Project Management Support - Associate (Finance and Performance)

Background Information – 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: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.

• Provide effective support to the PMSO (Fin/Admin) on all finance-related issues, including forecasting, budgeting, planning, analysis, and reporting.
• Review actual expenses, ensure consistency across all processes, and prepare updated financial reports in compliance with reporting requirements to donors or specified agreements. Analyze project cash position, create monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, and ensure accurate financial information recording.
• Assist in the formulation of budgets, plans, and forecasts, ensuring accurate historical and forecasting data availability for decision-making. Prepare budget revisions in consultation with relevant stakeholders and contribute to the streamlining of budgeting, planning, forecasting, monitoring, and reporting systems, processes, and tools.
• Ensure conformity of project disbursement requests with UNOPS Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR), work plans, and resource availability. Maintain an effective records system and ensure all transactional processes are backed up by required supporting documents.
• Ensure proper usage of the Chart of Accounts, Work Packages, and Nature of Costs and assist with project planning to optimize financial management processes.
• Work closely with the supervisor to ensure actions are taken on verification and audit findings, with proper report tracking to address any identified issues.

• Develop and maintain performance monitoring applications/tools for internal use.
• Provide support in analyzing financial and performance data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
• Assist in the monitoring of performance against Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and identification of areas of improvement or compliance issues. Generate periodic reports highlighting SLA adherence and deviations.
• Ensure timely compilation and submission of periodic and ad-hoc reports to the supervisor on performance against KPIs or service delivery lead times. Adhere to reporting requirements and guidelines.
• Design and generate regular performance reports, dashboards, and presentations for internal stakeholders and senior management.
• Support the PMSO (Fin/Admin) in the quarterly reviews and audits of financial and operational processes to ensure compliance with policies and regulations.
• Provide regular briefings to the PMSO(Fin/Admin) and/or PM regarding operational matters and general systems controls.

• Prepare the reconciliation ledger and gather necessary supporting documents and other requirements for all transactions paid through the recurring Operational Advance (OA)
• Create payment requests for the replenishment of petty cash, prepaid card, and recurring and non-recurring OAs.
• Review the reconciliation ledger for petty cash, prepaid card, and recurring and non-recurring OAs to ensure accuracy of the account codes and nature of costs used.
• Perform other relevant duties/tasks as may be assigned by the supervisor.

• Participate and assist in the organization and delivery of training and learning initiatives for project personnel on finance and performance-related topics.
• Contribute valuable insights to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learned and disseminating best practices, fostering productive planning and knowledge building.
• Contribute feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

• Completion of Secondary education is required.
• University degree, preferably in Accounting, Audit, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Management, or in related fields, is an advantage and can substitute for some of the required years of experience.

• A minimum of six (6) years of professional experience in providing analytical and operational support, preferably in the field of accounting, finance and/or project management with a focus on budget, expense, and performance recording, monitoring, analyzing, reporting, coordination, and process improvement is required in combination with a high/secondary school diploma. 2 years of relevant experience is required in combination with a Bachelor degree and no experience is  required in combination with a Master degree.
• Proficiency in the use of computers and Google Workspace applications as well as web-based management systems is preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced skills in spreadsheet (e.g., MS Excel and/or Google Sheets), database packages/ERPs, and data analytical tools, experience in data analytics is desirable.      
• Experience with an international Organization and/or UN Agencies is an asset.
• Knowledge of UNOPS/UN Financial Rules and Regulations is an asset.
• Possession of a recognized qualification/certification in a relevant field (e.g., accounting, audit, finance)  is a distinct advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills is desirable.

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

• Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
  
• Contract level: ICS 6 / LICA 6
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’
• Duty station: Cotabato City, Philippines

• 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.