Background
The project is designed to address the gender-specific barriers faced by women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan, with a focus on improving access to resources, capacity building, mentorship, and advocacy for systemic change. The outcome of the project is to empower women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan by enhancing their access to resources, the skills to sustainably grow their businesses, and advocating for policy reforms to create a gender-responsive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The project aims to significantly enhance the performance and growth of women-led SMEs by providing tailored business acceleration programs. These programs will improve business practices, increase access to financing, and equip women entrepreneurs with essential skills, such as financial literacy, business strategy development, and loan application procedures. The project will focus on developing a gender-sensitive capacity-building curriculum and a comprehensive mentoring framework that takes into account the unique challenges faced by women. This is expected to result in stronger, more resilient women-led businesses that are better positioned to access new markets and resources.
Through the implementation of a robust mentorship program, the project will connect women entrepreneurs with experienced mentors who can provide personalized guidance. The mentorship will focus on strategic business growth, leadership skills, financial planning, and overcoming gender-specific barriers in entrepreneurship. By fostering a supportive peer network, the mentorship program will also help build long-term relationships among women entrepreneurs, strengthening their confidence and capacity for business leadership. Over time, this will contribute to increasing the number of women entrepreneurs successfully scaling their businesses and taking on leadership roles in Uzbekistanโs economy.
The project will also drive systemic change by improving the research, policy advocacy, and broader entrepreneurial ecosystem for women entrepreneurs. By conducting in-depth research on the needs of women-led businesses, including access to finance, markets, and resources, the project will provide evidence-based recommendations to policymakers and financial institutions. This will create a more supportive ecosystem for women entrepreneurs, resulting in improved access to finance, mentorship, and market opportunities.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Project Associate will work under the direct supervision of the Project Specialist, and provide administrative and financial services to ensure high quality, accuracy, and consistency in work. The Project Associate will work closely with national partners, the project, the operations, and program departments of the UNDP office through the following roles and responsibilities:
Be responsible for logistics, travel arrangements as well as recruitment/extension/separation of the project personnelย in accordance with corporate rules and UNDP requirements; Encouraging understanding and promotion of gender equality among project staff and partners; On the basis of consultations with the project manager and the UNDP Business Center, carry out the procurement in accordance with the rules and procedures of the UNDP; Preparation of all financial and administrative documents required for project implementation in accordance with UNDP rules and procedures; Preparation of all financial and administrative documents related to the implementation of the project in accordance with UNDP rules and procedures,ย maintain projectโs expenditures and commitments shadow budget;Preparation of quarterly and annual budget plans for recruiting staff; execution and storage of financial statements, and maintenance of the monitoring system for recording the corresponding expenses, balances, payments and other data on daily financial activities and preparation of reports; Assistance to project staff, experts and consultants in matters of financial costs, advance payments, transportation costs and other financial and administrative costs, preparation and authorization of payments for the services provided; Preparation of detailed cost estimates, participation, if necessary, in budget analysis and forecasting to support the financial operations of the project, alignment of all accounts within the required time frame; Processing, updating the list and keeping records of intangible assets in accordance with UNDP requirements; Execution of duties of a cashier, responsibility for the distribution of the project-based cash flow, keeping records of the cash book and payment orders of regional divisions; Monitoring of vacations of project employees, checking the correctness and appropriate filling of the monthly report card on the presence at the workplace, vacations, absences at the work place due to illness, etc.; Analyzing potential administrative and financial issues and taking the necessary steps to ensure that sufficient resources are available to carry out the tasks assigned to the project; Identifying effective measures to optimize the use of project resources; Ensuring full compliance of administrative and financial processes and financial reporting with the UNDP requirements, policy and strategy;The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangement
Under the direct supervision of Project Specialist and in close collaboration with relevant project partners, the Project Associate will be responsible for the implementation of the project activities aimed at building national capacities for sustainable rural development by pursuing integrated planning and implementation of innovative solutions.ย
The Project Associate will provide operational services ensuring high quality, accuracy, and consistency of work. S/he works in close collaboration with the Government counterparts, project, operations, and Programmeโs staff in the UNDP CO to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery and undertake day-to- day responsibility for operational and thematic support services for the satisfactory achievement of the project component outputs.ย
Competencies
Core Competencies
Achieve Results:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline. Think Innovatively:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. Learn Continuously:ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback. Adapt with Agility:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.ย Act with Determination: ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident. Engage and Partner:ย ย ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships. Enable Diversity and Inclusion:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies
Strategic Thinking:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDPโs 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. Knowledge Generation:ย Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations. Integration within the UN:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Ability to identity, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations. Communication:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 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. Event planning and execution:ย Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP's overall brand and mandate. Events management: ย ย ย ย Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash.ยRequired Skills and Experience
Education:
Secondary education is required; Bachelorโs degree in any of the following areas: Finance, Economics, Business administration, Public Policy, or similar areas will be given due consideration, but is not a requirement.ยExperience:
Minimum 7 years with Secondary education OR; 4 years with Bachelorโs degree of relevant experience in a project administration.ยRequired Skills:
Strong financial and administrative skills, result and client-orientation, ability to work in a team.Desired Skills:
Strong ability to support project planning, execution, and monitoring. Skilled in coordinating activities, maintaining work plans, and ensuring compliance with UNDP policies and procedures; Experienced in budget tracking, procurement processes, and financial reporting. Proficient in handling operational tasks, maintaining project documentation, and ensuring smooth workflow; Adept at liaising with government agencies, donors, and partners. Skilled in preparing reports, presentations, and project briefs to support decision-making and knowledge sharing; Proficiency in the use of computer software applications particularly MS Excel;ย Ability to work under pressure and with tight deadlines, ethics and honesty;ย Ability to use information and communication technology as a tool and resource;ย Experience in handling web-based management systems; Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and ability to prioritize. Previous experience with UNDP or UN project will be a definite asset.Required Languages:
Fluency in English and Uzbek is required.ย Good command of Russian is desirable.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.ย
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.ย
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.ย 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.
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.
ย