Project Administrative and Finance Analyst [Open to Tier 1 & 2 applicants]

Better Than Cash
Better Than Cash

Accounting & Finance, IT

Papua New Guinea

Posted on Jul 8, 2026
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Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

UNDP in Papua New Guinea prioritizes environmental sustainability, climate change action, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable natural resource management under Outcome 4 of the UNDP Country Programme Document (2024–2028). Through its Environment and Climate Change portfolio, UNDP supports the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) in strengthening climate resilience, promoting low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways, protecting biodiversity, improving environmental governance, and mobilizing climate and environmental finance. UNDP works closely with national institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, and local communities to advance Papua New Guinea’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the REDD+ Framework, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and other multilateral environmental agreements.

The “Forest, Climate Change and Biodiversity SRBC Accelerator” (FCCB-SRBC Accelerator) is a joint UNDP–FAO initiative funded by the European Union under the State and Resilience Building Contract (SRBC). The project aims to accelerate the achievement of key climate change, forestry, and biodiversity reform targets under Strategic Priority Area 10 (SPA 10) of Papua New Guinea’s Medium-Term Development Plan IV (2023–2027). The project seeks to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), and the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) to implement national climate and biodiversity commitments, improve environmental governance systems, and strengthen access to public investment financing for climate and biodiversity priorities.

The project addresses key institutional challenges affecting climate and biodiversity governance in Papua New Guinea, including fragmented coordination among sector agencies, limited capacity to prepare high-quality Public Investment Programme (PIP) submissions, weak climate and biodiversity data systems, and inadequate access to sustainable public financing. Through strengthened coordination mechanisms, enhanced planning and budgeting processes, improved forest monitoring systems, and strengthened biodiversity governance, the project will contribute to more effective implementation of national climate and environmental priorities.

The project is structured around two mutually reinforcing outcomes.

Outcome 1 focuses on enhancing implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Activities include strengthening and expanding the National Forest Inventory system, improving country-specific emission factors, supporting REDD+ Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems, developing and operationalising key climate governance instruments such as the National Climate Finance Strategy and National Blue Carbon Strategy, strengthening the Climate Finance Unit within CCDA, and supporting the preparation of joint Forestry–Climate Change–Biodiversity (FCCB) investment frameworks and consolidated Public Investment Programme submissions to the Department of National Planning and Monitoring and the Department of Treasury.

Outcome 2 focuses on strengthening ecosystem management, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources. The project will support the establishment and management of protected areas, strengthen biodiversity monitoring systems, update and operationalise national Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) guidelines, and establish Papua New Guinea’s Protected Areas Network Registry to improve biodiversity governance, reporting, and investment planning.

The project will be implemented under UNDP’s overall leadership as the lead agency, with FAO responsible for delivering specialised technical components related to forest inventory systems, emission factor development, forestry downstream processing strategy development, and protected area management. The project will work closely with CCDA, CEPA, PNGFA, DNPM, the Department of Treasury, provincial administrations, and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen policy–budget coherence, improve climate and biodiversity data systems, and enhance institutional coordination across the Forestry–Climate Change–Biodiversity sector.

In this context, UNDP is recruiting a Project Administrative and Finance Analyst to work under the supervision of the International Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Technical Specialist to support these activities. The Project Financial and Administrative Analyst will also work with Programme, Operations, Communications in the Country Office for effective achievement of results and contribute to resolving programme/project-related and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative guidelines, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Administrative and Finance Analyst works under the direct supervision of International Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Technical Specialist and collaborates closely with the project team members.

The Project Administrative and Finance Analyst will support the project management unit to provide financial and logistical support and administrative functions to ensure smooth implementation of the project. S/he will be responsible especially for payments, financial reporting on a quarterly and annual basis, and in case of needs, according to the government and UNDP requirements, for projects assigned to him/her

Ensure Planning and Budget Management

  • Contribute in collecting, analyzing, and presenting information for joint planning meetings, quarterly work plans, and budget work plans to support effective project implementation.
  • Prepare background information and briefing materials to facilitate advice and communication with donors, implementing partners, and UNDP.
  • Create and maintain projects in Quantum, including budget revisions, project status updates, and identification of unutilized funds.
  • Prepare and regularly update the Annual Work Plan (AWP) and project budget to ensure alignment with project priorities and implementation schedules.

Ensure Project Implementation and Administrative Support

  • Provide administrative, operational, and logistical support to ensure the timely achievement of project outputs and outcomes.
  • Support national project implementation activities in accordance with UNDP procedures and workflows, including Individual Contractor (IC) recruitment processes, workshops, forums, missions, and other project events.
  • Coordinate contractual and procurement processes for goods, services, and Individual Contracts in compliance with UNDP rules, regulations, and procedures.
  • Facilitate logistical arrangements for project missions, consultants, and other stakeholders, including travel, accommodation, and field visits.
  • Provide translation and interpretation support for project-related communications and activities when required.

Ensure Financial Management and Procurement Services

  • Contribute to the monitoring and controlling project expenditures to ensure the effective and efficient utilization of financial resources.
  • Create requisitions and register goods receipts in Quantum for development project activities.
  • Process and monitor project-related payments, ensuring transactions are completed accurately and in a timely manner in accordance with UNDP financial policies and procedures.
  • Support budget monitoring and financial tracking to ensure compliance with approved project budgets and work plans.

Ensure Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Audit Support

  • Compile and prepare information required by the Project Manager for bi-annual, financial, substantive, and final project reports.
  • Assist in organizing project review meetings, evaluations, and final evaluation workshops.
  • Establish and maintain comprehensive electronic and hard-copy filing systems in accordance with audit and record-management requirements.
  • Support the operational and financial closure of projects in coordination with implementing partners and UNDP, ensuring compliance with applicable policies and procedures.
  • Liaise with UNDP and external auditors during project audits, ensuring timely access to project documentation, personnel, and relevant stakeholders.
  • Facilitate the preparation and presentation of information required for audit and assurance activities.

Ensure knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

  • Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff. Provide support to other capacity building activities, including to the design and delivery of tools, materials for workshops, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action.
  • Provide advice and support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally. Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project.
  • Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • 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

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy

  • Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
  • System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Development

  • Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Business Management

  • Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.
  • Communication: Communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels

Finance

  • Budget management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets

Partnership Management

  • Relationship Management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust, and mutual understanding

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or related field is required.Or
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

  • Applicants with a master’s degree in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. or
  • Applicants with a bachelor’s degree are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional administrative, finance or project operations management experience at the national or international level.

Desired skills:

  • Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
  • Experience in preparation of financial reports and overviews
  • Experience in monitoring and evaluation tools
  • Experience in project management processes
  • Experience procurement procedures of national / international organizations
  • Experience in planning, organizing, managing and executing events

Required Language:

  • Fluency in English and Tok Pisin is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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