Internal Control Advisor

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.  

UNOPS generally operates in high risk environments and is involved in projects of high operational complexity. Considering this operational environment, UNOPS seeks to continuously improve its Internal Control and Compliance frameworks globally. The focus for improvement for UNOPS’ Internal Control Framework (ICF) is on providing reasonable second Line of Defense assurance that processes are implemented  effectively and in adherence with the policies, processes and other requirements set by the organization, with a view to ensure reliability of financial reporting, as well as alignment with UN principles and UNOPS’ mandate.

UNOPS is currently reviewing and redefining its key policies and processes, as well as ramping up its maturity and level of automation across its key process controls. Furthermore, UNOPS is driving improvements in areas that will require alignment with and improvements of the ICF relating to integrity due diligence, prevention of bribery, corruption and fraud risks, and information security.

*** Duty station: The organizational unit is based in Copenhagen but we could consider accepting applicants willing to be based at locations where UNOPS has a country or regional presence, and where basing the role there could be beneficial for the organization.

*** This recruitment aims to fill an ongoing, full-time position. Depending on actual needs, the hiring unit may decide to recruit endorsed qualified professionals for contracts with different working conditions (short/long term, part/full-time, retainer, regular or ongoing positions).

Reporting line and general responsibilities  

• Reporting into UNOPS’ Head of Compliance, the Internal Control Advisor is expected to bring in significant experience in designing, improving and implementing internal control systems and work autonomously to implement the necessary activities within UNOPS. 

• The successful candidate will be responsible for defining the strategy for enhancement of the ICF and the function’s annual focus areas, targets, performance indicators, resourcing and workplan. 

• The successful candidate will be expected to independently lead reviews on existing capabilities specific to policies, processes, systems, functions and offices. This may take the form of gap analyses, reviews of control designs, validating Internal Control data as well as testing the effectiveness of control implementation. The reviews may extend to cover elements of organizational culture, skills, roles and tools critical to an effective control environment. 

• The successful candidate will also be responsible to address any audit recommendations specific to UNOPS’ ICF and close those recommendations by implementing appropriate corrective actions.

Strategic advice and transformation mandate

• The Internal Control Advisor is expected to play a transformative role in redefining the Internal Control agenda for UNOPS and uplifting the maturity of the Internal Control function across processes and regions. This will require aligning closely with a broader, ongoing business transformation and digitalization agenda, and advising local and functional leadership on optimizing internal controls to ensure the ICF strikes the right balance between appropriate segregation of duties, accountability for decision making and reasonable risk mitigation in light of UNOPS’ risk appetite and need for speed and agility. 

• Further, the Internal Control Advisor will be expected to drive rigour yet simplicity into the rollout of any enhancements to the existing ICF. 

• Lastly, the Internal Control Advisor will be expected to provide regular updates on progress on priorities agreed with line management. 

Capacity building and knowledge management

• The Internal Control Advisor is expected to provide Internal Control training, coaching and facilitation support to UNOPS stakeholders, whether at Headquarters or in regional offices. 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or PhD) in accounting, finance or a related field;
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) with two (2) additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree;
• Certifications in Accounting, Internal Control and Internal Audit are considered an advantage.

• A minimum of seven (7) years (or more depending on academic credentials) of experience in the design, development, and implementation of Internal Control frameworks (required)
• Experience in managing an Internal Control function and associated resources (required)
• Experience in control testing (required)
• Experience in fraud risk management (required)
• Experience in developing reporting dashboards for Internal Control visualization  (required)
• Experience in cross-functional collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders (required)
• Experience in developing controls across end-to-end processes (required)
• Experience in large, global organizations (required)
• Experience in optimizing internal controls through acquisition and roll out of enterprise technology platforms (desirable)
• Experience as an auditor (desirable)
• Experience designing and rolling out in-house trainings (desirable)

• Fluency in English (required)
• Fluency in Spanish and/or French (desired)

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: I-ICA 3, ICS-11
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance.

• 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. 

• 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.