Job Description

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network, working in 170 countries and territories. In line with its 2026-2030 Country Programme, UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) focuses on inclusive green growth, human capital development and accountable institutions and social cohesion. UNDP is fully committed to supporting BiH in achieving its Agenda 2030 commitments and advancing its European Union (EU) integration priorities. Across all areas of work, UNDP applies conflict-sensitive, integrated, and innovative approaches tailored to the country's development needs.

The Effective Governance Sector of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina implements projects in the areas of democratic governance, accountable institutions and social cohesion, rule of law, security, access to justice, social protection, and human rights, geared towards reducing inequalities, strengthening accountable and responsive institutions, and ensuring that vulnerable groups have access to essential services and opportunities. All interventions are implemented in close collaboration with government institutions, civil society organizations, academia, development partners, and other UN agencies.

The Roma Assistance Programme is funded under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) for the years 2022 and 2024. It draws resources from two complementary Action Documents, EU4PEOPLE (Employment and Social Protection) and EU4 Rule of Law and Equality (Justice, Roma Inclusion, Gender Equality), and integrates their respective objectives into a single, coherent programme support. This integrated design prevents fragmentation, eliminates duplication and ensures maximum coherence and complementarity between the social inclusion, housing governance and rights-based dimensions of Roma inclusion. The overall objective of the Action is to strengthen the rule of law, democracy, the respect of human rights and gender equality in line with EU standards. This will be achieved through a comprehensive, area-based approach to Roma inclusion that addresses the interconnected barriers faced by Roma communities. The Action will combine the formalisation and legalisation of Roma settlements, improvement of housing conditions and access to basic infrastructure with targeted measures to improve access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, social protection, legal aid and protection from discrimination.

The Programme will be implemented in partnership with UNICEF, IOM, and UNFPA, local governments, relevant institutions, ministries and civil society organisations. These partnerships will support improved coordination, interoperability, and the delivery of integrated impact, aligned with EU priorities.

Under the direct supervision of the Joint Programme Manager, and overall supervision of the Sector Leader, the Joint Programme Associate will support implementation of Joint Programme, EU4PEOPLE and EU4 Rule of Law and Equality. This relates to a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high-quality and accuracy of work. The Joint Programme Associate shall promote a client, quality, and result-oriented approach.

To ensure consistent service delivery, the Joint Programme Associate will work closely with staff of the Joint Programme participating UN agencies, project staff of other projects within the Effective Governance Sector, as well as UNDP Country Office (CO) operations staff.

The incumbent will be based in UNDP BiH office in Sarajevo.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Joint Programme Manager, the core functions of the Joint Programme Associate will include the following:

Support to project implementation, ensuring quality of business processes

• Ensure business processes are in line with the UNDP regulations and rules and the UNDP internal control framework;
• Assist in the organization of field visits, missions, workshops, training, roundtables, conferences and study visits within the project in cooperation with Joint Programme UN agencies, implementing partners and other relevant stakeholders;
• Maintain and update all administrative, personnel and financial files and records as well as general office files related to the project;
• Assist in the preparation of draft job descriptions, vacancy announcements, requests for recruitments, interview minutes and requests for contracts as well as support documentation;
• Assist staff by processing requests for personnel-related documents in accordance with requirements of the organization;
• Maintain the inventory of project assets/equipment and project correspondence and files;
• Organize travel and other logistics arrangements, in line with the project’s work plan.

Support to financial monitoring and management

• Process all financial transactions on the UNDP online Corporate Planning System, such as non-PO invoices, requisitions, customer/supplier info updates, project budget revisions, etc.;
• Ensure proper receipt of goods and services;
• Maintain the internal expenditures control system that ensures invoices processed are matched and completed; transactions are correctly recorded and posted in the online system;
• Take timely corrective actions on unposted invoices, including the invoices with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved invoices;
• Support periodic and ad-hoc financial reporting to UNDP and other parties, including compilation of relevant financial and operational information received from Joint Programme UN agencies, where applicable;
• Regularly monitor expenditures and commitments against the Project budget and relevant plans, and provides finance related information to support Project implementation and planning and recommends corrective actions when necessary;
• Draft various correspondence concerning finance, operations and budgetary issues as
• required;
• Assist team members, experts and consultants in liaison with UNDP Operations on financial and other operational matters;
• Prepare information for evaluations or audit purposes;
• Support coordination and information exchange between UNDP and Joint Programme UN agencies to facilitate timely implementation, reporting and monitoring of project activities.

Support to project planning

• Collect, analyse and present information for monitoring and evaluation of project implementation against project targets in coordination with Joint Programme UN agencies and other implementing partners, as required;
• Compile background information for the formulation of project work plans, draft annual budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements, and drafts of annual project reports including inputs received from Joint Programme UN agencies;
• Contribute to the monitoring of the quality of delivery inputs provided by the consultants, beneficiaries and contracted companies and communicates findings to the supervisor;
• Maintain timetables for the Project Board meetings and provides support to organizing and holding the meetings, including the preparation and dissemination of information and follow-up.

Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Participate in the trainings for the operations/projects staff on HR, Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP), etc. and organize briefings for the project staff where necessary on new internal procedures;
• When necessary, provide guidance to project staff in business processes, administrative and other requirements and procedures;
• Support the Project Manager in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and among Joint Programme UN agencies;
• Support the collection, consolidation and dissemination of project information, knowledge products and lessons learned generated in cooperation with Joint Programme UN agencies.

Support in mainstreaming of gender equality

• Support the Joint Programme Manager in mainstreaming gender equality in the Project implementation;
• Support the Joint Programme Manager in preparing gender equality background materials for use in discussion, correspondence and briefing sessions;
• Ensure that all the data, when collecting and compiling inputs relating to programme, are gender disaggregated;
• In the preparation of meetings/consultations/trainings/commissions ensure a minimum of 30% participation of the other sex.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The incumbent will report to the Joint Programme Manager, as part of the UNDP Effective Governance Sector.

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Management

• Monitoring & Evaluation:
• Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively;
• Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results.
• Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming.
• Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools.
• Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
• Communication:
• Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Business Direction & Strategy

• Negotiation and Influence:
• Reach a common understanding/agreement, persuade others, resolve points of difference through a dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions and create ‘win-win’ situations.

Finance

• Budget Management:
• Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.

Partnership management

• Relationship Management:
• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Secondary education is required. OR;
• University Degree (Bachelor´s degree) in Public Administration, Business, Economics, or related disciplines will be given due consideration, but is not a requirement.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years (with secondary education) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of administrative or project support professional experience is required.

Required Skills

• Experience in support of implementation of business processes and quality assurance of business processes.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based
• management systems.
• Experience in displaying cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Proven understanding of the language associated with gender, equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Proven ability to apply gender sensitive language in everyday
• work.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in technical, administrative, and operational support to project implementation is desired;
• Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews is desired;
• Experience in monitoring project activities, tracking deliverables, and reporting is desired;
• Experience in coordinating communication with stakeholders/beneficiaries is desired;
• Demonstrated experience in working with the United Nations system is desired.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and any of official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian) is required

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP 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 at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.