Programme Support Officer at UNDP

The Government of Malawi (GoM) recognizes the need to support private sector development, entrepreneurship, and inclusive/green businesses, as affirmed in its 2017-2022 Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III, the country’s overarching medium-term strategy designed to attain Malawi’s long-term aspirations of poverty reduction. The MGDS III aims to accelerate the country’s transition to a productive, competitive, and resilient nation that also integrates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Achievement of this objective requires a dynamic, diverse, and innovative private sector and a vibrant entrepreneurship culture.

UNDP Malawi focuses on private sector and entrepreneurship development, especially of youth, to contribute to the sustainable economic development of the country by tackling poverty, delivering social and environmental dividends aligned to Agenda 2030, and by equipping entrepreneurs with financing, knowledge, technology and skills to achieve and accelerate the positive impact potentials of their business ideas.

With financial support from the European Union, UNDP Malawi is implementing a component on Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance (a six-year effort), which is integral part to the UNDP Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and part of the EU apex programme, Zantchito Skills for Jobs programme. The objective of this component is to an promote entrepreneurial culture, sustainable enterprise creation and decent, formal jobs.

The component aims to support 3,800 entrepreneurs in the creation of new entrepreneurship ventures and in the formalization of existing ventures with direct and indirect job creation of more than 7,600. An increase in revenue by 80% and access to external finance for most of the participants enrolled into the programme remains a key objective together with the creation of new financing instruments uniquely and innovatively developed by the financial institutions affiliated to the initiative.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator (Inclusive/Green Business), the Programme Suport Officer is responsible for supporting the overall implementation, the technical, financial and administrative operations of the Zantchito Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance component of the PSDP. The Officer will provide primarily support towards management of this specific project, in compliance with UNDP rules and regulations, but will also support other initiatives under the PSDP portfolio as required and including the Growth Accelerator, the Growth Accelerator 2.0 Green Transition, the BUILD Fund, the Malawi Innovation Challenge Fund. The Officer will undertake setup appropriate checks and balances that ensure the smooth and successful implementation of the project and will support the overall implementation of the project.

Provide Technical Support to the Zantchito project implementation and monitoring of grants disbursed to entrepreneurs; support to the formulation of new programmatic initiatives in the inclusive/green business space

• Support preparations for technical monthly progress review meetings with Donor partners and the service provider;
• Support the preparations of quarterly and annual financial and technical progress reports to be submitted to the Donor partners;
• Provide technical input into discussions related to the project;
• Support the engagement of key partners affiliated to the project (entrepreneurs, Business Incubators, Financial Service Providers, BDS providers, Universities etc);
• Support preparations for Steering Committee meetings with other stakeholders under the umbrella Zantchito Skills for Jobs programme;
• Support field work to partners and end beneficiaries (entrepreneurs);
• Support with the preparation of new project formulation activities within the broader scope of the PSDP and within the context of the private sector green economic transition;
• When required, support with the implementation of UNDP PSDP other private sector engagement instruments (GA, GA 2.0, BUILD Malawi, MICF etc).

Efficient Administrative Support:

Provide efficient administrative support to the project, focusing on the following results:

• Undertake daily administrative support to the project activities and operations;
• Contribute administrative support in the project planning, implementation arrangements and contracts administration processes;
• Provide support in the project grant disbursement processes to entrepreneurs, contract management and timely disbursement of payments;
• Utilize the web-based applications (Atlas) in implementing the project financial and administrative actions and processes;
• Maintain appropriate records and files on the project administrative information/ data for ease storage, retrievals and use;
• Manage project office supplies.

Financial Management:

Ensure accurate financial management and administration processes, focusing on the following results:

• Contribute to the sound financial management, through undertaking accurate transactions, generation of budgets, expenditure details and tracking delivery trends, amongst others;
• Prepare and process financial requests for payment, ensuring that the requests are accompanied by adequate original and legal supporting documentation;
• Undertake budget revisions to reflect the latest needs of the project, in accordance with the budget revision Standard Operating Procedures;
• Ensure accurate financial management and accounting in the use of project funds, in compliance with the UNDP rules and regulations;
• Support the preparation of documents for grant disbursements to entrepreneurs.

Monitoring and Reporting:

Provide effective monitoring and reporting, focusing on the following results:

• Effectively use the Results Based Management (RBM) tools, when monitoring and reporting on the project financial and administrative operations;
• Ensure that all project transactions are properly recorded and filed such as agreements with service providers, contracts with grant recipients, payment receipts and checks, inventory of purchased equipment and materials;
• Prepare and provide adequate project information and supporting documentation for audits purposes, as when required;
• Regularly monitor the project financial transactions and expenditures, ensure timely financial cleanups, reconciliation, revision cost and recovery are undertaken (Atlas);
• Generate project financial and expenditure detailed reports, as when required.

Knowledge Management:

Contribute to knowledge management and communication & visibility, focusing on the following results:

• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Contribute to grant disbursement lesson learning for continued improvement of the operations under the project;
• Contribution to communication and visibility products and events.

Institutional Arrangement:

This position will be based at Malawi CO and will be reporting to the Programme Coordinator (Inclusive/Green Business).

• 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.

Technical and Cross-Functional Competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking            

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDPs objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Direction & Strategy: Business Acumen:

• Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.
• Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks.

Business Direction & Strategy: Effective Decision:

• Making Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.

Business Development: Integration within the UN:

• Ability to identify, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations.

Business Development: Knowledge Generation:

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Economics, Business Administration,Accountancy or Finance from a reputable and recognized institution, or a related field is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Minimum of 2 (Two) years of experience for master’s degree holders and 4 (Four) years for bachelor’s degree holders at the national or international level in providing project and financial and administrative support services, hands-on relevant experience with ATLAS and or web-based management systems;
• Good analytical skills, usage of computers and other office software packages will be a distinct advantage;
• Familiarity with private sector development and entrepreneurship development is a clear advantage;
• Demonstrated experience in providing project implementation support, finance and administrative support to complex and demanding projects is required;
• Experience in the United Nations, and/ or other multilateral organization, especially knowledge of UNDP rules and regulations on project finance administration and use of results-based management tools is desirable;
• Demonstrated working skills in teams and multicultural environment to achieve demanding project goals;
• Excellent analytical, communication, finance administration and reporting skills, both written and oral;
• Ability to create processes to achieve financial goals;
• Ability to effectively communicate intentions and requirements to internal and external stakeholders;
• Ability to try out /test new ways of engagement and communications;
• Openness to different and new ways of doing things.

Language: Fluency in English