Project Analyst United Nations Development Programme Experience: 2 years of relevant work experience Belgrade, Serbia Apply By: 17-09-2024

UNDP has been actively supporting public administration reform and public financial management reform since 2000. Activities have expanded and intensified over the years as UNDP’s relationship with the institutions established after the first democratic elections in Serbia has been strengthened, coupled with the need to modernize public sector management, and ensure a fully functional and accountable public finance management system based on the highest international standards and, since 2014, EU accession requirements.

UNDP Serbia has been supporting the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia since 2013 in capacity building for effective coordination and management, economic reforms, accession negotiations, and meeting the economic and political criteria for European Union (EU) membership. The implementation of the project “Support to Strengthen Technical Capacity and Institutional Development of the Ministry of Finance and Coordination in the Field of Economic Governance” started in 2018. In order to meet the economic and political criteria for EU membership and to create a stable economic and monetary environment, the Republic of Serbia needs to ensure further strengthening of administrative capacity and stability of its institutions. The main project activities focus on providing capacity building support and analysis of the current economic environment, as well as supporting the implementation of the fiscal risk management strategy and methodology by monitoring fiscal risks, with a particular focus on risks arising from the activities of state-owned enterprises.

• The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has implemented a unique methodology – a system for managing both the planning and implementation of investment projects. Based on the unique methodology, the Government of the Republic of Serbia (GoS) adopted a new Regulation on Public Investment Management (PIM), which came into force in January 2020 and applies to all capital projects regardless of the source of financing. The new system PIM aims to strengthen existing quality controls on capital projects at both the planning and execution stages, institutionalise quality control points, and install new gatekeeping mechanisms, such as investment pre-selection, resolution of dormant projects, and ex-post evaluation.
• The new system should ensure the development of a unified mechanism for all investments, regardless of the source of financing, to ensure a more active role for the Ministry of Finance in preparing and monitoring investments.
• In April 2019, the state established the Capital Investment Commission (CIC), chaired by the Serbian Prime Minister, as the central decision-making body for investment projects, as provided for in the new decree PIM. The new PIM system will also be strengthened by the establishment of the Public Investment Management Unit (PIM) in the Ministry of Finance, which will deal with the planning and monitoring of capital investments and report directly to the CIC.
• The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the further improvement of the capacities of the Ministry of Finance for the efficient coordination and management of economic reforms and accession negotiations as well as for fulfilling the economic and political criteria for EU membership. The present proposal complements the Support to strengthening technical capacity and institutional development of the Ministry of Finance and coordination in the field of economic governance – Amendment 6 and foresees the provision of additional support for the implementation of the activities in the previous amendment.
• One of the priorities of the GoS is the construction and development of the Belgrade railway underground system – Belgrade metro, which has been announced as a project of primary importance by the GoS several times. The Belgrade metro system is technologically a very complex and demanding undertaking both from the aspect of construction and from the aspect of exploitation and maintenance. Accordingly, the development of such transport systems also drives the development of the economy. The goal is to maximally engage domestic construction industry in the development of the subway system, to improve technical know-how and acquire new technologies. The development of the metro system in Belgrade will provide an increase of the level of knowledge and skills required in this project and will establish a technical and personnel base for upcoming projects.
• In view of this, the Ministry of Finance has started implementing the measures foreseen in the relevant policy documents, such as the methodology for monitoring public investments, and needs external support for their implementation. Considering this, UNDP is seeking a Project Analyst (Legal) in the area of public investment management to support the implementation of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist MoF PIM Unit during the assessment of legal aspects of capital investment project such as Belgrade Metro, from the perspective of urban planning and zoning regulations;
• Provide legal advice to the MoF PIM Unit regarding special legal codes, municipal regulations and development plans relevant to the City of Belgrade on the capital investment project such as Belgrade Metro;
• Provide recommendations to the MoF related to legal aspects of capital investment projects for the construction and development of Belgrade metro in accordance with relevant legal requirements;
• Assist MoF PIM Unit during monitoring of implementation of capital investment projects for the construction and development of Belgrade metro from the legal perspective;
• Provide recommendations to the MoF related to the capital investment projects for the construction and development of Belgrade metro from the legal perspective.
• Actively participate in and coordinate meetings, training sessions, conferences and public promotion of projects;
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization..

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Finance, Economics, Law, Organizational Science or related field.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor`s degree) in Finance, Economics, Law, Organizational Science or related field in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master`s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (with Master´s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of progressively responsible work experience in legal sector and/or project management.

Required skills:

• Knowledge and understanding of a domestic legal framework, rules and procedures.
• Experience in the work of public sector, city or state administration is considered as asset;
• Ability to deliver results when working under pressure and within changing circumstances;
• Excellent writing/reporting and presentation skills;
• Excellent interpersonal, networking and team building skills;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Client oriented: establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them with appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment in order to keep them informed and to anticipate problems; keeps clients informed on regular basis of progress or setbacks in projects;
• Good organizational and time management skills;
• Demonstrates integrity by modelling ethical standards;
• Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to critical feedback;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Treats all people fairly without prejudice regardless of cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
• Sound understanding of Serbia’s political, institutional, and socio-economic situation;
• Thorough knowledge of the national institutional, legal and investment framework and policy implementation processes

Required Language(s) 

• Fluency in Serbian and English

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/job/20385