Finance Intern

Cities Alliance, which is hosted by UNOPS, is a global partnership for the promotion of cities in poverty reduction and sustainable development. Headquartered in Brussels and supported by a Secretariat, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership - including global organisations of local authorities, national governments, international non-governmental organisations, foundations, knowledge networks and multilateral organisations – which have come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development.

Cities Alliance is a global leader, with a strong track record in grant making, that supports strategic city planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Cities Alliance has a longstanding track record of supporting cities to build longer-term visions and plans for themselves that recognise the value of all residents; attract investment to where it is needed; strengthen basic services, housing, and job opportunities for slum dwellers; help integrate the informal economy into the city supply chains; and sustain the fabric of civil society and societal cohesion in “the last mile” within informal settlements, with specific attention to gender equality and strengthening resilience to climate change.Through UNOPS, the Cities Alliance operates a Multi-Donor Fund supported by an efficient, flexible grant-making mechanism with global reach.

Cities Alliance is implementing its  2022-2025 Strategic Plan, which conveys the realignment of 20 years of experience in fighting urban poverty and sharpens our focus on tested solutions to the unprecedented challenges that are impacting cities, their informal settlements, and most acutely, the urban poor. Cities Alliance operates through a business model which combines a Global window for normative work and a Country/City window for operations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the MENA region.

The Cities Alliance Secretariat is seeking a highly motivated, dynamic and skilled candidate for this internship. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to work with senior and experienced professionals and be exposed to learning and professional development opportunities.

Financial management support

• Participate in the preparation of financial planning and budgeting exercises related to the Cities Alliance annual work plan and new Cities Alliance programmes and projects.

• Assist with monthly reports using UNOPS financial management systems to monitor income and expenditures against annual budgets set for all Cities Alliance programmes and projects. Ensure expenditures are recorded accurately and take corrective actions necessary.

• Assist in analyzing financial data related to cost drivers for personnel, grants, procurement, travel etc. and prepare comparative reports and charts for management purposes.

• Assist as required on tasks related to financial management, fiduciary control, project and donor reporting, including recurring monthly analysis of accounts, reconciliations and quarterly closure of Cities Alliance.

• Assist with the development and maintenance of financial dashboard for Cities Alliance using the Google suite of tools including Google Sheets, Apps Script and Looker Studio connected with BigQuery.

• Assist with any other related duties as required.

Grant management support

• As required, support in key processes of grant-making and management, including capacity assessment of implementing partners, fiduciary spot checks and grant closure.

• As required, support with the monitoring and implementation of a select number of grants in the Cities Alliance portfolio, to ensure that milestones are met, all reporting is submitted on time and reviewed, and potential issues are flagged in a timely way to support management action.

Policy management support

• Support in compliance with UNOPS regulations and rules and the Cities Alliance Standard Operating Procedures.

• As required, assist with the development, review and revision of Cities Alliance manuals, guidelines, check-lists and templates.

Teamwork and Gender mainstreaming

• Participate in the teamwork of the Cities Alliance Secretariat, including specific initiatives that support the effectiveness and efficiency of the Secretariat.

• Contribute to the Cities Alliance corporate priority on the mainstreaming of gender in all its programmes and projects.

• Applicants should have recently (in the last 3 years) graduated with a first level or advanced university degree (Bachelors, Masters or equivalent) in finance, accounting, business administration, public administration or related fields

Experience 

• Professional experience in finance or accounting will be considered as an asset. 

• Experience with the Google suite of products including Google Sheets, Apps Script and Looker Studio is not required, but would be an advantage

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French or Spanish is an asset.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.