Overview
The Finance Specialist plans, manages and leads project and office financial operations, ensuring integrity, transparency and compliance with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations, IPSAS standards, and donor/partner requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop Finance/Budget annual work plan, setting of priorities and planning of work in line with corporate goals and business planning process for NYPO projects.
- Monitor and analyze the operating environment to ensure adequate agility, risk management and quick readjustment of the operations as needed.
- Lead internal and external audit exercises and accountability for financial audit recommendations.
- Lead the revision of LSS models and manage financial conversations with clients regarding cost recovery.
- Lead financial closure activities, ensuring all activities conclude within agreed financial limits.
- Verify the completeness and accuracy of the supporting documentation for advance financing requests and ensure the associated financial risks are mitigated as much as possible.
- Review and release internal (project) budgets, including cost estimates and budget revisions in line with the approved budgets at engagement/legal agreement level.
- Provide support through tools and reports on the project financial closure process performance.
- Prepare, review and analyze monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports for management and donors, ensuring accuracy and adherence to reporting timelines.
- Act as the main point of contact for clients’ financial queries and requests for information.
- Serve as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) when the Finance Advisor is unavailable.
Required Experience
- Relevant experience is work in project financial management, budgeting, cash management and financial reporting, or related areas.
- Demonstrable proficiency in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems.
- Familiarity with digital technologies and their application in process optimization and automation is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with UNOPS or other UN policies, processes, tools and systems is an asset.
- Experience in people management is highly desirable.
- Experience in large scale digital transformation would be an asset.
- Experience working in a UNOPS, UN or other large international organization at country level is desirable.
Qualifications
- Required Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or other disciplines with 7 years of relevant experience OR A master's degree (or equivalent) in any of the above disciplines with 5 years of relevant experience is required.
- Desired Professional certification (e.g. CPA, ACCA, CA, CIMA) is desired.
- Desired Knowledge of IPSAS or other international accounting standards is desired.
