Grants Associate

Background The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a UN agency that works in about 170 countries and territories, helping eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience. It thereby helps them sustain progress and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In Ukraine, UNDP operates in three programme priorities, such as Democratic Governance and Inclusive Social Fabric, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Recovery and Growth, and Sustainable Environment and Energy Transformation. Since the start of the hostilities in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, UNDP in Ukraine has been present on the ground, through its hubs around the country, supporting regional and local authorities and civil society partners in their emergency response and crisis management. Lessons from the past years informed the development of UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2025-2029) and the scale-up of the Area-Based Recovery (ABR) Framework. The Framework’s programmatic pillars of Reconstruction, Returns, Resilience, and Reforms are focused on ensuring community recovery and creating conditions for the return to a development pathway in Ukraine. Addressing the country’s complex reconstruction and recovery requires a holistic, systems-based response that empowers all parts of society — including government, local authorities, the private sector, and citizens — with the capacity and resources to respond effectively. To ensure a whole-of-society approach, the framework offers an integrated, participatory, and inclusive methodology to advance recovery in communities most affected by the war. In this context the Grants Associate will support UNDPs partnerships with community-based organizations and civil society in achievement of the whole of society approach Duties and Responsibilities 1. Assist in developing, implementation and monitoring of grants programs, preparing and maintaining related records, reports, and documentation •Providing initial review of grant applications for completeness and compliance, assist with tracking grant applications and managing timelines and deliverables. •Processing and sending final grant agreements, amendments, and routine correspondence, keep Project team abreast of progress of agreements/amendments/correspondence. •Supporting monitoring grantee performance to ensure achievement of project performance targets and proper use of funds by reviewing grantee programmatic and financial reports, performing site and events visits to grantees. 2. Facilitate liaison and cooperation between the Project, donors and key partner stakeholders •Assisting in the development and maintenance of knowledge and familiarity with current and potential partners, support to establishing and maintaining strategic contacts with relevant partners, follow-up proactively on plans and agreed actions; •Supporting organization and coordination of capacity development activities, meetings, training sessions, conferences and other project events in online and offline format through liaison with project partners, maintaining events’ calendar, providing input to compilation and preparation of agendas and briefings, background and presentation materials, engaging and registering participants, documenting the results. 3. Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building •Participate in trainings on internal procedures for the project staff. •Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the ABR and the Country Office. 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. 4. Support the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in the field of expertise; promote a safe and enabling environment free of discrimination and abusive behaviour corporate standards. •Assist with ensuring the project contributes to the promotion of gender equality by reaching, involving, and benefiting both women and men. •Use the principles of gender-responsive communications in line with the UNDP corporate standards. •Be aware of relevant gender issues and concerns in the field of expertise. •Support the promotion of team culture of gender equality and zero tolerance to any sexual misconduct in the team through leadership and personal example. 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 overall guidance of Local Governance and Public Financing Specialist and Head of Area Based Recovery and the direct supervision of the Small Grants Officer, the Grants Associate will be responsible for assisting and supporting the management and oversight of the grant-making process, its operations and efficient delivery of the results.