Finance Specialist - Treasury and Investment Management

The Finance Group serves as a strategic partner and fiduciary advisor, ensuring transparent, accountable, and effective resource management across UNOPS. The Group defines financial strategy in alignment with organizational goals, establishes finance policies, systems, and processes, and leads corporate budgeting to enable full cost recovery and ensure long-term financial sustainability. Throughout the project lifecycle, the Finance Group provides expert guidance, oversight, and tailored financial solutions. Responsibilities include delivering comprehensive financial and corporate performance reporting, strengthening financial capacity across the organization, and continuously enhancing resource planning and allocation. In addition, the Finance Group prepares and oversees the implementation of finance-related policies, upholding the highest standards of financial stewardship and supporting UNOPS in achieving operational excellence and fiscal responsibility.

This position operates within the Treasury Middle Office and Control team, focusing on designing and implementing a comprehensive sanctions and AML/CFT compliance screening framework. The role is essential for ensuring the integrity of UNOPS' global payment workflows and aligning with international regulations. Efficient risk management and proactive compliance are critical to maintaining UNOPS' operational standards and financial stability.

The Finance Specialist will design, implement, and manage a comprehensive sanctions and AML/CFT compliance screening framework to support UNOPS' global payment workflows, ensuring alignment with international regulations and organizational risk tolerance.

1. Sanctions, AML and CFT Framework Development

• Design a comprehensive sanctions and AML/CFT compliance framework for UNOPS Treasury operations, incorporating requirements from the UN Security Council, the US’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and other relevant sanctions regimes.
• Conduct a gap analysis of current sanctions screening and monitoring capabilities across treasury payment workflows.
• Conduct a sanctions, AML and CFT risk assessment methodology for counterparties, payment channels, banking relationships, and jurisdictions.
• In coordination with other UNOPS’ units, support in the development of risk-based sanctions, AML, and CFT risk management policies and procedures tailored to UNOPS operational context.
• Establish screening thresholds and false positive management protocols.
• Design escalation procedures and decision-making frameworks for sanctions and other adverse reputational risks hits. Develop documentation and record-keeping requirements to demonstrate compliance during audits.

2. Operationalize, Implement and Mobilize UNOPS’ Sanctions, AML and CFT Framework

• Operationalize sanctions, AML and CFT screenings across the payment lifecycle, including as part of counterparty onboarding, Standard Settlement Instructions (SSIs) and transaction processing.
• Integrate screening requirements with existing Treasury Management System (TMS), ERP platforms, and banking interfaces.
• Configure and calibrate sanctions screening software/tools to balance risk mitigation with operational efficiency.
• Establish real-time sanctions monitoring for outgoing payments before authorization and transmission to correspondent banks.
• Perform periodic retrospective "look-back" reviews of historical transactions and master data against newly updated sanctions designations to identify latent risks.
• Develop and implement enhanced due diligence (EDD) procedures for high-risk jurisdictions and counterparties, incorporating adverse media analysis.
• Create audit trails as it relates to screenings performed, risk escalated and decisions made as regards those risks (avoidance, mitigation, etc.).
• Design and deliver training programs for Treasury and other UNOPS staff, field offices, and payment processors on sanctions, AML and CFT compliance requirements.
• Establish regulatory monitoring, including sanctions list update protocols and communication channels to ensure timely implementation of new designations.

3. Sanctions, AML and CFT Risk Management Framework in Humanitarian Payments

• Assess sanctions, AML/CFT risks specific to humanitarian payment channels across UNOPS operational footprint, including cash based interventions, mobile money, and local partner payments.
• Develop risk mitigation strategies aligned with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations while preserving humanitarian access.
• Design customer due diligence (CDD) and know-your-customer (KYC) procedures appropriate for humanitarian contexts in high-risk and conflict-affected environments.
• Establish transaction monitoring protocols for unusual patterns, red flags, and potential illicit financing indicators.
• Develop and maintain a typology of sanctions evasion techniques and red-flag indicators specific to UNOPS’ operational footprint to enhance manual review sensitivity.
• Develop guidance on navigating humanitarian exemptions and carve-outs within sanctions frameworks (UN Security Council resolutions, national legislation)
• Create mechanisms for reporting suspicious transactions and potential violations to relevant authorities.
• Coordinate with banking partners on AML/CFT compliance expectations and information-sharing protocols.
• Monitor emerging regulatory requirements and guidance affecting humanitarian payment channels, including de-risking trends.

4. Advisory, Coordination, and Continuous Improvement

• Provide expert advisory support to Treasury staff, country offices, and project teams on sanctions, AML and CFT compliance questions and risk assessments.
• Coordinate with UNOPS Legal, Procurement, Finance, and Risk Management functions to ensure organizational alignment on sanctions compliance and organization risk tolerance.
• Lead the dialogue with banking partners, payment service providers, and correspondent banks to ensure their understanding and comfort with UNOPS sanctions compliance framework and screening capabilities.
• Monitor changes in sanctions regimes, regulatory guidance, and enforcement trends and assess impact on UNOPS operations.
• Participate in inter-agency working groups and humanitarian sector forums on sanctions, AML and CFT issues.
• Prepare regular reports for senior management on sanctions compliance posture, key risks, and incidents.
• Continuously refine the sanctions framework based on operational experience, regulatory feedback, and emerging best practices.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in finance, law, international relations, business administration or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate in sanctions, compliance or AML/CFT (e.g CAMS, CFCS)is desired.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in sanctions compliance, AML/CFT, or financial crime preventionor related areas. 

• Experience working with sanctions regimes (OFAC, EU, UK OFSI, UN Security Council) including interpretation of complex regulations into practical operational procedures

• Experience working with operational treasury sanctions screening, payment processing platforms, and managing correspondent banking/cross-border payment flows.

Desired

• Experience working with or supporting multilateral organizations, UN agencies, or international financial institutions (IFIs).

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. 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. 
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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.

• 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. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click 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.