Background

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. All application will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

The UNDP Mauritius Country Office (CO) consists of a diverse portfolio worth USD 65 M including Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Adaptation Fund (AF), European Union (EU), Japan Supplementary Budget (JSB)and TRAC 2 projects. The UNDP CO is recruiting several project assistants for various projects under the Environment Unit. Successful candidates will be placed in a roster (and will remain rostered for a period of 3 years) to fill multiple positions currently available or may arise in the future.

Scope of Work

Support the project team to ensure effective project planning and implementation.

• Compile and summarize information and data for the formulation of project work plans, draft annual/ quarterly budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements, and on other specific project related topics or issues;
• Provide comprehensive support in all aspects of project implementation in accordance with the project documents, annual work plans and other agreements between UNDP and responsible partners. Ensure quality of delivery by consultants, beneficiaries, and contracted companies; and communicate findings to the supervisor;
• Ensure compliance of project business processes with UNDP Project Operational Policies and Procedures (POPP) and UNDP Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). When necessary, provide guidance to project staff on business processes, administrative and other requirements and procedures;
• Support mainstreaming gender equality in the project implementation, including in data collection and compilation. Prepare gender equality background materials for use in discussions, briefings, and gender equality background materials for use in discussions, briefings, and correspondence;
• Provide administrative and logistical support to ensure successful project delivery that includes organizing/ coordinating project events and selecting appropriate venues, coordinating project procurement procedures, maintaining project records and files, recruiting project team members, and supporting contracting activities.

Support partnerships and resource mobilization.

• Establish and maintain contacts and cooperation with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, NGOs, tertiary institutions, partners, and other relevant stakeholders. Provide support in updating the database of the relevant public and development partners, and other stakeholders who are counterparts for the project;
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with partners, project counterparts, stakeholders, and beneficiaries; and develop and maintain effective mechanisms for integrating and responding to their feedback and insight;
• Support creation of high-quality information and visibility of the project activities among the stakeholders; and ensure careful selection of communication tools and tailoring the messages to consider the overall socio-political and development context in host countries;
• Undertake horizon scanning and explore opportunities for resource mobilization in consultation with direct supervisor.

Provide support to the effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on progress of project implementation.

• Support implementation of the project monitoring system in alignment with its Monitoring and Evaluation framework to ensure effective information sharing, provision of feedback, and elaboration of high-quality progress reports;
• Collect, analyze and present information for monitoring and evaluation of project implementation against project targets as well as for audit purposes. Identify gaps in implementation and provide support in bridging those gaps in consultation with supervisor and partners;
• Assist in the organization of field and study visits, missions, workshops, roundtables, and conferences within the project;
• Assist in implementation of effective risk management for the project with a well-documented risk mitigation plan in place. Support monitoring of previously identified and emerging risks;
• Regularly monitor expenditures and commitments against the project budget and relevant plans and provide finance-related information to support project implementation. When necessary, recommend corrective actions and draft various correspondence concerning finance, operations, and budgetary issues;
• Prepare and consolidate required project reports on a timely basis and in line with monitoring and reporting guidelines and donor requirements.

Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

• Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff. Provide support to other capacity building activities, including to the design and delivery of tools, materials for workshops, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action;
• Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally. Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project;
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

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

Institutional Arrangements

The Project Assistant works under the general supervision of the Project Manager and collaborates closely with the Head of the Environment Unit.

Competencies

Cross-Functional/Technical competencies

Business Management

• Working with Evidence and Data

  • Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making.

• Digital Awareness and Literacy

  • Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.
• Customer Satisfaction/Client Management
  • Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs;
  • Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy;
  • Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests;
  • Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
• Communication
  • Ability to 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.
• Monitoring
  • Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and program performance and results.

Technical - Finance

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

Technical - Procurement

• Procurement management

  • The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source.

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum education requirements

• Secondary education is required, or;
• University degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Accounting, Economics, Engineering or equivalent field will be given due consideration.

Minimum years of relevant work experience

• A minimum of 7 years (with high school diploma) or 4 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible administrative or project experience is required.

Required Skills

• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Experience in the preparation of financial reports and overviews;
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools;
• Knowledge of project management processes;
• Knowledge of procurement procedures of national/international organizations;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Required Language(s)

• English is required.
• French and Mauritian Creole is desired.

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.