Finance Senior Associate (Performance Management and Compliance)

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

In 2024, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 80 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

Background Information – Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants and project management to advance the justice reform agenda of the government of the Philippines through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. With funding from the European Union, UNOPS also supports the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, working with the Government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to strengthen capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition. Supporting the Department of Health under a World Bank in the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Program, UNOPS has provided nutritional commodities and services for expecting mothers and young children from 2023 to 2025.

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law,  and governance sectors.

Performance Management and Compliance (PMC)

The Performance Management and Compliance (PMC) is a section under the Service Support Unit (SSU) and its main function include but are not limited to: 

• Supporting the MCO Management on various management matters including, risk  management, strategy formulation and implementation, and annual business planning; 
• Liaison with the Office of the Regional Director (ORD) on various operations management,  oversight and reporting issues; 
• Establishment, evaluation and monitoring of internal control mechanisms and reviewing status of implementation of the agreed risk mitigation plans; 
• Coordinating within the MCO all office and project audits/external verifications; and 
• Supporting project budgeting support for new and amended engagements/projects.

1. Compliance and oversight
2. Business planning
3. SSU performance monitoring and reporting
4. SSU management support
5. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

1. Compliance and Oversight

• Support the preparation, implementation of and reporting towards annual work plans of the Performance and Compliance business stream. 
• Develop models to detect unusual activity and report irregularities to the supervisor; provide clear recommendations to address the irregularities and avoid recurrence. 
• Review processes, templates, and procedures to ensure that they are relevant and fit for purpose.
• Develop the relevant guidelines and SOPs for documenting the whole cycle of internal control review and compliance works, and ensuring their periodic updates.
• Support other business streams in development of new and enhanced of the existing guidelines and SOPs from the risk management and internal control perspective.
• Assess the compliance of the Support Services Unit’s (SSU) operations to internal procedures, controls mechanisms, UNOPS policies and procedures, donors requirements, and Government regulations, and ensure supporting documentation is exhaustive and consistent.
• Document, evaluate and test systems and controls to determine their adequacy and effectiveness toward (i) compliance with rules and regulations, (ii) accomplishment of management’s objectives, (iii) reliability and integrity of information, (iv) efficient use of resources, and (v) safeguarding of assets.
• Support the monitoring of risks related to the achievement of EAPMCO financial and non-financial objectives under the SSU’s purview and ensure the alignment of the risk management framework with the internal control measures. 
• Support the mitigation of  the risk of misuse of donor funds and ensure that an effective internal control mechanism is in place to prevent and detect fraud. 
• Support in conducting special management reviews and assist in the coordination of the implementation of the internal/external audit recommendation, updating the audit tracking tool.
• Ensure accurate and timely preparation and submission of periodic reports on issues and any material weaknesses identified during the review period.
• Support in preparation of reports for the provision of regular briefings to the HoSS and Senior Management regarding operational matters and general systems controls.
• Coordinate the completion of the regional office-led Internal Control Self-Assessment (ICSA) exercise, ensuring timely solicitation of inputs from all internal stakeholders, thorough review of the inputs and assessment of evidence provided, and timely submission of the self-assessments to the regional office.
• Support audit and verification exercise, ensuring adequate knowledge sharing among key internal stakeholders and availability of audit documentation, and thorough review of submissions to auditors.

2. Business Planning  

• Contribute to the strategic planning and annual business planning processes by conducting various required analyses, generating reports and ensuring the availability of required data and information for management decision making.
• Contribute to the formulation of annual Administrative budgets  (Management Expense, Locally Shared Services Cost (LSS) and Cost Recovery projects), ensuring accurate and reliable historical and forecasting data and information are available to the Head of Support Services (HoSS) and Senior Management for decision making. 
• Enter data into the corporate target setting and budgeting tool as part of the annual business planning process 

3. SSU performance monitoring and reporting

• Assess, periodically, the performance of the SSU against established criteria (KPIs) and prepare periodic reports  
• In consultation with the supervisor and the HoSS, prepare the annual client satisfaction survey tools, administer the surveys, and issue analytical survey reports
• Support the preparation of action plans aimed at addressing issues arising from the survey, closely monitor implementation of the plans, and prepare periodic and ad hoc implementation updates and reports   
• Support the conduct of research on various aspects related to the performance and service delivery of the SSU and prepare reports as required 

4. SSU management support

• Support the supervisor and HoSS towards the conception, review, and roll-out of various initiatives aimed at innovation and enhancement of the SSU’s offerings 
• Monitor the implementation of action plans established to address issues arising from People Surveys / Pulse Surveys / Culture and Engagement surveys, and issue periodic and ad hoc monitoring reports. 
• Provide secretariat support for SSU management team meetings, including scheduling meetings, agenda compilation, preparing and circulating meeting minutes, and following up on implementation of agreed actions 
• Provide secretariat support for SSU all staff meetings, including scheduling, agenda compilation, and following up on implementation of agreed actions

5. Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on performance and compliance related topics.
• Attend initiatives on capacity development and knowledge building for Compliance and Finance personnel, including network development, plans, learning plans and activities, Finance and Compliance practice information and best practice benchmarking.
• Contribute to   the process of collection of feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

• Secondary education or a high school diploma is required.
• Technical/Professional License or Diploma, First university degree or higher degrees in Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, Business Management, Business Administration or related fields or relevant fields would be an asset and may substitute some of the required years of experience.
• Possession of a recognized qualification in internal auditing, risk management or compliance (CIA, FRM, PRM or equivalent) is a distinct advantage

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: ICS-7/LICA-7
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• 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. 

• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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.

• This position is stationed in Manila, Philippines, which is a family duty station.

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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.