Director of Finance and Operations

The Director of Finance and Operations (DFO)  is a key member of the OQ Operations Management Group (OMG) and is responsible for all aspects of finance, human resources, operations, and organizational development of the Office. The DFO works closely with the Head of Mission, the Deputy Head of Mission, the Senior Coordinator Advisor and the OQ Programme teams to ensure optimal conditions to implement the OQ’s development agenda. 

Besides being responsible for the day-to-day financial and operational management of the OQ, the DFO serves as an advisor to the Head of Mission on matters of policy decisions regarding human resources, strategy and organizational effectiveness within the office. On the latter, the DFO works in close coordination with the Deputy Head of Mission and the Senior Coordinator Advisor.

The DFO reports to the HOM and works in close coordination with the DHOM and the Senior Coordinator Advisor. The DFO supervises the support staff and oversees the partnership between UNOPS and the OQ.

Specifically, the DFO will:

1. Provide, with and through the support team, full operational support to the OQ team: 

• Manage all support functions, including logistics, operations, admin, transport and security staff. 

• Advise on OQ operational matters, including contractual matters.

• Oversee the OQ’s partnership with UNOPS, striving for efficiency and effectiveness.

• Craft OQ business processes, map and establish internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in finance, human resources management, procurement, logistics and ICT services.

• Ensure proper operational functioning of Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza offices, together with the management of sub-lease agreements and relationships with other co-tenants

• Monitor the OQ operating environment, timely adjust operations as required, and advise on risk assessment.

• Share operational information (across all topic areas) with senior management, where relevant. 

1. Manage the OQ financial resources, including the supervision of OQ finance activities and advising on budget allocation (in close coordination with UNOPS): 

• Prepare and constantly monitor the OQ annual master budget, including monitoring of variances and their justifications.

• Ensure that funding to the OQ is used and allocated in a coherent and sustainable way, in line with donors’ strategic priorities and operational requirements.

• Ensure that donors’ contributions are spent according to the OQ HR and procurement plan, which consolidates each sector’s HR and procurement plan, and highlight any deviations.

• Build and maintain a financial structure that makes contributions complementary each other in a homogeneous and coherent system.

• Ensure proper planning and expenditure tracking, per project, per sector and for the OQ as a whole.

• Oversee the financial reporting, according to each donor’s requirements, the OQ annual financial reporting, and auditing of financial resources. 

• Ensure OQ incomes and expenses are correctly reflected in the OneUNOPS system.

• Ensure proper cost-sharing of common services with other organizations.

• Maintain a consistent financial environment for the development of OQ projects.

• Organize and oversee cash management processes, including liquidity management.

• Monitor financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions and investigating anomalies or unusual transactions.  

• Advise on budgetary needs and allocation. 

• Work with the DHOM and the Senior Coordinator Advisor on donor relations, including keeping an open channel of communication and collaboration with donors on all funding related matters and preparing documentation required for OQ funding and meeting with donors, as required. Represent the OQ in these discussions.

1. Manage human resources aspects and supervise OQ HR activities: 

• Work with the DHOM and the Senior Coordinator Advisor to determine OQ staffing requirement.

• Oversee recruitment of new staff, including appropriate use of contractual modalities.

• Manage amendments and renewal of human resource contracts. 

• Oversee all HR matters that have/may have implications or profiles of misconduct, including abuse of authority, harassment, etc. Provide proper follow up and bring the issues to close.

• Guide implementation of secondments to the OQ and liaise with governments that second Advisers to the OQ.

• Establish and maintain performance management systems, as required. 

• Oversee the regular update of the Staff Handbook.

1. Manage procurement of goods and services (through UNOPS): 

• Determine OQ purchasing requirements.

• Work with the UNOPS procurement team on tendering processes and evaluation, managing contracts and liaising with contractors, and other procurement matters.

• Manage OQ assets, facilities, and logistical services, including insurance arrangements.

1. Effective and timely contribution to relevant OQ reports and briefings (written and oral). Prepare briefings and updates for HOM on financial, funding, HR and operational matters as required.

1. Supervision of the Transport unit, taken over from the Security Coordinator. This includes: supervision of the team of senior drivers, fleet management, and cost-effective use of transport.

1. Represents the OQ at the UN OMT meetings.

1. Contribute constructively to the work of the OQ in general. 

The work is of a highly confidential nature and the DFO must maintain the highest standards of confidentiality.

• 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.