Mission and objectives

UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. We help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain their progress The primary and overarching objective of United Nations Development Programme in Kenya is the eradication of poverty in the context of sustainable development, including the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, and promotion of United Nations fundamental principles. A core dimension to the work of UNDP in Kenya is on Democratic Governance given the national focus on governance reforms. UNDP supports the country’s efforts towards achieving the Vision 2030 Political Pillar, which envisions a democratic system that is issue-based, people-centered, results oriented and accountable to the public. This Political Pillar gears to transform the country’s political governance across five strategic areas; The Rule of Law, Electoral and Political Processes, Democracy and Public Service Delivery, Transparency and Accountability, Security Peace Building and Conflict Management. These strategic areas are anchored in the Constitution, promulgated in August 2010 marking a major milestone in the democratic journey of Kenya and set a new threshold in terms of people-centred development.

Context

The credibility of NextGen.Ke rests on two things working together without fail: interns being paid the correct amount at the correct time, and the placement platform operating fairly and reliably. With 15,000 graduate interns receiving monthly stipends over twelve-month placements, the programme processes a high volume of recurrent payments to individuals, many of whom are first-time bank or mobile money account holders. At the same time, the platform's automated shortlisting cannot, on its own, guarantee fairness, detect fraudulent documents, or assist applicants with limited digital literacy. This consolidated position brings the financial and operational support functions together, so that payments and platform operations reinforce one another, protecting both the integrity of the programme's funds and the experience of its users. The objective of the Payments and Platform Operations Community UN Volunteer is to ensure that stipend payments to interns are processed accurately, promptly, and transparently, and that the NextGen platform operates fairly and responsively for candidates and host companies. The volunteer serves as the practical link between the programme's financial records and its day-to-day platform operations.

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of the NextGEN Project Manager, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following duties: • Payment Processing: Prepare and process monthly stipend payment runs for interns, ensuring each payment is correctly mapped to a verified beneficiary record. • Beneficiary Onboarding: Verify and maintain accurate bank and mobile money details for interns, supporting first-time account holders to receive funds without delay. • Reconciliation: Reconcile payment records against attendance, placement, and completion data, and flag discrepancies to the Administrative Associate for resolution. • Records and Audit Trail: Maintain a complete and well-ordered audit trail of payments, approvals, and supporting documentation, in line with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) financial rules and the requirements of the Project Steering Committee. • Human Oversight and Fairness: Review automatically generated shortlists to apply human judgment, ensuring qualified candidates from unconventional or marginalized backgrounds are not overlooked. • Document Verification: Verify uploaded academic certificates, national identification, and recommendation letters in order to prevent fraudulent entries. • Candidate and Company Support: Provide responsive on-site and telephone support to applicants navigating registration, assessment, and placement, and assist host companies in posting opportunities and using the platform. • Inclusion Monitoring: Track shortlists against gender, disability, and regional representation targets, supporting the programme's fifty-fifty gender balance commitment. • Feedback Loop: Document recurring payment and platform issues and channel them to the Administrative Associate and the development team for resolution.

Competencies and values

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organising • Professionalism • Self-management

Living conditions and remarks

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) per month and is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$1,602. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org. For example, kindly enter the link Calculator. In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and also in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station. UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements). UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for the final repatriation travel (if applicable). A resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment. UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate. Disclaimer The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.