Finance Senior Officer

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

UNOPS Myanmar is one of UNOPS’ leading offices in Asia, acting as the fund manager for some of the largest development programmes in the country. In addition, UNOPS is the Principal Recipient for the Global Fund in Myanmar and for the Global Fund’s regional artemisinin-resistance initiative towards the elimination of Malaria, which works to accelerate progress toward malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong sub-region. UNOPS provides procurement, infrastructure, and project management services to a wide range of organizations in the country, including international development partners, other UN agencies and INGOs. UNOPS plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of services provided to its partners meets stringent requirements of speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Fund Management has become a recognized strength of UNOPS Myanmar and a new potential business model for other country offices in the region. UNOPS Myanmar Programme Management Office provides support in grants management, budgeting and reporting, capacity assessment and building of implementing partners and oversight and compliance. UNOPS Myanmar will build on the accumulated knowledge and expertise and establish a Centre of Excellence in Programme Management to assist UNOPS offices elsewhere to expand engagements in programme/fund management in a recognized and consistent way. Programmes - if set up and managed well - can achieve the impact and scale required to make tangible contributions to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Programmes bring synergies and sustainable, lasting impact. They provide unique platforms for innovative approaches at scale and value for money.

The Finance Senior Officer will be under the UNOPS Myanmar Programme Management Office (PMO), and will be supporting one of the multiple funds and programmes managed by UNOPS Myanmar. The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS MMCO. S/he will collaborate closely and engage actively with other UNOPS team members and the programme/technical team for managing grants and assisting in programme activities.

The Finance Senior Officer ensures the effective delivery of financial management, reporting and compliance services in accordance with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRRs), policies and procedures. The incumbent leads on budget formulation and monitoring, treasury and cash management, accounting oversight, and financial reporting. The Finance Officer also provides analytical and advisory support to management, ensuring financial integrity, cost efficiency and timely decision-making across the portfolio.

Implementation of Operational Strategies

• Ensure full compliance with UNOPS financial rules, regulations, policies and procedures, as well as donor and audit requirements.
• Implement and maintain effective internal control systems and risk management frameworks to safeguard financial resources.
• Support the roll-out and continuous improvement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in finance, ensuring consistency and accuracy across financial processes.
• Monitor financial exception reports, identify and investigate anomalies, and recommend corrective actions.
• Advise management on cost-saving measures, financial efficiencies and expenditure optimization in collaboration with operations teams
• Support internal and external audit exercises, coordinate responses, and track the implementation of audit recommendations.

Budget Preparation, Monitoring and Control

• Lead the preparation, consolidation and monitoring of budgets for projects and administrative operations, ensuring alignment with UNOPS and donor requirements.
• Review and analyze budget proposals for accuracy, consistency and alignment with strategic and financial objectives.
• Conduct variance analyses and monitor expenditure levels against approved budgets, providing early warnings on deviations and advising corrective measures.
• Coordinate project budget revisions and ensure timely re-phasing and approvals in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
• Provide financial planning support to project managers, including forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial risk assessment.
• Contribute to the development and improvement of budgeting tools and systems to enhance transparency and performance-based budgeting.

Cash Management and Treasury

• Oversee cash management operations to ensure liquidity and accuracy in fund allocation.
• Review daily and monthly cash positions to maintain sufficient balances for disbursements and manage the zero-balance and imprest accounts.
• Prepare cash flow forecasts for operational and project needs and ensure alignment with budget projections.
• Initiate and approve bank transfers and foreign exchange transactions in the ERP system in compliance with authorization levels.
• Maintain strong relationships with local banking institutions and ensure compliance with national financial and banking regulations.
• Monitor operational advances, recoveries and petty cash accounts, ensuring timely reconciliation and closure.
• Conduct periodic treasury analyses and forecasting of income and expenditure trends to inform financial planning and risk management.

Commitments and Payments

• Ensure accuracy, validity and compliance of financial transactions, commitments and payments against budget allocations and contractual terms.
• Review and approve payment requests, verifying the completeness of supporting documentation and proper use of account codes.
• Ensure that transactions are properly recorded, reconciled and reported in the ERP system.
• Maintain control of accounts receivable and payable, ensuring timely recording and follow-up with clients, partners and donors.
• Support the establishment and implementation of an effective expenditure control framework, ensuring that vouchers are matched, verified, and cleared in accordance with financial rules.
• Manage financial data quality through ongoing review, reconciliation, and corrective action for unposted or exception items.
• Supervise timely accounts closure, including accruals, provisions and adjusting journal entries.
• Coordinate with HQ and Regional Office on complex payment or compliance issues and resolve financial data discrepancies.

Financial Reporting

• Prepare, review and analyze monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports for management and donors, ensuring accuracy and adherence to reporting timelines.
• Support the preparation of client financial statements, interim financial reports (IFRs), and delivery reports in line with contractual and audit requirements.
• Develop and maintain financial dashboards and reporting tools for portfolio oversight and performance analysis.
• Contribute to the annual financial closure process, ensuring all accounts are reconciled and adjustments made in compliance with UNOPS standards.
• Provide financial input and analysis for strategic reports, audits and evaluations.
• Lead or support the implementation of audit recommendations and contribute to internal and external financial reviews.

Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on finance topics.
• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned.
• Conduct research on finance-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or other disciplines with 4 years of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above disciplines with 2 years of relevant experience is required.

Desired

• Professional certification (e.g. CPA, ACCA, CA, CIMA) is desired.
• Knowledge of IPSAS or other international accounting standards is desired.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in project financial management, budgeting, cash management and financial reporting, or related areas.
• Demonstrable proficiency in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
• Experience with financial systems or ERP software 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.