Overview
The Finance Specialist plans, manages and oversees project and office financial operations, ensuring integrity, transparency and compliance with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRRs), IPSAS standards, and donor/ partner requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead budget formulation, monitoring and revisions.
- Ensure sound financial planning and control.
- Implement internal control frameworks.
- Review and authorize budget revisions.
- Advise management on cost-efficiency measures.
- Oversee the full cycle of project financial management.
- Lead the financial process mapping and development of internal standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Advise project management on financial strategy.
- Conduct financial forecasting and scenario analysis.
- Identify, assess and mitigate financial and operational risks.
- Monitor financial exception reports.
- Ensure full compliance of project financial activities with UNOPS policies, audit standards, and IPSAS.
- Support audits and ensure the timely implementation of audit recommendations.
- Oversee cash management operations.
- Prepare cash flow forecasts.
- Initiate and approve bank transfers and foreign exchange transactions.
- Maintain strong relationships with local banking institutions.
- Monitor operational advances, recoveries and petty cash accounts.
- Conduct periodic treasury analyses and forecasting.
- Ensure accuracy, validity and compliance of financial transactions, commitments and payments.
- Review and approve payment requests.
- Ensure that transactions are properly recorded, reconciled and reported in the ERP system.
- Maintain control of accounts receivable and payable.
- Support the establishment and implementation of an effective expenditure control framework.
- Manage financial data quality.
- Supervise timely accounts closure.
- Coordinate with HQ and Regional Office on complex payment or compliance issues.
- Prepare, review and analyze monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports.
- Support the preparation of client financial statements, interim financial reports (IFRs), and delivery reports.
- Develop and maintain financial dashboards and reporting tools.
- Contribute to the annual financial closure process.
- Provide financial input and analysis for strategic reports, audits and evaluations.
- Lead or support the implementation of audit recommendations.
- Provide expert guidance to field and project finance teams.
- Review project agreements, budgets, and classifications.
- Conduct financial reviews of project expenditures.
- Advise management on financial accountability mechanisms.
- Provide advisory support on operational advances, petty cash, and fund management modalities.
- Strengthen financial closure processes.
- Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on finance topics.
- Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs).
- Conduct research on finance-related topics.
Required Experience
- 7 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree OR 5 years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree.
- 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.
- Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
- Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
- Experience with financial systems or ERP software is desired.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or other disciplines OR Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above disciplines.
- Professional certification (e.g. CPA, ACCA, CA, CIMA) is desired.
- Knowledge of IPSAS or other international accounting standards is desired.
