Project Associate [Open to Internal and External Applicants]

UNDP · Honiara, Solomon Islands · Deadline: 13 Oct 2026

Grade: National PSA- Regular · Schedule: Full time

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

Solomon Islands has a predominantly rural population, with approximately 600,000 people (74% of the population) living in rural areas and relying largely on subsistence agriculture. Most households engage in small-scale farming primarily for food security, with limited surplus sales. Livestock ownership is widespread, particularly pigs and poultry, across approximately 80,000 households distributed over 350 islands. Organic waste management remains largely informal and unregulated.

Access to modern energy services is limited, especially in rural areas. Fuelwood and other biomass remain the dominant cooking fuels, while electricity supply is scarce and grid access does not reach the majority of rural communities. Electricity tariffs are among the highest in the Pacific region. The country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) identifies the energy sector as the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (95% of total emissions), underscoring the importance of renewable energy solutions for climate mitigation and sustainable development.

Biogas technology presents a viable opportunity to convert livestock manure and organic waste into clean energy for cooking and power generation, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and traditional biomass while mitigating environmental and health impacts. However, biogas systems in Solomon Islands remain underdeveloped.

The SENBIOSIS project is a nationwide programme supporting biogas investments to transform organic waste into energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve rural livelihoods. Its objectives are to strengthen farmers’ capacity to manage biogas systems and establish sustainable financing mechanisms to support initial capital investments.

In this context, UNDP is recruiting a Project Associate to support procurement and administrative functions of the SENBIOSIS project.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Associate will be under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator.

UNDP retains intellectual property and other proprietary rights over all materials that have a direct relation to the project.

Under the overall supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Project Associate will manage and oversee all procurement activities related to the construction of biogas systems and the acquisition of project goods and services and provide integrated administrative and operational support under the Solomon Islands Biogas Project (SENBIOSIS – Sustainable Energy from BIOgas in Solomon Islands).

1. Lead and manage end-to-end procurement processes

  • Ensure all procurement activities are in accordance with UNDP Procurement Rules, donor requirements, and national regulations
  • Conduct procurement planning
  • Preparation and solicitate procurement documents
  • Manage the bidding processes
  • Provide support to evaluation committees
  • Award contracts
  • Monitor the performance of suppliers
  • Conduct contract closure

2. Ensure effective supplier and contract management

  • Liaise with suppliers, contractors, and project staff to secure timely delivery of goods and services
  • Conduct basic supplier performance monitoring
  • Document lessons learned
  • Ensure transparency, fairness, and value for money in all procurement activities

3. Coordinate international and local logistics processes

  • Oversee all related importation, shipping, customs clearance, insurance, and sustainability compliance for biogas equipment and other project-related goods.

4. Provide administrative and operational support to the project

  • Manage travel authorizations and field missions logistics
  • Oversee office operations, workshops and stakeholder meetings logistics
  • Conduct asset tracking
  • Provide day-to-day support to technical experts and project staff

5. Support financial and HR administration

  • Prepare and file documentations
  • Assist with budget monitoring and expenditure tracking
  • Provide administrative inputs to financial and donor reports
  • Document related revolving funds
  • Coordinate with financial institutions

6. Ensure proper records management and reporting

  • Maintain organized electronic and physical filing systems in line with UNDP standard
  • Draft outline correspondence and operational reports
  • Contribute and provide procurement and administrative inputs to the annual, mid-term, and final reports

7. Strengthen compliance, internal controls, and risk management

  • Ensure adherence to UNDP policies and audit requirements
  • Maintain operational risk and issue logs with mitigation measures
  • Support spot checks and monitoring visits
  • Promote compliance with sustainability and environmental safeguard principles.

8. Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the 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 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 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 Management

  • Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
  • Monitoring & Evaluation:
    • Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively;
    • Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results.
    • Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming.
    • Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools.
    • Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks.
    • Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Procurement

  • Procurement management: The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source
  • Supplier/relationship management: Knowledge of supplier management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations

Administration & Operations

  • Documents and records management: Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving

Finance

  • Budget management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets
  • Financial reporting and analysis:
    • Understands changes in regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks and standards for financial reporting in the public sector.
    • Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring.
    • Understands the benefits of integrated reporting, including non-financial resources such as human, social and intellectual capital, and environmental and governance performance

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Secondary education is required.
  • University degree (Bachelor’s degree) in Economics, Management, Administration, Law, Sciences, or another related field will be given due consideration but is not a requirement.

Experience:

  • Minimum 7 years (with secondary education) and 4 years (with bachelor´s degree) of progressively responsible experience in procurement operations of goods and administrative support functions for international development projects is required.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

  • Demonstrated experience managing procurements from domestic and foreign markets into Solomon Islands, particularly with respect to customs procedures, clearance processes, timelines and fees;
  • Experience in end-to-end procurement management of goods, services and works from domestic and foreign markets; administrative and operational support to complex projects including travel arrangements, workshops and documentation management; and logistics, shipping, customs clearance, insurance and importation of goods into Solomon Islands or comparable contexts;
  • Experience with procurement and importation of infrastructure and renewable energy equipment, specifically biogas systems or comparable technologies;
  • Experience coordinating logistics, shipping, customs clearance and insurance for such equipment in remote or island contexts;
  • Experience using procurement and project management platforms, digital tools for documentation, data management and reporting.

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience supporting audits, spot checks, compliance reviews and donor reporting requirements in the context of international development projects.
  • Previous experience with UNDP in similar contexts.

Required Language(s):

  • Fluency in English and Pidgin 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.

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