Accounting Specialist, Team Lead

Background Information - UNOPS 

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. 

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources. 

Working with us 

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity 

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates. 

Work life harmonization 

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the UNOPS Integrated Practice Advice and Support (IPAS) serves all the regions and headquarters, primarily with advice and solutions to everyday implementation challenges. IPAS consists of a diverse team of subject matter experts in the six practice areas of HR, Administration, Legal, Finance, Procurement, Project Management and Infrastructure. IPAS has three main roles: 

● Support to operations in the field offices: IPAS provides timely advice and supports actively finding of solutions to everyday implementation challenges, based on policy and best practices. It also provides operational support in specific areas. 

● Business efficiency: IPAS recommends changes to policies, processes and operating standards based on the feedback and experience of the field offices. IPAS also ensures transparent and efficient project implementation, in line with policy and business needs. 

IPAS Finance is composed of around twenty colleagues in three teams led by the IPAS Finance Team Lead (Senior Finance Manager). It is composed of three teams:

1. Project Finance Advisory & Support (PFAS)

2. Treasury and Banking (T&B)

3. Corporate Financial Reporting Support (CFRS)

The Accounting Specialist will lead the CFRS team and report to the Finance Senior Manager of IPAS Finance.

The Accounting Specialist, with the CFRS team, is responsible  for corporate financial reporting support and project accounting, more specifically supporting UNOPS monthly/quarterly/year-end closing activities, providing technical accounting advice, leading the cash and GL accounts reconciliation, and supporting the preparation of UNOPS corporate financial reports. The role also includes contributing to the external audit processes including implementation of recommendations. 

Corporate Financial Reporting Support:

• Lead  all aspects of the monthly, quarterly and year-end closures for GL accounts that fall under IPAS Finance CFRS; 

• Ensure the accuracy, integrity, quality and timeliness of financial reporting  and transactions; 

• Contribute to  IPSAS compliance initiatives including policies, regulations, rules, and procedures; 

• Initiate or support initiatives for system or tool improvements ; 

• Lead the implementation of audit recommendations that are related to IPAS Finance and coordinate the collection of audit samples and requirements during internal/external audit exercises. 

• Address and promptly resolve any issues arising from processing anomalies. 

• Review and approve quarterly and year-end submissions from the Country offices for accuracy and compliance with UNOPS accounting standards and principles;

• Collaborate with the Finance Group and Country Offices to ensure risks associated with the books closure and the preparation of the annual report are identified and managed accordingly.

Project Accounting

• Provide project accounting advisory services to Offices and Units during implementation and closure phase;

• Ensure that identified follow-up or corrective actions deriving from quarterly submissions and quarterly account reconciliations are processed by the Offices and Units;

• Review and confirm appropriateness of operational transactions processed by Offices as per applicable policies, regulations, rules and interpretive guidelines, for GL accounts under IPAS CFRS responsibility;  

• Approve Requests for Payments on accounts under IPAS CFRS responsibility (Refund of unspent balances to Donors/UN Agencies, Payroll contributions, Rent deposits,...)

• Oversee staff separations final payment: review calculation in line with staff entitlements (annual leave, home leave, repatriation grant, tax reimbursement) and outstanding financial items.

• Master’s Degree in Finance, Accounting or related fields is required. 
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• An internationally recognized professional finance or accounting certification (e.g. ACCA, CIMA, CPA, etc.) is a strong advantage.

• At least 5 years of experience in financial management or accounting positions at multinational organizations, with a minimum of 1 year in supervisory roles is required;
• Demonstrated experience in financial accounting and reporting in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards or International Financial Reporting Standards is required; 
• Demonstrated experience in finance processes mapping is essential.
• In depth understanding of financial management and operations processes in the United Nations is highly desirable; 
• Field experience is highly desirable; 
• Experience in implementing new or improving existing digital systems, including developing requirements, is desirable.

• Fluency in English required. 
• Fluency in French or Spanish is a significant advantage. 
• Working knowledge of other official UN languages is desirable

Contract type: FTA
Contract level: P3
Contract duration: one year, renewable

• 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.