Finance Analyst - Due Diligence

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency.  At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services. 

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need. 

Project Information

In November 2023, ADB approved the Verification of Claims and Expenditures Project (VCEP) to conduct a verification of outstanding claims from contractors, consultants, suppliers and project management offices for the works and services completed in Afghanistan under ADB-financed and administered projects prior to 15 August 2021. UNOPS is the executing agency for VCEP. 

The main objective of VCEP is to verify claims from contractors, consultants and suppliers for works and services completed prior to 15 August 2021 under different types of contracts, including civil works, supply of goods and consulting services in Afghanistan. VCEP also includes a verification of advances provided to contractors, consultants and suppliers and eligible expenditures incurred by the project management offices prior to 15 August 2021 under ADB-financed and administered projects.

UNOPS is seeking a Finance Analyst - Due Diligence in order to: conduct due diligence review of the contractors, suppliers, consultants and individuals who will potentially receive payments from UNOPS as per request from ADB under the Verification of Claims and Expenditures Project . This position will also provide assistance in other finance related matters of the project. 

Verification of Bank Account Details:

1. Collect the bank details from the claimants, supported by a certificate of account maintenance and current status (active/inactive) issued by the bank.

2. Match the bank details with those stipulated in the claimants’ contracts.

3. In case of discrepancies in the bank details as compared to the relevant contracts, collect written requests from claimants to register the new account details.

4. Confirm the authenticity of the account maintenance certificate and the account details/status with the bank via phone or email.

5. If the bank requires the claimant’s consent to release information, coordinate with the claimants to authorize their bank for sending confirmation directly to UNOPS.

Verification of Legal Status

1. Collect certificate of incorporation or an equivalent document from claimants verifying the legal status of the claimant’s entity, along with a list of key personnel (e.g. board of directors).

Scrutiny Against Sanction Lists

1. Check the claimant's and key personnel's names against sanction lists using the UNGM platform.

2. Seek confirmation from ADB to ensure that the claimant or its personnel are not listed on its sanction list.

Verification of Claims and Pending Payments

1. Assist in verifying claims from contractors/consultants/suppliers by checking supporting documents of the claimed amounts.

2. Maintain a list of subcontractors/sub-consultants identified during the verification process

3. Maintain record of payment certificates, acknowledgement certificates, employers' letters of confirmation, and advance accounts letters and ensure that these are prepared accurately, reflecting the final verification results and related decisions. 

4. Assist in the reconciliation of unliquidated balances with the fund balances as per bank statements of the advance accounts  available in the banks and identification of any withdrawals or cash movements in the advance accounts after freeze periods.

5. Assist in determining the eligible amounts for liquidation against the project's advance accounts after verifying supporting documents for the payments made from the project's advance accounts 

6. Assist in verification of the pending liabilities against advance accounts including PMO salaries, individual consultants’ claims and other PMO expenses.

7. In collaboration with the VCEP’s safeguard team, verify the compensation payments made to the project's affected people against environmental and social safeguards.

Knowledge Management and Innovation

1. Support the implementation of new modules in the MIS enabling the processing and monitoring of payments to contractors/suppliers/consultants.

2. Ensure that supporting documents of all the payments to contractors/suppliers/consultants are maintained in an organized manner.

3. Contribute to knowledge management activities to ensure that project experiences and learning are documented.

Please note that the nature of this role requires flexibility in adapting to the team’s needs since the objective of aligning Contract details, local situation and habits, local law, and other factors might generate unexpected needs.

a.  Education

• Advanced University Degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) in Finance, Management, Business/Public Administration, or any other relevant discipline First level University degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) in Finance, Management, Business/Public Administration, or other relevant discipline in combination with 2 additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.                                    

b. Work Experience 

• A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, accounting and/or auditing is required.

• Experience in the financial accounting component of claims, contract variations, liquidation of expenses, and certification of works or equivalent is an asset.

• Experience in conducting due diligence is an asset.

• Experience in developing and/or using management information systems/ERPs is an asset.

• Experience in the UN is required, 

• Experience in a fragile context is an asset. 

c.  Languages

• Fluent in English (reading, writing and speaking) is required. 

• Knowledge of any other UN languages is an asset.

• Knowledge of local and regional languages is an asset.

• 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. 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.