Job Description

Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:

Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates)

Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and personnel on regular PSA contracts

Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the lead UN agency on international development, working in about 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and build resilience, focusing on six core areas: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy, and gender equality.

UNDP in Papua New Guinea is prioritizing environmental protection and climate change adaptation under Outcome 4 of its 2024-2028 Country Programme. The initiative aims to strengthen climate resilience, protect biodiversity, and promote sustainable natural resource management. It also supports PNG in meeting its commitments under international climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Additionally, UNDP works on advancing natural capital accounting to better recognize the economic value of ecosystems, ensuring their long-term protection and sustainable use.

The UNDP environment and climate change portfolio in Papua New Guinea (PNG) plays a crucial role in advancing sustainable resource management and climate resilience. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), several key projects contribute to this mission. The Sustainable Financing of Papua New Guinea’s Protected Area Network (GEF 6) focuses on ensuring long-term financial support for protected areas, enhancing conservation efforts, and promoting biodiversity protection. Meanwhile, the Integrated Land Management, Restoration of Degraded Landscapes, and Natural Capital Assessment in the Mountains of Papua New Guinea (GEF 7) aims to restore degraded ecosystems and implement sustainable land-use practices, particularly in mountainous regions, to protect vital ecosystems and mitigate climate change impacts.

Building on these initiatives, the Accelerating PNG’s Sustainable Blue Economy through Strengthened Governance and Investment in Marine Areas (GEF 8) addresses sustainable marine resource management. This project strengthens governance frameworks and promotes investment in marine conservation, supporting PNG’s efforts to develop a resilient blue economy. Together, these projects form a comprehensive strategy for the sustainable use of PNG’s natural resources, integrating land and marine conservation, climate adaptation, and economic development. Through these efforts, UNDP and its partners aim to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability, ensuring long-term benefits for both people and nature.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is home to one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, featuring vast coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. These ecosystems provide critical services, including food security, climate resilience, and livelihoods for coastal communities. However, unsustainable resource use, habitat degradation, climate change, and weak governance threaten the long-term viability of these ecosystems.

The project, Accelerating PNG’s Sustainable Blue Economy through Strengthened Governance and Investment in Marine Areas, is a six-year initiative implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA). With financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF-8) and co-financing partners, the project aims to strengthen marine conservation, enhance governance, and promote sustainable economic activities in key coastal and marine areas of PNG.

The project will focus on three key geographic areas: New Ireland Province, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), and Port Moresby’s Bootless Bay. These regions are biodiversity hotspots facing significant environmental pressures, including illegal fishing, pollution, and deforestation of coastal habitats.

To address these challenges, the project will implement four major components: (1) integrating natural capital accounting into fiscal policies and economic planning, (2) strengthening marine spatial planning and governance, (3) promoting nature-based solutions (NbS) through public-private-community partnerships, and (4) facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building.

The project is expected to improve 3.9 million hectares of marine areas, restore 20,000 hectares of mangroves, and enhance sustainable fisheries while creating lasting environmental and socio-economic benefits for PNG’s coastal communities and contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals.Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager , the Finance Analyst will provide the financial management services of the project. 
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Project Manager, the Finance Analyst is responsible for the overall financial and management accounting of the project and will carry out the above-mentioned tasks.

• Keep records of project funds and expenditures and ensure all project-related financial documentation are well maintained and readily available.
• Review project expenditures and ensure that project funds are used in compliance with the Project Document and governmental financial rules and procedures.
• Manage requests for the provision of UNDP financial resources through funding advances, direct payments or reimbursement using the FACE form.
• Validate and certify FACE forms before submission to UNDP.
• Provide necessary financial information as and when required for project management decisions.
• Provide necessary financial information during project audits.
• Review annual budgets and project expenditure reports and notify the Project Manager, Chief Technical Advisor if there are any discrepancies or issues.
• Prepare annual budget in accordance with the project work plan.
• Conduct cycle audit of all financial transactions and report and ensure that all transactions and reports are in accordance with the accounting procedures prescribed by the Project Document.
• Consolidate and finalise the monthly financial reports to monitor adherence to the budget as per work plans. 
• Advise on Audit the Bank Reconciliation Statement prepared by the Accounting Officer.
• Prepare semi-annual cash flow projections ensuring sufficiency of funds.
• Monitor foreign exchange currency rates. 
• Coordinate with the Internal Audit Unit to ensure that both financial and operational controls are in place.
• Participate and Advise in overseeing the signing of financial / grant agreements.
• Handle Cash Management and Bank Management.
• Facilitate completion/processing of pending documents related to financial reporting.
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in project finance.
• Ensure knowledge building and sharing

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

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 bias, confront discrimination

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 
• 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 and 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 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.

Business Direction & Strategy    

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Finance     

• Budget management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets 
• Audit Risk Management: Abilty to address  risks and audit issues raised in the course of an audit and propose solutions in order to ensure a true and fair audit opinion is achieved

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A professional accounting qualification from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy, and/or Advanced (Master’s) University Degree in Finance and/or Accounting is required. OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree 
• Candidates with professional accounting qualifications from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
• Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications, but with degrees that major in accountancy and/or finance must complete the Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited.
• Candidates satisfying the two above criteria are exempted from undertaking the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT). 
• Candidates with MBA or master's in finance with no accountancy qualification but with relevant experience must successfully undertake the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT) to be eligible for shortlisting.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in providing financial management services, and/or managing staff and operational systems. 

Required skills:

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems and ERP financials, preferably Oracle;
• Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is required for external candidates. 

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

• Experience in the preparation of financial reports and overviews 
• Experience and knowledge of project management processes 
• Experience and knowledge of finance procedures of national/international organizations 
• Experience providing  necessary financial information during project audits
• Experience in Cash Management and Bank Management.

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English language (writing, speaking and reading) and Tok Pisin 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.

Scam alert

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