Finance Analyst

Background information – Cities Alliance

Background information – job specific

Within the scope of the Liberia Country Programme, Cities Alliance is managing two EU-funded projects and a Comic Relief-funded project. The three projects are all related to urban development in Greater Monrovia with interventions in the informal areas. Together, they represent USD 13 million. The Country Programme delivers technical assistance around municipal planning, urban policies and strategies, capacity development, community development, municipal services as well as small scale urban infrastructure. The Associate Finance Officer will join a team of international and local specialists.

Cities Alliance is seeking a highly motivated, experienced and skilled professional to manage the two EU-funded projects and related  investments. The Associate Finance Officer analyses and interprets the financial rules and regulations and provides solutions to a wide spectrum of complex financial issues in the Country Office; he/she ensures effective and transparent utilisation of financial resources and integrity of financial services and reporting.

The Associate Finance Officer will be supervised by the Liberia Country Programme Manager, be accountable to the Finance Manager in Brussels, and will work in close collaboration with the project teams in the Country Office, the Portfolio Management Team (PMT) in Geneva ECR, the Cities Alliance  Financial Manager and Senior Portfolio Specialist, project partners and donors to ensure successful delivery of financial services.

Background information – European Union

The Member States of the European Union have decided to link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders.

Ensures implementation of financial strategies and adapts processes and procedures focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Full compliance with the provisions of the UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations, the Cities Alliance Standard Operating Procedures.
• Business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Finance in the Country Office;
• Analysis and elaboration of proposals on cost-saving and reduction strategies;
• Routinely monitoring of financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigation of anomalies or unusual transactions.

In close cooperation with the Financial Manager, ensures timely budget preparation and effective monitoring and control, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Proposals for planning of financial resources of the Country Office, Lead responsible for producing financial reports required by EU/EC aligned to donor requirements and consistent with UNOPS financial rules and regulations. Address follow-up questions received from EU/EC
• Coordination and review of the preparation of the Country Office operating budget; regular analysis and reporting on the budget and the delivery situation; monitoring of expenditures against budget allocations and reporting on variances;
• Coordination with the Cities Alliance Financial Manager and the PMT to ensure compliance with UNOPS financial rules and regulations, financial policies and procedures and that budgets and revisions are prepared in accordance with established procedures and budgetary guidelines of the funding source; project budgets restructuring processed accurately and punctually;
• Monitoring and advice to the Country Offices Manager on the financial status of the country office and the specific projects. Monitoring of expenditure levels against allocations; review and processing of request for budget revision as required. Contact with clients to strengthen budget management and take corrective actions when required.
• Execute specific tasks related to project which are grant-funded; reviewing interim financial reports, audit and disbursement requests, recording commitments in oneUNOPS, releasing disbursements, recovering unspent balances, in accordance with Cities Alliance’s Grants Manual.
• Provide support to the Cities Alliance Secretariat for project closures and settle any unspent balances with programme funders.
• Provide auditors with information and access to systems as required
• Maintenance of the UNOPS ERP, ensuring timely input and processing of data; proposals for update and change (with ICT unit) to ensure relevance of the system at all times in the financial management of projects and enhancement of financial reporting.
• Review of fundraising budget proposals for reasonableness, consistency with the organisational goals and priorities in close consultation with the Financial Manager.
• Discussion of concerns with the Country Programme Manager and the Cities Alliance Financial Manager when required so that timely corrective actions can be taken.

Master's Degree equivalent in Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics or related field is required.

OR Applicants with a Bachelor’s Degree with 4 years of relevant professional experience in Finance or related field may be considered.

OR Applicants with Technical/Professional Diploma Certification with 6 years may also well be considered.

• A minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience, with master's degree, at the national or international level in providing financial management services and/or managing staff and operational systems.
• Demonstrated experience with producing financial reports for EU/EC funded projects is desirable.
• Advanced skills in Excel required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Office)
• Experience with OneUNOPS ERP system would be an asset.
• Professional Certification in Accountancy such as CPA, CA or ACCA etc. would be an added advantage.

• Contract type:  Individual Contractor Agreement
• Contract level: Local Specialist Level 8
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

• 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.