Grants and Financial Analyst

Background information – Cities Alliance

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. Members promote longer-term and integrated work programmes, while actively promoting gender equality throughout all activities. Through UNOPS, the Cities Alliance operates a Multi-Donor Fund supported by an efficient, flexible grant-making mechanism with global reach.

Background information – job specific

Cities Alliance is implementing its 2018-2021 Strategic Plan, with a recalibrated business model combining 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.

To support implementation of the Strategic Plan, the Cities Alliance Secretariat is being strengthened to drive organisational maturity and operational excellence, to ensure strong coordination, organisational alignment and coherence, and to foster and ensure financial sustainability.

All funds to the Cities Alliance are managed through a multi-donor fund, a flexible instrument to manage funds from diverse sources and award grants, with robust fiduciary standards, to different entities across the globe from international institutions to grassroots community organisations.

Cities Alliance is seeking a highly motivated, dynamic and technically skilled Grants and Financial Analyst who will have responsibilities in the areas of budget, financial and grant management.

The Grants and Financial Analyst will report to the Financial Manager of the Cities Alliance, and also work as part of the Portfolio Supervision team to deliver high service standards -- quality and timeliness – for the Cities Alliance grant making facility.

Budget and Financial management

• Participate in the preparation of financial planning and budgeting exercises related to the annual work plan and new programmes and projects.
• Assist with the development of standard unit costs for country, city and thematic programmes to guide staff involved in business development and annual work plan preparations.
• Run monthly reports using the UNOPS financial/ERP system to monitor income and expenditures against annual budgets set for all Cities Alliance projects. Ensure expenditures are recorded accurately and take corrective actions necessary, liaising closely with the Portfolio Management team in ECR/Geneva.
• Analyse financial data related to cost drivers (personnel, grants, procurement, travel etc) and prepare comparative reports and charts for management purposes.
• Assist the Financial Manager as required on tasks related to financial management, fiduciary control and member/donor reporting.
• Provide ad hoc support to Task Managers on the monitoring of their project expenditure against approved budgets and work plans.

Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in finance, accounting, business administration, public administration, economics, international relations or related field is required. A first level university degree with relevant experience related to the responsibilities of the position may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Professional certification in accounting or finance is an asset but not a requirement.

• At least 2 years of work experience in project/financial management support in the areas of reporting, analysis, and daily operations.
• Experience of working for the UN system, Global Funds, and/or multilateral development institutions/banks on grants and operations is an asset.
• Experience in dealing with large financial/ERP systems and information management systems.
• Advanced skills in Excel required.

• Strong analytical, numeric and organisational skills.
• Capacity to plan and deliver a high volume of work with accuracy and according to strict service delivery standards for quality and timeliness.
• Capacity to multi-task, prioritise, and work with several Task Managers.
• Ability to draft and present analyses and supporting information clearly and succinctly.

• 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
• 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.