Job Title: Project Financial and Administrative Assistant

Project Title: Conservation and sustainable management of wetlands with focus on high-nature value areas in the Prut River basin

Supervisor: Project Manager

Duration of employment: 12 months with a possibility of extension

Payment Schedule: monthly

II. Background

Brief project description: The objective of the project is to achieve ecological integrity of key floodplain wetlands in the Prut River basin, ensuring positive status of biodiversity, land and water resources, as well as ecosystem services. This will be achieved through provisions for the minimum environmental flow and hydrological repair of declining wetlands and strengthening the PAs management hosting valuable wetlands habitats and key species. The GEF investment will be based on an integrated river basin management approach that ensures the continuity of wetland ecosystem services sustaining livelihoods in the Prut River basin at approximately 20,803 ha of high value wetlands in the Lower Prut Biosphere Reserve, the Royal Forest Nature Reserve and surrounding floodplain. The project-driven hydrological repair of Camenca river’s floodplain, will bring an additional 8.3 million m3 of water annually to nourish declining wetlands in the Prut River mid-section, ensuring the survival of approximately 11,175 ha of valuable floodplain habitat even under a severe climate induced water scarcity scenario. The project-supported improvements of legal and financing frameworks for wetlands and protected areas will enable sustainable management of Prut basin’s wetlands, hosting globally important migratory aquatic birds’ species such as herons, egrets, spoonbills, ibises nesting and feeding in these areas. The project’s demonstration activities and strengthened regulatory framework will pave the way for a more systematic approaches to improving wetlands condition. Involving private sector and strengthening knowledge about voluntary environment certification and “greening” businesses as well as strengthening regulatory framework and legal enforcement will reduce the threats to biodiversity values coming from sectoral land and resource use (agriculture, forestry, food industry, oil exploitation). Supporting local communities accessing affordable financing for their local businesses will help alleviate the pressure on natural resources.

III. Organizational Context

The Ministry of Environment has been selected as the IP EPIU as it represents the government institution responsible for the development of legislation, action plans, norms and standards in the field of environmental protection, sustainable use of natural resources, including management of protected areas, air, waste, water resources, water supply and sewerage system, ensuring compatibility of legal framework with Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA). The responsibilities of the Ministry of Environment will include:

• Project planning, coordination, management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting. This includes providing all required information and data necessary for timely, comprehensive and evidence-based project reporting, including results and financial data, as necessary. The Implementing Partner will strive to ensure project-level M&E is undertaken by national institutes and is aligned with national systems so that the data used and generated by the project supports national systems;
• Chairing the Project Board meetings;
• Monitoring the progress of the project at strategic level, towards the achievement of the development outcomes;
• Ensuring effective management of the Risks and Safeguards as outlined in this Project Document and management of new risks that may emerge during project implementation.
• Ensuring that the project partners will deliver the pledged co-financing;
• Ensuring that there is a coherent project organisation structure and logical set of work plans;

• Set tolerances in the AWP and other plans as required for the Project Manager;
• Financial management, including overseeing financial expenditures against project budgets;
• Approving and signing the multiyear workplan;
• Approving and signing the combined delivery report at the end of the year; and,
• Signing the financial report or the funding authorization and certificate of expenditures.

The Ministry has founded the Public Institution Environmental Projects Implementation Unit (EPIU) in order to overcome the above-mentioned barriers, and enable the receipt and management of the donor funded projects. The EPIU is the public institution, functioning under the MOE mandate, responsible to contributing to policy implementation through specific projects. The PI EPIU is mandated to implement various multilateral donor-supported projects (e.g. UNEP, UNIDO, WB) and bilateral donor funded initiatives. PI EPIU is a legal entity with individual state coat stamp, name and treasury accounts and was established with the purpose of supporting the Ministry of Environment  to efficiently implement the external and internal financial and technical assistance projects, in accordance with the provisions of the national normative acts regarding the implementation of the requirements of the international conventions, and the alignment with the international standards in the field of environmental protection.

The implementation support services to be provided by the PI EPIU will include:

•  Contracting and contract management for procurement of goods, services, and works for the project at national level;
• Certification for contract performance and acceptance of goods and services as per Project Procurement Plan;
• Financial management, including payments for goods and services involving national consultants and made in national currency.
• Logistical support, including duty travel for project personnel and consultants, project event management within the country.
• Equipment and Asset Management services, including IT equipment maintenance, licenses, and ICT support for the project team and project activities.
• Administrative support for the project.

The EPIU will receive cash advances, as the HACT Micro- assessment has indicated that to date, EPIU had received cash advances on behalf of the Ministry of Environment from a number of donors and no difficulties have been encountered/reported with the management of those resources. The PI EPIU will support the implementation of project activities as per the Annual Work Plan, Procurement Plan and Budget, agreed with the Ministry of Environment and UNDP.

IV. Functions / Key Results Expected

Under the guidance and supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Financial and Administrative Assistant will carry out the following tasks:

• Manage the overall execution of the project;
• Assist the Project Manager in day-to-day management and oversight of project activities;
• Assist in the preparation of progress reports;
• Keep records of project funds and expenditures, and ensure all project-related financial documentation are well maintained and readily available when required by the Project Manager;
• Review project expenditures and ensure that project funds are used in compliance with the Project Document and national financial rules and procedures;
• 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 audit(s);
• Review annual budgets and project expenditure reports, and notify the Project Manager if there are any discrepancies or issues;
• Consolidate financial progress reports submitted by the responsible parties for implementation of project activities;
• Liaise and follow up with the responsible parties for implementation of project activities in matters related to project funds and financial progress reports;
• Assist the M&E consultant in matters related to M&E and knowledge resources management;
• Assist in the preparation of progress reports;
• Ensure all project documentation (progress reports, consulting and other technical reports, minutes of meetings, etc.) are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies in an efficient and readily accessible filing system, for when required by the Project Board, UNDP, project consultants and other PMU staff;
• Provide PMU-related administrative and logistical assistance.
• Assist in the preparation of progress reports;

Procurement

• Advise project team in tender processes on procurement rules of the mission
• Participate in tenders for procurements

Interaction with partner organizations

• Cooperate with financial managers/coordinators of partner organizations in the financial management of grants/subsidies received by them from HQ or the mission (mostly supervision and advisory role)
• Approve monthly financial reports

V. Requirements

MINIMUM qualifications

• University degree in finances or equivalent field experience
• At least 10 years of relevant work in a project management setting involving multi-lateral/ international funding agency.
• Previous experience with UN project will be a definite asset;
• Proficiency in the use of computer software applications particularly MS Excel;
• Excellent language skills in English (writing, speaking and reading).
• Very good inter-personal skills;
• Proficiency in the use of computer software applications especially MS Word and MS Excel.
• Excellent language skills in English (writing, speaking and reading) and in Romanian/Russian languages

VI. Interested must sent to the email: cancelaria@uipm.gov.md the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• CV, including information about past experience in similar assignments and contact details for at least 3 referees;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
• Offeror's Letter confirming Interest and Availability with financial proposal per month (in MDL).

Application Deadline: 23^rd of September 2022, 16:00

New Deadline: 30th of September 2022, 16:00

New Deadline: 4th of November 2022, 16:00

New Deadline: 23rd of December 2022, 16:00

Contacts:

Anatolie Risina

anatolie.risina@uipm.gov.md