) improved institutional practices, services and coordination for survivors of VAW; and (3) to challenge norms pertaining to VAW at the state, community and individual levels. These results aim at bringing institutional and behavioral change in preventing and responding to VAW, thereby contributing to freeing women and girls from all forms of VAW and from the threat of such violence.
The programme’s target groups, who benefit indirectly and directly from improved legislative framework, policies and institutional coordinated response practices are women survivors of VAW and men and women in communities at large. A specific focus of this JP will be the hard to reach communities that have been marginalized because of age (elderly women), ability (women with disabilities), minority status (Roma, Egyptian), sexual orientation (LGBTI), and place of residence (rural and remote areas of the country).
JP is implemented with the joint participation of three UN agencies, including UNDP, UN Women and UNFPA, and in close partnership with relevant governmental bodies at the central and local levels. UNDP is the lead UN agency for the overall implementation and coordination of the JP.
In the Access to Justice (A2J) area, UNDP since 2017, in partnership with Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has contributed to establish the foundations of a functional legal aid system in Albania through piloting 6 FLA Centers in close partnerships with District Courts in Fier, Durres, Tirana, Lezha, Shkodra and Dibra and specialized NGOs, offering primary and secondary FLA services to the most vulnerable people at local communities. Currently, only two of these FLA Centers are functioning, namely in Peshkopi and Shkodra. Considering the highly demanded FLA services from the most marginalized citizens and building upon the results of ongoing Access to Justice (A2J) project implemented by UNDP Albania in close collaboration with the MoJ and all relevant stakeholders, this project is essential to move to the next stage of consolidating the pilot FLA centers and the implementation of the new free legal system. The project has already started with the revitalization of 3 FLA Centers in Lezha, Durres and Fier and targets Roma and Egyptians, women, victims of gender based and domestic violence, persons with disabilities and vulnerable youth and elderly.
To this end, UNDP will hire a Finance and Administrative Assistant to provide support to implementation of End Violence against Women in Albania (EVAWIA) JP and Expanding Free Legal Aid Services to Women and Men in Albania (EFLAS) project as follows:
Scope of the assignment
The Finance and Administrative Assistant will work under the supervision of the UNDP EVAWIA and EFLAS Programme Manager and will assist in the overall management of administrative services for both mentioned projects. S/he will administer and execute processes and transactions ensuring high quality and accuracy of work and promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach. S/he will work in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and project staff in the UNDP Country Office to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.
Financial tasks:
Requests for Payments:
- Initiates all requests for payments, ensuring that all UNDP financial rules and regulations are adhered to;
- Processes other payments to personnel, consultants, experts, vendors and other clients;
- Responsible for all requests for payment of the contracts, vouchers and all other services, making sure that expenditures are charged to the appropriate budget lines and the budget is consistently monitored with no shortfalls.
- Uses corporate accounting system to record and reconcile expenditures, payments for day-to-day work in compliance with UNDP financial rules and regulations;
- Verifies the correctness and accuracy of supporting documents submitted by programme/project staff, preparation of Request for Direct Payment, making necessary calculations, and assuring inclusion of all relevant data preparing requisitions and vouchers in ATLAS;
Budget and Reporting:
- Monitors project’s budget and expenditures by reviewing UNDP monthly expenditures reports and balance sheets ensuring accuracy of all payments made on behalf of the projects;
- Responsible for the financial report to be approved by the Programme Manager (PM) and for preparing of the recurring reports of expenditures, project’s budget and budget revision;
- Assists the Programme Manager in analyzing the project’s budget, assists in preparing quarterly and annual financial progress reports and the annual financial forecast plans for the upcoming periods.
- Assist the PM in the preparation of the break down cost, which are part of the technical expert TORs;
- Assist the PM in the preparation of the technical specification for goods and services which are delivered to the Administration unit for them to publish ITB, RFQ, RFP as case might be, member of bid opening team, provide humane resource units with proper TORs for making the announcement and prepare the documents for CAP submissions.
- Assist PM in preparing of delivery table for year budget.
- Analyses and monitors overall financial situation reporting on the status of projects financial expenditure, and alerting Programme staff/management on shortfalls;
- Identifies wrong charges/chart field combinations, prepares the corrections and requests to Finance Unit of UNDP CO to reflect the adjustments;
- Reconciles Petty Cash ensuring all disbursements are in accordance with rules and procedures;
- Prepares and revise as per the need/requests programme budget status;
- Keeps links with PSU on procedural information;
- Prepares quarterly and annual work plans and budgets, progress and financial reports to be submitted to UNDP, donors and relevant state partners as per the need;
- Prepares recurring reports as scheduled and ad hoc reports as required for budget preparation, audits or other reason;
- Assists the auditing process of the project and take appropriate actions as per the respective UNDP rules and regulations;
- Follow up with CDR, delivery and other Atlas financial reports, including shadow budget reports;
- Prepares GLJE requests;
- Controls the accounts regarding allocations and expenditures and make adjustments to optimize the utilization of funds. Maintains tracking, monitoring and/or reporting systems regarding allocations and expenditures.
Processing of Payments in ATLAS
- Prepares and processes in ATLAS all requisitions and vouchers;
- Take care of logistical arrangements (T. req, travel leave clearance, etc.) for missions traveling in country and abroad for staff and for consultants and experts. Prepares the travel requisitions and all documents needed for travel as travel clearance, F10 etc. for all the duty travels;
- Records all operational office expenditures and prepares the payment of the operational expenditures;
- Keep links with FRMU on procedural information.
- Be a buyer and general user in ATLAS functions;
Finance Filing System:
- Maintains all finance files ensuring all information is easily accessed and up to date.
Administrative tasks:
Procurement of Equipment and Supplies
- Updates the relevant projects’ procurement plan;
- Initiates procurement actions (related to goods and services) in consultation with UNDP CO, based on the procurement plan and UNDP rules and regulations;
- Responsible for the appropriate acquisition, disbursement, recording and maintenance of the equipment following the rules and regulations on procurement of UNDP through the sourcing of quotation and contracts;
- Maintains stocks of most commonly used office supplies with accurate records of disbursements and use;
- Prepares the proper documentation for purchase of goods and process the payment, ensuring that all UNDP financial rules and regulations are adhered to.
- Back-stop the work of the PM/Officers;
- Assist in preparing bidding papers in accordance with UNDP requirements and UNDP user guide;
- Support other technical aspects of Project implementation and project Missions.
- Organize a filing system, maintain records and files in accordance with UNDP Albania filing policy;
- Assist with the organization of workshops, training events and meetings. This includes preparing background materials, folders, working papers, preparing budgets, coordinating travel and lodging of participants, selecting, coordinating and monitoring service providers, recruitment and payment of resource persons, drafting related correspondence and reports;
- Preparation of procurement plans for the program, implementation and its monitoring;
- Organization of procurement processes including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bid or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;
- Ensures organization of logistical services focusing on the following results: organization of travel including purchase tickets, DSA calculation, PO preparation, arrangements of shipments; vehicle maintenance, conference, workshop and activities facilities and logistics (including preparation of files as needed). Timely conducted DSA, travel agencies, hotel and conference facilities surveys.
- Participate in meetings to provide information on project progress if the project manager is not present.
- Deal with the procedures for lease agreements, contracts for services and institutional contracts.
- Deal with CAP submissions and ACP submissions.
- Ensures proper control of the projects assets and inventory list and follow up with the project inventory in the Atlas system.
Inventory
- Maintains all inventory including the status and location of all equipment and materials; Maintains accurate and up to date inventory reports;
- Ensures that all items are appropriately marked;
- Ensures that hand over reports accurately reflect location and status of each item.
- Ensures proper control of the projects assets and inventory list and follow up with the project inventory in the Atlas system.
Human Resources
- Provides human resources services for recruitment. Prepares the request for contracts for the staff and consultants and ensures the process of hiring of staff/consultants is in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;
- Initiates actions for recruitment of experts and consultants. This includes collecting contract information in databases, drafting correspondence and maintaining files.
- Prepares relevant engagement procedures for consultant services;
- Supervise/coordinate the work of the cleaning work, and the driver.
- Monitors monthly attendance and leave applications
- Deal with the travel agencies and travel authorizations.
- Prepares the new vendor forms or update the existing ones.
Filing System
- Maintains all personnel files ensuring all information is easily accessed and up to date.
- Maintains proper filing system for projects contracts as needed.
- Maintains the monthly attendance records and monitor the leave of the staff.
Other Responsibilities
- Translate into the target language a full range of documents, reports, formal texts, manuscripts, official correspondence, and other materials.
- Edit texts in the target language to ensure a style of presentation in conformity with UNDP standards. Propose additional terms for the established standards or terminology and glossaries.
- Support administrative-financial closing of the project;
- Additional requests originating from the Cluster.
- Maintain and sign vehicle logbook of vehicle of the projects.
- Supervise and guide project driver and ensure their work complies to UNDP travel regulations.
Corporate Competencies:
- Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standard
- 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
Core Competencies
Innovation:Ability to make new and useful ideas work
Leadership:Ability to persuade others to follow
People Management:Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
Communication:Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Delivery:Ability to get things done
Functional Competencies:
- Demonstrated ability to apply good judgment in the context of assignments given; ability to work proficiently with framework supervision, plan own work and meet tight deadlines.
- Self-motivation and ability to recommend options for resolution of issues.
- Diversity and conflict resolution skills.
- Good inter-personal and teamwork skills, networking attitude, ability to work in multi-cultural environment
- Ability to work under pressure in complex situations and in team
- Ability to work independently, set priorities and organize the workflow efficiently
- Willingness to learn new skills and undertake self-directed training and other courses.
- Very good computer skills and ability to use information technology as a tool and resource.
Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor degree in Finance/Business Administration or other relevant degree in economy is required
- Master’s Degree, preferably in Business Administration/ Finance or other relevant degree in economy is an asset
Work Experience
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in general administration, budget, finance or in any other relevant area of expertise are required
- Previous experience in managing multiple financing resources as well as in contract management is desirable
- Previous experience with international development organizations is desirable.
Language Requirements
- Very good Albanian and English writing and speaking skills.
Workforce diversity
UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Contract Duration: 1 year with posibility of extension subject to availibility of funds