Project Associate (Finance and Admin)- Roster Recruitment

The Project Associate (Finance and Admin) provides operational, financial and administrative support to ensure smooth, compliant and efficient management of project resources in line with UNDP financial rules, donor requirements and Government of Bangladesh guidelines. The role supports financial management, reporting, administrative logistics, asset management, quality assurance, compliance, and knowledge sharing across UNDP Bangladesh projects.

Responsibilities

• Support in financial management and reporting including setting up and maintaining financial control systems, processing financial transactions in line with Government of Bangladesh and UNDP policies.
• Manage and monitor donor funds aligned with Annual Work Plan and donor agreements.
• Monitor expenditures against approved Annual Work Plan and maintain shadow budgets.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports as per organizational and donor requirements.
• Prepare quarterly Fund Authorization and Certification of Expenditures (FACE) forms, including cashbook and bank reconciliation; ensure timely liquidation of advances.
• Review and process payment requests including travel claims and suppliers' invoices ensuring compliance with UNDP financial rules.
• Support preparation and revision of Annual Work Plan and multi-year budgets in coordination with Project Manager.
• Ensure timely processing of ERP/Quantum system transactions including budget uploads, General Ledger Journal Entries and budget monitoring.
• Prepare vouchers and financial transactions ensuring accuracy and compliance with UNDP rules.
• Support audit processes including responding to audit observations and implementing recommendations.
• Regularly monitor financial dashboard to identify and address pending issues.
• Ensure financial closure of projects/programmes in line with donor and government requirements.
• Provide day-to-day administrative and logistical support for smooth operation of project activities.
• Coordinate logistics for events such as workshops, seminars, conferences and field missions.
• Ensure proper record-keeping and systematic filing for administrative, logistics, vehicle and equipment-related documents.
• Monitor security and maintenance of project equipment, vehicles and assets; support asset transfer and disposal formalities.
• Ensure compliance with UNDP travel and vehicle usage policies; maintain accurate vehicle logs and documentation.
• Assist in HR-related activities such as recruitment support, contract management, staff evaluations and maintaining personnel records.
• Assist with procurement process; follow up on deliveries and troubleshoot delays.
• Support drafting of Letters of Agreement, MoUs, contracts and other administrative documents ensuring alignment with UNDP and Government of Bangladesh guidelines.
• Maintain registers and records including asset/inventory logs and document registers.
• Support closure of project activities including submission of final reports and asset disposal.
• Verify implementing partner activities and fund utilization as per approved FACE forms; monitor disbursement and adjustments for compliance.
• Support spot checks, audits and financial reviews of implementing partners.
• Assist in preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual progress and financial reports consolidating validated data from implementing partners.
• Contribute to development and update of Standard Operating Procedures to enhance operational efficiency and internal controls.
• Coordinate logistical and administrative support for project activities including workshops, training sessions, field missions and event management.
• Maintain organized documentation and filing systems for all financial and administrative records ensuring audit readiness.
• Ensure compliance with UNDP's anti-fraud and anti-corruption policies in all financial operations.
• Apply strong financial data-integrity controls and support value-for-money in operations; uphold UNDP safeguarding standards including protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Participate in trainings for project and operations staff on financial and administrative procedures.
• Provide on-the-job training and support for project staff in finance and administration.
• Contribute to documentation and sharing of best practices and lessons learned to strengthen project operational performance.
• Support development and maintenance of knowledge products related to administrative and financial processes.

Requirements

• Secondary Education with specialized certification in accounting and/or Finance is required, or a university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Finance, Accounting or relevant related field will be given due consideration but is not a requirement.
• Part-qualified accountants from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
• Fully Qualified Accountant from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy or full completion of the UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP) is preferred; no UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (AFT) required in this case.
• Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications but with degrees majoring in accountancy and/or finance must complete UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP) if recruited; no UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (AFT) required.
• Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications but with relevant experience must successfully undertake UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (AFT) before shortlisting and must complete the UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP) if recruited.
• Minimum of 6 years (with Secondary education) or 3 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in administration and financial management in development projects, government or international organizations.
• Hands-on experience processing financial transactions, reconciliations and reporting and procurement is required.
• Experience in preparing routine financial reports, with demonstrable accuracy and attention to detail is required.
• Proficiency in MS Office (especially Excel) and in a web-based financial-management or ERP system is required.
• Experience providing administrative and logistics support (events, travel, asset and record-keeping) is required.
• Demonstrated experience in managing a steady transaction workload reliably and to deadline is required.
• Demonstrated experience and sound knowledge of donor or public-sector financial rules and reporting requirements, and experience applying fund- or grant-management procedures is desired.
• Experience in the development sector with an NGO, UN agency, donor-funded project or government programme including liaising with government counterparts and project stakeholders on operational and financial matters is desired.
• Experience supporting audits, spot checks or financial reviews, including tracking and closing out findings is desired.
• Experience in budget preparation, expenditure monitoring and basic forecasting or variance analysis, beyond routine transaction processing is desired.
• Experience supporting both programme finance and day-to-day operations as part of a project delivery team is desired.
• Fluency in English and Bengali (Bangla) is required, both written and verbal.

Skills

• Accounting Certification
• Finance Management
• Financial Reporting
• Procurement
• Financial Transaction Processing
• Reconciliations
• MS Excel
• ERP Systems
• Administrative Support
• Logistical Support
• Donor Financial Requirements
• Public Sector Financial Rules
• Fund Management
• Grant Management
• Audit Support
• Budget Preparation
• Expenditure Monitoring
• Forecasting
• Variance Analysis
• Project Finance Support
• Asset Management

Languages

English, Bengali