Finance Associate

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Programme Manager, Local Assistance Myanmar Programme (LAMP)  and overall guidance of the Finance Specialist - Performance Management and Reporting (PMO), and direct supervision of the Finance Senior Officer, Local Assistance Myanmar Programme (LAMP), the Finance Associate is responsible to support smooth operation of Financial Management of the Local Assistance Myanmar Programme (LAMP) which will contribute directly to the overall programme performance.  

The Finance Associate will broadly carry out the following tasks and maintains the financial management of projects and promotes a collaborative, client-oriented approach.

1. Budget preparation/management

• Support in preparation of the programme budget and support the Finance Senior Officer in the preparation of the extension/ annual budget and maintenance of the OneUNOPS budget. 

• Monitoring the budget and the delivery situation in the OneUNOPS system and making necessary adjustments in time.  

• Ensure to keep up to date with guidelines and procedures for the purpose of complying, streamlining and/or strengthening of existing financial and budgetary procedures.

• Ensure full control over the budget and sharing of information relevant for budget management related to Project across the team in closed and constant communication and collaboration with the team;

2. Cash  Management

• Assist in organizing and oversight of cash management processes, accounting and reconciliation of all transactions in a timely manner.

• Assist in the review of cash position to ensure sufficient funds on hand for disbursements and preparation of monthly cash forecast.

• Assist Finance Senior Officer in Managing  the fund flow in close collaboration with the Programme and Contracts teams, for the Senior Programme Manager’s review and submission to donors as required.

• Monitor/Track payment received from donor contributions and income recognition in oneUNOPS System. 

3. Assurance and Financial Reporting

• Support quality control of the project accounts by performing constant  review, analysis and reconciliation of accounts.

• Investigation of discrepancies and initiation, take the necessary corrective action in a timely manner.

• Ensure that Requests for Payments are reviewed and verified in a timely manner to ensure that all requests are supported with complete documents as mentioned in respective Standard Operating Procedures and in compliance with donor/ client’s requirements, UNOPS corporate policies and guidelines.

• Support in Receipt Accrual, Local Currency Clean-up  for LAMP to ensure the  balances are correct.

• Review and analyze financial data and assist in the preparation of financial reports

• Assist in preparation of the financial reports of the programme to ensure timely and accurate submission to donors in accordance with the established procedures, with special considerations concerning non-USD currency reportings.

• Provide necessary support related to Fund Management Office (FMO) internal and external audits including partners Audit.

• Ensure that all correspondence is properly maintained in the shared drive.

• Provide necessary support for Due Diligence Assessment of implementing partners. 

• Ensure all balance sheet accounts are truly represented as the Balance Sheet account according to UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulation, and Organizational Directives at Monthly/ Quarterly basis.

• Contribute to UNOPS year-end closure / quarterly closure to comply with all year-end closure guidelines.

• Assist in providing guidance and advice on payment related process and internal control matters to project staff and partner organizations as necessary.

• Perform any other job-related duties as assigned by the Finance Senior  Officer.

4. Ensures Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Support to organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel and partners on Finance and audit related topics.

• Contribute to Financial management knowledge networks and communities of practice by providing collaborative synthesis of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in financial management.

• Actively build and share knowledge and best practices within FMO, PMO and with IPs

a. Education

• Completion of secondary education diploma or equivalent is required. 

• A University degree preferably in finance, accounting, business administration or related area would be an advantage and may be considered as a substitute for 4 years of qualifying work experience.

b. Work Experience

• Minimum 6 years of progressively responsible finance experience with a national or international organization in providing financial management services, etc.

• Strong knowledge of general accounting principles and best practices required. 

• Prior experience with international organizations in financial management will be preferred. 

• Good knowledge of international and/or UN/UNOPS financial regulations and rules and accounting practices would be an asset. 

• Previous successful involvement in a similar position with the UN system would be an asset.

• Previous working experience with UNOPS ERP system would be an asset. 

• Computer literacy in Microsoft packages (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access) is required. Experience with Google Suite is highly preferred.

c. Language

• Fluency in oral and written in Myanmar is required.

• Fluencyin oral and written in English is required.