• Type of Contract:       UNOPS /Local Individual Contract Agreement (LICA) 8
  Duty Station:                 Manila, Philippines
  Duration:                      01 November 2023 –30 April 2024, extendable depending on funding availability and performance

1. ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING: UN–Habitat

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable communities, towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. In collaboration with governments, UN-Habitat is charged to promote and consolidate collaboration with all partners, including local authorities and private and non-government organizations in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 11, which seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This is further elaborated in the New Urban Agenda. The UN-Habitat headquarters are based on Nairobi, Kenya. The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), which oversees the Philippines operations, is based in Fukuoka, Japan.

By working at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders and partners, UN–Habitat contributes to linking policy development and capacity–building activities to promote cohesive and mutually reinforcing social, economic and environmental policies in national policies and programmes in human settlements which conform with international practices and covenants.

UN-Habitat established its country office in the Philippines in 2004 and runs national and city-level programmes. The UN-Habitat Philippines Country Office (CO) positions itself as a strong policy adviser informed by well-grounded operational experience, harnessing its in-depth local knowledge, global expertise and international network of urban specialists, in the areas of urban planning and design, climate change adaptation and mitigation, urban legislation and governance and urban economy, in postdisaster community-driven recovery, reconstruction and resilience building in Eastern and Western Visayas, and in the climate change, urbanization and sustainable development nexus. The country office partners with national government departments and agencies, local authorities, a wide cross-section of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups, and the private sector. At the policy level, the country office supported the development of the Habitat III country report, the National Urban Development and Housing Framework, guidelines to strengthen the rationalized planning system, Local Shelter Planning, Local Climate Change Action Planning as well as city-level planning like the City Plan of Action on Marine Litter.

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND

2.1 Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) is a six-year Australian Government funded program that aims to support the government of the Philippines in building institutional and community resilience to climate change and other types of hazards. The program has a funding volume of 13,148,283 US dollars. The goal of the SHIELD Program is to make all people in target communities safer and more resilient to the impacts of natural hazard events and climate change.
In partnership with the government of the Philippines, the SHIELD program will be implemented through a consortium approach led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Other consortium members are the UN-Habitat, National Resilience Council, Philippine Business for Social Progress and the Consortium of Bangsamore Civil Society. Project Component 2, where UN-Habitat leads some activities and outputs require expertise and full-time coordination to deliver the needed research and policy outputs of the project.

2.2 Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (TRANSCEND)

This is a six-year project funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The project will be implemented through a consortium led by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) as the main political partner. Through a whole-of-government approach, the project aims to pilot a transition process towards a climate-resilient, low-carbon, and biodiversity-friendly society through adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity solutions in three landscapes in the Philippines.
TRANSCEND aims to support the Philippine Government in achieving the NDC and post-2020 Biodiversity Framework targets. It intends to work with the Philippines on the four IKI funding areas, namely mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change impacts, conserving natural carbon sinks, and conserving biodiversity. The project will also address integrating gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches as means to accommodate context-specific gender relations.

TRANSCEND will be implemented by a consortium of different organizations: Conservation International Philippines (CIPFI), RARE, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Clean Air Asia (CAA), International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT), Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), Climate Analytics (CA), University of the Philippines – Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UP-CWG), and Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as the joint project coordinator. UN-Habitat will lead Output 2 of the project.

2.3 Huy-anan nan Badjao sa Surigao

Surigao del Norte is one of the provinces worst-affected by Super Typhoon Rai/Odette (where the first of 9 landfalls occurred in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte Province on December 16, 2021) which further aggravated the development challenges in the Caraga Region. The province faces the Pacific Ocean and lies along the Philippine Deep (considered as among if not the deepest trench in the world). Hazard maps of the province indicate that most of the areas are susceptible to storm surge and typhoons as well as tsunamis and earthquakes because of the two fault lines in the province thus making it among the most vulnerable provinces in the country to geological and climate change hazards and risks. There is urgent need to support the recovery of the province from the impacts of Super Typhoon Rai/Odette and harness the response efforts as building blocks for rebuilding better and greener as it transitions to longer term rehabilitation and sustainable development. Among the most vulnerable are the internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly the indigenous peoples (IPs) of which the Badjaos are the most marginalized. Emphasis will be on the IDPs who will be rebuilding their lives and communities in the next months and years.

This is a post-disaster recovery project to be implemented in the Philippines, with demonstration in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, Caraga Region aimed at strengthening and improving the capacity of vulnerable populations displaced as a result of natural disasters. In particular, it seeks to improve the living conditions of the Badjao indigenous population displaced in Surigao city due to the Typhoon Odette through the implementation of appropriate and resilient solutions based on nature and the circular economy, favoring the humanitarian-development nexus, environmental sustainability and adaptation to climate change.

3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Finance and Administrative Officer will oversee the overall financial and administrative operations of the country office and the projects under the country program. As part of the management team, she/he shall contribute to making important policy and strategic decisions, as well as the development and implementation of operational policies and procedures. Reporting directly to the Country Programme Manager of UN-Habitat Philippines, she/he shall work closely with the Project Coordinators/Managers (PC/PM) and the rest of the project team members to ensure that the finance and administrative policies and procedures of both UN-Habitat and the donors are adhered to.

The Finance and Administrative Officer will perform the following tasks and take the lead in the following activities:

Finance

Budget & Resource Management:

1. Review and analyze data with respect to the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals;
2. Assist the substantive staff in the preparation of the new grants in Umoja, Agreements of Cooperation with the Implementing Partners in-line with UN-Habitat standards and systems;
3. Prepare Financial Authorization Requests and Budget Revisions when necessary;
4. Assist in the development of project proposals and work plan preparation particularly in determining appropriate financial and budgetary requirements
5. Assist in developing the country office work program and budget; analyze inputs and formulate resource allocations by work program;
6. Monitor budgets/work programs with respect to project budgets, grants and reallocates resources as necessary;
7. Assist PC/PM in analyzing resource requirements for budget submissions and revisions.

Financial Analysis and Reporting:

1. Monitor project expenditures according to the budget and the work plan from project initiation, implementation and until closure;
2. Prepare donor financial reports;
3. Collect data from relevant databases and prepare customized financial reports as necessary;
4. Monitor and analyze financial aspects of the project development and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues and consult with the PMO ROAP on proposed actions; liaise with relevant parties (ROAP, donor and partner agencies); identify and track follow-up actions;
5. Draft correspondence/communication as appropriate to ensure smooth implementation of projects.

Finance, Accounting and Internal Audit:

1. Review payment requests and ensure it is within the UN-Habitat and ROAP established procedures for country programmes/projects and ensure payment within local established financial/banking procedures;
2. Liaise, monitor and follow-up the support services of ROAP and other relevant offices with regards to the financial aspects of the project;
3. Advise local project staff and counterparts on financial management and promote awareness of financial budget toward project delivery;
4. Analyze financial services needs to support operations and project implementation;
5. Maintain accurate records of financial status of recruitments, sub-contracts and payments to monitor work plan delivery;
6. Monitor budget expenditures and maintain a proper record of approved project budgets and their revisions; ensure accuracy of supporting documents particularly donor requirements;
7. Prepare and submit expenditure and programme budget status reports given the requirements of UN-Habitat and the project donors;
8. Review and verify operational advance accounts to ensure appropriate balances. Investigate erroneous/invalid entries and take appropriate corrective accounting action;
9. Review systems and internal controls ensuring promotion of optimal and soundest use of financial resources for project effective delivery, including project inventory and assets;
10. Review administration of project procedures and ensure that effective controls (UN- compliant practices) are in place, update systems as required, collaborating with other staff members; ensure systems are used and monitoring controls are in place.

Administration

1. Supervise the administration and logistics support provided to UN-Habitat personnel such as visa processing, travel and the like;
2. Supervise the Finance and Administrative Assistant to ensure all administrative, procurement, travel and finance policies and processes are implemented accurately and in a timely manner following the UN standards and policies;
3. Liaise with UNDP and other UN agencies, when appropriate, to ensure implementation of administrative systems are consistent with UN wide rules and regulations (SSAFE, UN Training, etc)
4. Represent the agency in the Operations Management Team (OMT) of the UN system in the Philippines.

Procurement
1. Review requisitions for goods and services to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, and (b) availability of funds;
2. Review tender documents (e.g. Invitation to Bid, Request for Proposal and Request for Quotation) based on the nature of the requirements and cost of procurement involved;
3. Ensure that the Finance and Administrative Assistant monitors and records all procurement of goods;
4. Guide and advice all project teams on the appropriate procurement process to be undertaken.

Others
1. Manage all communication related to administration and finance;
2. Provide information and advice to the Head of Agency/CPM and the senior managers on managerial, financial and administrative matters in relation to UN-Habitat policies and procedures, practices and UN Rules and Regulations;
3. Review, record and prioritize purchasing requests and obtain additional information/ documentation as required; propose product substitutions consistent with requirements to achieve cost savings; determine the availability of funding sources;
4. Monitor equipment lifecycle from delivery, use, maintenance, transfer and disposal including spare inventory;
5. Conduct physical verification of inventory on a yearly basis;
6. Perform other functions and duties as required.

4. QUALIFICATIONS

COMPETENCIES

Professional Competencies

• Professionalism: Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of human settlement issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; exhibits interest in having two-way communication; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
• Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Managerial Competencies           

• Leadership: Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions
• Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff.
• Judgment/ Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

HOW TO APPLY

Submission of Applications

Application should include:

1. Cover memo (maximum 1 page) including expectations regarding remunerations;
2. A completed UN Personal History Form (P-11) – Please download the form (MS-Word) from UN- Habitat ROAP web site: https://unhabitat.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/UNHABITAT-Personal_History_P11-updated-20210716.doc

All applications should be addressed to and sent electronically vie e- mail to UN-Habitat’s Country Programme Manager, Christopher E. Rollo at cris.rollo@un.org copying the HR Associate, Loubelle Fajardo at loubelle.fajardo@un.org

 Please indicate in your e-mail subject:  Finance and Administrative Officer

Deadline for Applications is on or before 13 October 2023.

Please note that applications received after the closing date stated above will not be given consideration. Only short-listed candidates whose applications respond to the above criteria will be contacted. The salary will be determined according to the qualifications, skills and relevant experience of the selected candidate. Details and conditions of the contract will be communicated at the interview.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

UN-Habitat does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

UN-Habitat is an inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, language, socio-economic background or any other status.