Finance Associate

Under the guidance and supervision of the Finance Officer, the Finance Associate acts as the  finance focal point and provides leadership in execution of financial services in the office ensuring effective and transparent utilization of financial resources and integrity of financial services. The Finance Associate promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UNOPS rules and regulations.

The Finance Associate works in close collaboration with Project Managers and Project teams for resolving finance-related issues and information exchange.

• Implementation of operational strategies
• Budgetary and monitoring control
• Treasury and payments functions
• Accounting and administrative support
• Financial reporting and control
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Full compliance with UNOPS rules and regulations of financial processes, financial records and reports and audit follow up; implementation of the effective internal control framework.
• Elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Finance in consultation with the direct supervisor and office management.

• Extraction of required financial information from UNOPS project agreements and set up of necessary accounts in line with existing UNOPS financial policies and procedures.
• Information-gathering for budget preparation.
• Preparation and processing of project budget revisions
• Maintenance of budget databases by verifying and entering approved budgets.
• Review and adjustment of project expenditures/obligations against approved budgets.
• Budgets in conformity with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations & procedures of the funding source.

• Review and confirmation of appropriateness of operational transactions processed through the interpretation and determination of applicable policies, regulations, rules
• Review of payment requests for completeness prior to processing, ensuring that documentation needed is complete and that all required procedures are fulfilled to enable the payment.
• Payment requests properly obligated and payment in accordance with relevant UN Financial Rules and Regulations and UNOPS procedures;
• Review and confirmation of validity of charges by verifying authorized amounts and ensure availability of budget and funds.
• Performance of periodical petty cash counts with the petty cash custodian. Review any petty cash establishment request and the petty cash replenishment requests. Maintenance and control of petty cash fund and preparation of report for replenishment.
• Frequent contact with the local bank to obtain day-to-day information on rates of exchange, interest rates, changes in procedures and bank regulations, etc.
• Verification of payment information and preparation of vouchers according to UN Financial Rules and Regulations and accuracy of invoices and totals as well as calculations;
• Clarification from Portfolio: Project Managers/Certifying Officers where discrepancies exist;
• Monitoring of payments and follow-up when problems arise;
• Maintenance of a payment schedule status system and filing of all financial documents;
• Periodic review of outstanding obligations relating to sub-contracts and ensure review and required action is taken by relevant staff;
• Assistance in batching of vouchers and dispatch of batching report.

• Preparation and review of vouchers and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, compliance with UN Financial Rules and Regulations and correctness of account code charges. 
• Entry of transactions and financial data in OneUNOPS system.
• Preparation of bank reconciliation report.  Review for discrepancies and action as required. 
• Analysis of reports, investigation and preparation of adjustment as required.
• Preparation of recurring, ad-hoc or special financial reports as required.     
• Communication with colleagues/clients on areas requiring verification, corrections, additional information, etc. to improve quality of output and/or account submission and increase knowledge base in the process.  
• Preparation of statistical reports on workflow/processes
• Maintenance of UNOPS Allotment and Administrative expenditure for the office

Preparation of monthly expenditure schedules as well as quarterly and year-end   statements.

• Establishment of petty cash accounts and other accounts receivable in accordance with the UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations;
• Monitoring of local bank accounts and balances to ensure existence of sufficient funds; preparation of requests for replenishment of bank account on  a monthly basis
• Provision of guidance in budget preparation, monitoring project budgets; establishment and maintenance of proper financial controls and timely submission of monthly accounts;
• Oversight of data entry into financial databases by the Finance/Payments Clerk and guidance on data entry and validation
• Review of signed agreements/Approvals from Governments/UN Agencies/Other Clients for compliance and completeness prior to management review.
• Coordination with Funding Agencies/Sources on finance and budget related matters.
• Monitoring of financial recorded expenditures and related contributions to ensure timely and accurate accounting information.
• Monitoring of cash requirements and expenditures.
• Budget revisions in accordance with agreements and guidelines of funding agency.
• Proper closure of projects and refund of unspent balances to Donors/UN Agencies.
• Reimbursement of remaining funds according to agreement (Government, Donor, Dev. Bank).

• Support to the preparation of monthly expenditure schedules and quarterly and year-end statements.
• Contacts with project staff and Regional Office to verify, correct, add and improve quality of financial activities of a particular project, including financial reports.
• Frequent contact with other finance staff in the organization in the preparation of payments, data reconciliation, client reporting, or audit activities.
• Preparation of financial statements for clients
• Implementation of reporting systems and reports to meet Funding source requirements.
• Preparation of financial and statistical reports.
• Preparation of periodic financial statements to funding sources and external clients in compliance with established reporting requirements.
• Preparation of Financial Statements against specific projects for Audit Certification and forwarding to Lending institutions/Donors/UN Agencies and Governments.
• Reconciliation of expenditures recorded in OU.
• Reconciliation of expenditures reported via Financial Dashboard.
• Assistance to Project Managers with OU reporting and analysis.
• Provision of reports as needed for Year-End close

Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Training of  colleagues upon requests from portfolio: project managers, the supervisor and other finance officers in setting projects, budget revisions, troubleshooting and understanding of the processes on day to day financial transactions, reporting and other related tasks
• Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in Finance.

Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice

Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the overall execution of the UNOPS financial services.  Accurate analysis and presentation of financial information ensures proper financial processes in the organization.

Completion of secondary school or equivalent. Diploma or certification in finance-related subjects or business administration essential.

Fluency in written and oral English and language of the duty station required.  Knowledge of second UN working language desirable.

• Shares knowledge and experience
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills

• Ability to perform a variety of specialized activities related to financial resources management, including formulating budgets, maintaining Accounts Receivables and Accounts Payables, making transactions, reporting.
• Keen sense of ethics and integrity in dealing with clients and service providers.

• Sound knowledge of UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations, accounting
• Ability to interact and communicate within a team and with clients

• Ability to adhere to work assignments and meet designated deadlines.
• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Responds positively to critical feedback and different points of view

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.