Montenegro is an upper middle-income, high human development country. The 2023 Gender Equality Index stood at 59.3, below some of its neighbours and the EU average of 68.6, but at a level comparable to some EU member states. According to its constitution, Montenegro is a secular, ecological and multicultural state, with people of many nationalities and religions living together. 

EU accession is the primary driver of reforms. As an EU candidate country since 2012, Montenegro has opened all the EU negotiation chapters and provisionally closed three of the 33 chapters. The pace of progress has slowed due to the slow implementation of rule-of-law reforms, which take centre stage in the new EU accession methodology. Montenegro adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has strong synergies with the EU accession process, through the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (2016–2030).

In that context, certain challenges to social cohesion have been identified, influencing sustainable prosperity of the society. 

Montenegro remains a predominantly patriarchal society with patriarchal values related to gender roles and stereotypes affecting acceptance of and respect for diversity. Additionally, the prevalence of violence among and against children and young people is high, with 66% of children estimated to experience some sort of violent discipline at home. Peer violence at school and outside of school – bullying – appears to be a growing trend. Hate speech and divisive narratives are widely present in most public discourses and are most pronounced against Roma and Egyptians, followed by women, LGBTQI+ persons, the poor, persons with disabilities and political opponents. The increasing use of divisive rhetoric and narratives has negatively impacted the state of social cohesion. These multiple challenges to social cohesion in Montenegro are exacerbated by the concentration of power into the executive branch, supported by a public administration that is perceived as mostly politicized, resulting in a declining level of trust in public institutions as a direct consequence of their perceived politicization.

In this context, UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO are implementing the Joint UN project ‘’Enhancing citizens’ trust in institutions and building resilient communities‘’, funded through UN Peacebuilding Fund. Envisaged interventions will cover the two dimensions of social cohesion – horizontal and vertical. For a society to be truly cohesive, it requires both the horizontal dimension – ensuring peer understanding and connectivity among varied groups – and the vertical dimension – guaranteeing trust in and support from the governing institutions. The project aims to translate the potentially negative effects of a lack of trust and the existence of divisive narratives, violence and hate speech into favourable outcomes – engaging the community, especially disenfranchised groups in dialogue and thus contributing to building a shared vision of the common good, horizontal and vertical public trust and resilience. At the same time, the project aims at strengthening institutions by supporting them to be responsive to the results of the inclusive dialogues reflecting communities’ shared demands and in a participatory manner adopt and enforce inclusive, gender-responsive, rights-based, and people- and child-centred social cohesion policies.

This project adds value to the existing projects related to achieving social cohesion and approaches by introducing platforms for needs-driven and focused dialogue on common interests and solutions for improving the resilience of citizens and trust in institutions and social cohesion, thus enabling a collaborative and shared vision of the common good. 

Ensure implementation/delivery of different aspects of the Project. In performing this general responsibility, the incumbent will be required to carry out the following main tasks on a regular basis:

• Provide support to the Project Analyst on all administrative, budgetary, technical and programmatic aspects of the project;
• Perform regular financial and administrative duties necessary for the successful and timely Projects implementation (relevant training for performing the below mentioned functions will be provided by UNDP): 
  • Enter daily transactions in UNDP Quantum system (vendor, invoices, requisitions etc.);
  • Keep track of all transactions in a budget notebook; maintenance of the internal expenditures control system;
  • Perform regular budget revisions; review of financial reports; presentation of information on the status of financial resources and expenditures;
  • Keep track of all project assets; inventory; prepare periodic Projects’ asset/inventory reports. 
  • Ensure completeness of documentation, check accuracy of calculation for all financial transactions related to the Projects and prepare/process financial transactions in the system in accordance with UNDP rules and procedures. 
• Provide inputs for and drafts of financial and narrative reports;
• Develop various work plans for the components of the Project and be responsible for their implementation;
• Support design, preparation and implementation of various events at local and national level; 
• Support preparation and management of various Calls for Proposals, Requests for Quotations, and other granting and procurement procedures;
• Support timely coordination and implementation of recruitment and deployment of experts to support Project implementation;
• Support Project Analyst in coordinating activities with relevant national and local partners, ensuring timely and successful implementation of all interventions/activities defined by the Project documents, promoting networking and experience sharing between all relevant stakeholders;
• Provide support to Project Analyst and Communications Associate in developing communication plan and awareness raising activities;
• Support Project Analyst in the formulation and update of project risks, issues, monitoring, evaluation as well as targets and results and provision of regular updates in Quantum;
• Provide technical inputs and advise on preparation/implementation of project documents/activities, including definition of information requirements, data gathering and analysis, gender dimensions and other;
• Provide support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing through participation in the trainings for the operations/projects staff and sound contribution to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Support the Project Analyst and respective Team Leader to conduct project development, implementation, and monitoring. 

 Implement day-to-day Project duties/activities:

• Contribute to the preparation of all necessary project documents/plans;
• Implementation of action plans and assigned tasks including the field visits to monitor progress on a regular basis, and regular reporting to Project Analyst; 
• Assist in identifying relevant sources of expertise for project/activity implementation;
• Timely raise and inform Project Analyst on any issue that may arise during the project implementation and advice on potential adjustments of actions and procedure in light of changing requirements and needs; 
• Maintain day-to-day communication with Operations Unit regarding the Projects’ administration matters: procurement, human resources and finance matters; provide administrative support regarding recruitment of experts and procurement of goods and services under the Projects;
• Draft routine correspondence, facsimile, memoranda and reports from oral instructions, previous correspondence or other available information sources, in accordance with the standard office procedures, and ensure appropriate follow-up; write minutes from the meetings/interviews;
• Provide logistical support to the project (organization of project events, meetings), as needed;
• Liaise with all project stakeholders and partners.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Associate will be responsible for daily support to respective Project Analyst. The incumbent will be based in UNDP Country Office in Podgorica, Montenegro. The Project Associate will work under the direct supervision of the respective Project Analyst, Social Cohesion.

• 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 

• Communications:           
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambigious manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and chose communication methods depending on the audience; 
  • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels. 
• Accounting General:     
  • Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, frameworks, standards, regulations, policies and trends, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.
• Customer Satisfaction/Client Management:     
  • Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. 
  • Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
  •  Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. 
  • Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
• Digital Awareness and Literacy:              
  • Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skilfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.
• Event Management:      
  • Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.
• Effective Decision Making:        
  • Ability to take decision in a timely and efficient manner in lin with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.
• Gender:               
  • Gender Mainstreaming