“UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in about 170 countries and territories, including Indonesia, working to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. UNDP supports implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Indonesia, UNDP works with the Government to integrate SDGs into national plan and policies.”
a. Project Context
Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) around the globe face common development challenges that inhibit their ability to live prosperously and grow sustainably. Many are facing existential threats that include climate change, natural disasters, marine pollution, marine plastic debris, unsustainable fisheries, and ocean (un)sustainability. Failing to protect our oceans and address climate change will have catastrophic social and economic effects for people around the world.
The UNDP Oceans Action Hub estimates the global market value of marine industries and costal resources to be approximately USD $3 to 6 trillion annually. However, natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis cause immense per-capita damage to AIS, and risk reversing decades of development gains. In 2010, natural disasters affected more than 200 million people, caused nearly 270,000 deaths, and resulted in USD $110 billion in damages, of which Indonesia has experienced first-hand. Demak regency in Central Java has had eleven bridges destroyed by climate change related events, more than 300 houses submerged by floods, and two villages displaced due to rising sea levels. In Semarang, up to 4,000 hectares of land are vulnerable to flooding, and in North Jakarta, floods affect two million people annually.
Irrespective of their size and development, AIS have geographic circumstances that create unique development challenges and opportunities. The oceans and seas around AIS, constitute a much larger area than their inland territory, especially when Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), continental shelves, and extended continental shelves are considered. However, AIS have differing levels of dependence on the marine environment.
After a sideline discussion on the 5th of June 2017 at the Ocean Conference in New York City, a follow-up Conference on the Archipelagic and Island States Forum was held in Jakarta on the 21st – 22nd of November 2017. This resulted in a common understanding among participating countries that a forum could be an innovative vehicle for effectively addressing climate change and marine issues. In addition, the forum would be a concerted response to SDG 14: the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. It is the agreed position of participating countries that the AIS Forum (“the Forum”) can be influential in mitigating climate change and the pursuit of social and economic sustainability. The Forum will create a space for financing innovative solutions and technologies, as well as engendering collaboration between stakeholders.
The AIS Forum is designed to include island states and archipelagic countries regardless of their location, size, and level of development. There are regional initiatives that allow island states to connect with and aid one another. However, a global initiative that brings together all AIS is yet to exist. The AIS Forum will create a unique grouping of nations to address the challenges of sustainable ocean resource use, climate change resilience, ocean pollution, emergency management, and sustainable fisheries.
b. The Establishment of Archipelagic and Island State Forum Secretariat Support Facility
Following the first Ministerial Meeting of the AIS Forum held from the 31st of October until the 2nd of November 2018, the Government of Indonesia and the United Nations Development Programme, signed a Letter of Intent that agreed to establish an AIS Forum Secretariat. The AIS Forum Secretariat is an administrative organ that will manage and execute the operations of the Forum. The Secretariat is responsible for directing the Forum’s program of events, managing the AIS Fund Facility and other finances, maintaining relationships with Participants, and developing stakeholder networks.
It is proposed that the AIS Secretariat be established on an interim basis under the direction of the United Nations Development Programme. The Secretariat will be housed at UNDP offices in Jakarta, Indonesia. UNDP will staff and manage the Secretariat in consultation with the Government of Indonesia and the participating countries. This interim management will last for three years or until otherwise decided through agreement between the UNDP and the Government of Indonesia.
The UNDP AIS Support Facility will have key services to facilitate:
- Provision of substantial and technical inputs from UNDP Indonesia’s in-house-expert and global network, to ensure activities implemented by the AIS Forum Support Facility achieve the expected outputs;
- Mobilizing new resources to support AIS Forum related activities;
- Facilitating operations by recruiting qualified staff and procuring relevant goods and services to be handed over to the AIS Forum Secretariat;
- Provision of institutional capacity building for the AIS Forum Secretariat;
- Facilitating transfer of knowledge;
- Facilitating start-ups, youth, academia, civil societies, researchers, indigenous peoples, NGOs, and the private sector engagement; and,
- Accounting and reporting of financial resources.
The following are AIS Forum Support Facility/Secretariat’s roles:
- The required mechanisms as international secretariat is in place.
- AIS Forum Secretariat is able to manage its own operation (human resources management, procurement etc) and financing.
For those reasons, the UNDP Indonesia requires the services of an experienced Project Assistant to support the daily operations of the AIS Forum Support Facility and report to the Project Coordinator. S/he will manage correspondences, travel arrangements, and schedules. S/he will also manage the Secretariat’s finances and perform daily support operational functions, which include procurement, finance, aset management, and personnel recruitment.
1. Support the project team to ensure effective project planning, budgeting and implementation focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Assists in the coordination of project planning and preparation work for, typically, a medium-size and complex component of the project initiatives; monitors status of project proposals and receipt of relevant documentation for review and approval.
- Compiles, summarizes, and presents basic information/data on specific project and related topics or issues.
- Reviews project documents, especially cost plans/budgets, for completeness and compliance with relevant rules and procedures prior to submission for final approval and signature; identifies inconsistencies; distributes project documents to relevant parties upon approval.
- Implement project standard operating procedures in line with the government and UNDP’s regulations;
- Differentiated needs of women and men are considered;
- Inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as disability gender language barrier is created;
- Necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings etc. introduced.
2. Support to the effective reporting on progress of project implementation
- Preparation of budget revisions, support to the preparation of annual and quarterly work plans as well as project board meetings, audit, operational and financial closure of a project.
- Support to the preparation of quarterly project reports, in line with the monitoring and reporting guidelines and presents it to the project assurance team on a timely manner;
- Compiles, summarizes and enters data on project delivery; drafts related status reports, identifying shortfalls in delivery, budget overruns, etc., and brings to the attention of management
- To provide administrative support for preparation of high quality and results oriented progress reports.
3. Provides administrative support to the Project Management Unit focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Serves as focal point for administrative, HR, Procurement, Security and office coordination of project implementation activities, involving extensive liaison with a diverse organizational units to initiate requests, obtain necessary clearances, process and follow-up on administrative actions, e.g. recruitment and appointment of personnel, travel arrangements, training/study tours, authorization of payments, disbursement of funds, procurement of equipment and services, security compliance, etc.
- Provision of general office assistance such as response to complex information requests and inquiries; reviews, logs and routes incoming correspondence; establishment of filling system and maintenance files/records; organization of meetings, workshops; routine administrative tasks, including maintaining attendance records, assessing telephone billing, etc.
- Drafts correspondence on budget-related issues, periodic reports, briefing notes, graphic and statistical summaries, accounting spreadsheets, etc.
4. Support strategic partnerships, communication and support to the implementation of resource mobilization
- Updated database of the relevant public and development partners private sector, civil society and other stakeholders who are counterparts for the project;
- In coordination with UNDP’s Communication unit and other relevant counterpart communications department, support documentation of the project activities as a tool to communicate results, deepen stakeholder knowledge and buy-in to the project, and resource mobilization for the project.
5. Supports knowledge building and knowledge sharing focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Participation in the trainings for the operations/ projects staff.
- Synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in project support management function.
- Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
6. The incumbent of the position should avoid any kind of discriminatory behavior including gender discrimination and ensure that
- Human rights and gender equality is prioritized as an ethical principle within all actions;
- Activities are designed and implemented in accordance with “Social and Environmental Standards of UNDP”;
- Any kind of diversities based on ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, class, gender are respected within all implementations including data production;
- Differentiated needs of women and men are considered;
- Inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as disability gender language barrier is created;
- Necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings etc. introduced.
Core Competencies:
- Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
- Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
- Self-development, initiative-taking
- Acting as a team player and facilitating team work, including working in teams and empowering project staff to create an enabling gender equality environment on non-hierarchical bases.
- Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively including communication skills to exchange information, and key ideas in a manner that engages the audience and helps others to understand and retain messages about gender equality and parity
- Creating synergies through self-control
- Managing conflict , including conflict resolving skills to manage gender barriers and gender blind behaviors within the project and with partners
- 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:
- 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
Building Strategic Partnerships
- Analyzes general information and selects materials in support of partnership building initiatives
Innovation and Marketing New Approaches
- Documents and tracks innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches
Resource Mobilization
- Maintains information/databases on potential and actual donors
- Maintains database of project files
- Provides data and information needed for preparation of project documents
Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
- Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things
- Promotes knowledge management on gender equality issues
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
- Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
- Theoretical and/or practical knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment in development programming
Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals
- Identifies relevant information for advocacy for UNDP’s goals for a variety of audiences
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
- Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients
- Responds to client needs promptly
Education:
Bachelor degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Business Administration, Public Administration, social science, marine and fishery or other relevant fields of study.
Experience:
Minimum 3 years of professional experience, preferably in the field of development, or marine and fishery for candidates with Bachelor Degree and 5 years for candidates with Diploma Degree
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in written and spoken English is an absolute necessity;
- Fluency in written and spoken Bahasa Indonesia is required.
Other Requirements:
- Demonstrated familiarity with UNDP development projects in Indonesia is an advantage.
- Knowledge of and experience in supporting administration of development projects will be highly desirable.
- Strong knowledge and experience in project management support are essential.
- Good inter-personal skills.
- Full time availability for project management support duties is essential.
- Familiar with Government and UN/UNDP procedures would be desirable
- Up-to-date computer skills required, knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages
- Experience in handling of web based management systems would be preferable.
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. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply . All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP Indonesia 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 Indonesia at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and education requirements.
Contract Duration: Minimum 6 months for initial contract