Project Associate (Malaysia Nationals Only - Open to all applicants)

UNDP in the Arab States region; Putrajaya; On-site; MYR 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An international development organization is seeking a Project Associate in Putrajaya, Malaysia. This role focuses on providing financial management support and effective project implementation, requiring strong administrative skills. The ideal candidate should possess a Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience. Fluency in English and Bahasa Melayu is essential. This full-time position offers a 1-year contract with the opportunity to contribute to sustainable development projects in the region.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years experience with secondary education or 3 years with a bachelor’s.
• Fluency in English and Bahasa Melayu required.
• Experience in project management, and reporting compliance.

Responsibilities

• Provides financial management support and monitors project budgets.
• Handles project documentation and maintains records.
• Ensures compliance with UNDP procurement processes.

Skills

Administrative & Logistic Management

Financial and Budget Management

Project Management

Communications

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field

High School certificate

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Web-based management systems

Job description

Job Information

• Job Identification: 30560
• Posting Date: 12/03/2025, 01:26 AM
• Apply Before: 12/11/2025, 04:59 AM
• Schedule: Full time
• Location: Putrajaya, Malaysia
• Agency: UNDP
• Grade: NPSA‑6
• Vacancy Type: National Personnel Service Agreement
• Practice Area: Inclusive Growth
• Bureau: Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
• Contract Duration: 1 Year
• Education & Work Experience: Bachelor’s Degree – 3 year(s) experience OR High School certificate – 6 year(s) experience
• Required Languages: English & Bahasa Melayu
• Vacancy Timeline: 1 Week

Background

UNDP multi‑country office in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam provides technical assistance, policy, and technical advisory services to the Governments of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam in their efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in partnership with development partners, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

In Malaysia, UNDP’s programme priorities and partnerships are defined and operationalised through the Country Programme between the Government of Malaysia and UNDP to support and contribute to the development priorities and results envisaged in the 5‑year Malaysia Plan. Malaysia is currently implementing several projects (with public sector partners) that support the 13th Malaysia Plan, which focuses on driving inclusive, high‑value and sustainable growth through technology, regional equity, social well‑being and environmental resilience under the Ekonomi MADANI framework.

The Programme Unit/thematic pillar works to support the achievement of UNDP strategic objectives to create a world where people and planet thrive together, and to help the Country Office act with both ambition and scale to address urgent problems facing the country such as emerging megatrends and changing demographics as well as global climate deteriorating conditions.

Programme staff/personnel assist the Country Office in formulating and implementing programme strategies that go beyond solving immediate development challenges to create future smart and integrated systemic changes in resilience and capacity building within the country.

Under the overall guidance of the Programme Specialist and/or Programme Analysts/Project Manager in the unit, the Project Associate supports effective delivery of the Country Office projects by administering, managing data and supporting implementation consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides effective project implementation and financial management support focusing on annual achievement of project results and delivery targets.
• Support multiple project implementation in performing budget cycle management including planning, preparation, revisions, and budget execution in accordance with UNDP Financial Rules and Regulations, and maintain a proper record of approved project budgets and revisions.
• Prepare documentation for all types of payment requests and process against approved project annual work plan in accordance with UNDP Financial Rules and Regulations.
• Monitor project budget and its expenditures, ensuring that no expenditure is incurred before it has been authorised and maintain a proper record of commitments and planned expenditures.
• Prepare and submit project budget and expenditure status reports in compliance with UNDP and donor’s requirements.
• Supports timely financial reporting of current year’s activities and timely commencement of following year’s activities.
• Undertake project financial closure formalities including submission of final project reports, transfer and disposal of equipment, closure of all project financial transactions, and support project terminal evaluation exercise.
• Respond to queries from the UNDP and donors with respect to financial aspects of the projects, liaise with UNDP‑appointed and external auditors wherever required.
• Compile technical and financial reports, and upload into relevant UNDP database or digital platforms as required.
• Ensure proper filing and maintenance of all hardcopy and electronic files of all project related documents as per UNDP requirements.
• Provides effective administrative and logistic support services focusing to the achievement of the project results including gender mainstreaming.
• Support the preparation of the project level calendar detailed with regular project board/steering committee and management meetings, and monthly and/or quarterly project coordination meetings with project teams.
• Assist in arranging appointments, organising meetings, events, project field visits, taking minutes of meetings and drafting correspondence as requested.
• Ensure efficient travel and logistics arrangements are made for the project team members and relevant project personnel as required.
• Perform logistical arrangements for project events (such as project related meetings, conferences, workshops, donor meetings, field visits, training, etc.) while ensuring compliance with UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP).
• Update and maintain the inventory of project assets/equipment.
• Ensure the project documentation is regularly updated and archived where applicable.
• Any other administrative duties relevant to achieving the project results.
• Provides effective procurement and contract management support focusing to the achievement of project results including annual delivery target.
• Assist in the preparation of project annual procurement plans.
• Create project procurement requests, e‑requisitions, check budget for accuracy, and do receipts for payments in UNDP Enterprise Resource Planning system.
• Support procurement and contracting processes (Individual Consultants, goods and services) by coordinating and preparing necessary documents.
• Support the preparation of documentation for Contract Assets Procurement (CAP) meetings and Regional Asset Contract Procurement submission.
• Record, monitor and track all contracts (Individual Contract, Contract for Goods/Services), responsible party agreements and letter of agreements with government partners awarded or signed at the project level to ensure timely submission and acceptance of outputs/deliverables and timely processing of payments to contractors/vendors as per agreements/contracts.
• Support timely closure of Purchase Orders and agreements/contracts supported by proper documentation in coordination with the Project Management Associate / Programme Associate.
• Support Partnership and Resource Mobilisation.
• Support regular communication and coordination with partners, project counterparts, stakeholders, and beneficiaries; and develop and maintain effective mechanisms for integrating and responding to their feedback and insight. Assess programme interest and priorities of development partners, support to the development and/or update of CO Partnership and Resource Mobilisation Strategy.
• Support creation of high‑quality information and visibility of the project activities among the stakeholders; and ensure careful selection of communication tools and tailoring the messages to take into account the overall socio‑political and development context in host countries.
• Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.
• Supports the preparation and implementation of key project plans, including stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, communications, advocacy, outreach, and gender action plans.
• Provides guidance and advice on administrative, financial, procurement, and contract management procedures, ensuring partners understand and apply UNDP requirements.
• Participate in training and organise 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 mobilise 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 assigned project.

Competencies

Core Competencies (Level 1):

• Achieve results – Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think innovatively – Open to creative ideas/known risks, pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn continuously – Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with agility – Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
• Act with determination – Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and partner – Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable diversity and inclusion – Appreciates/respects differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross‑Functional Competencies:

• Business Management.
• Working with Evidence and Data – Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data to support decision‑making.
• Digital Awareness and Literacy – Ability to monitor emerging technologies and adopt new technologies in professional activities.
• Customer Satisfaction/Client Management – Respond timely and appropriately, provide consistent solutions, anticipate client needs.
• Communication – Communicate clearly, concisely, and unambiguously; tailor messages and choose communication methods.
• Monitoring & Evaluation – Systematically monitor results, provide regular feedback and reporting, apply evaluation frameworks.

Technical Competencies:

• Finance Budget Management – Support budgetary aspects of work planning, drawing and management of team budgets.
• Procurement – Acquire goods, services or works from external sources.

Required Skills & Experiences

• Secondary education is required.
• A first‑level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Poverty, Social Policy, Social Sciences, Sustainable Development, International Relations, Public Policy, Sustainable Studies, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Business Management, Environmental Studies, Mass Communications or any equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Minimum Years Of Relevant Work Experience

• A minimum of 6 years (with secondary education) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing administrative and management support services, and managing and implementing initiatives/projects.

Required 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.

Desired Skills

• Experience with the government and/or international organisations and/or research institutions/think tanks.
• Experience working in project management and coordination, and the ability to ensure timely delivery of reports and compliance with financial and procurement procedures.
• Experience in administrative and logistic management, with strong skills in financial and budget management.
• Experience in partnership building, and stakeholder engagement, with excellent communication skills.
• Experience in knowledge management, capacity building, and facilitating learning initiatives, with strong skills in documentation and disseminating best practices.
• Experience in research activities such as literature reviews, drafting research reports and compiling best practices and key narratives.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in Bahasa Melayu is required for local personnel.

Additional Information

To comply with any administrative and confidentiality requirements by the Implementing Partner.

Disclaimer

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.

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.

Required Skills (Summary)

• Administrative & Logistic Management.
• Communications.
• Financial and Budget Management.
• Project Management.