Chief of Audit

The Internal Audit and Investigations Group (IAIG) provides independent assurance and oversight to strengthen UNOPS’ governance, risk management, and internal controls, while ensuring accountability through impartial investigations of misconduct. Our internal audit function delivers assurance engagements across field offices and HQ units, advisory reviews of functions, processes, and cross-cutting themes, and targeted project audits - both financial and operational. We also offer ad hoc advisory services to management on strategic matters. Our investigation mandate covers credible allegations involving UNOPS personnel, including fraud, corruption, mismanagement, abuse of authority, sexual or workplace harassment, retaliation against whistleblowers, and violations of UNOPS regulations, rules, or administrative instructions. Through these core functions, IAIG helps safeguard organizational integrity, promote ethical conduct, and enhance operational effectiveness—ensuring that UNOPS delivers its mandate with transparency, fairness, and accountability.

The Chief of Audit, at an ICS 12 level, integrates multiple specializations to provide a comprehensive internal audit service, managing a large and complex program. This role involves conceiving and designing implementation strategies for major audit projects, providing authoritative expertise that combines technical advice with operational and political perspectives, and acting as a credible voice for the audit function within UNOPS and to external partners. The Chief of Audit will also establish frameworks for interaction and grow key strategic relationships, while mentoring and developing other professionals to build organizational capacity.

Strategic development:

• Develop the risk-based annual Internal Audit Plan, monitor it, and update IAIG’s plan during the year based on a continuous risk assessment. 

• Submit the risk assessment and annual work plan to the Director of IAIG

• Ensure the execution of the annual Internal Audit Plan. This includes the coordination of up to 15 internal audits, up to 15 advisory engagements, and the management of up to 60 project audits per year.

• Lead and/or coordinate the planning and execution of audit field missions for different types of engagements at selected locations, as well as UNOPS HQ.

• Ensure proper monitoring of the  implementation status via the internal Audit and Oversight Recommendations (AUDITOR) tool. 

• Coordinate the resources allocation and track engagements completion according to the internal KPIs.

• Lead or participate with the IAIG Director Director meetings with internal and external stakeholders.

• Review and clear clauses related to project audits with project teams.

Quality assurance:  

• Quality assure audit reports and oversee the audit team in order to ensure they meet the highest possible standard required under public reporting. 

• Ensure the use of standard audit work papers, audit programs, and innovative tools such as data analytics.

• Ensure completeness of the working papers prior to the issuance of the audit reports.

• Cooperate with the Investigation Section to identify control gaps that allowed misconduct to occur and propose relevant remedial action. 

• Provide advice to other departments in relation to potential exposures to fraud, corruption, and other inappropriate practices.

• Monitor the Quality Assurance and Improvement Plan and ensure timely and regular update

• Organize and coordinate periodic quality self-assessment

• Organize and coordinate the mandatory periodic External Quality Assurance exercise.

Knowledge management and innovation:

• Conduct special assignments such as management reviews, and consulting projects, provide support to the Investigations section, and coordinate training workshops. 

• Be a catalyst for strategic initiatives. This includes capacity building within UNOPS to better mitigate fraud and corruption.

• Liaise with sister UN agencies, Clients, Donors, Partners, and Board of Auditors. Joint Inspection Unit and International Financial Institutions. Exchange information where permitted.

• Be willing to continuously innovate IAIG’s work plan with better practices and initiatives.

• Liaise and work closely with the IAIG Stakeholders r reporting specialist.

Team Leadership:

• Establish the annual work plan for the Internal Audit Team in collaboration with the Director Internal Audit & Investigations and stakeholders. Set objectives, performance measurements, standards and results expected.

• Allocate the annual work plan to internal auditors with fairness and objectivity. 

• Monitor implementation of the team’s annual work plan, oversee progress and ensure delivery of results as planned and according to expectation.

• Promote teamwork and collaboration by providing the team with clear direction, objectives and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.

• Plan, recruit and develop a flexible workforce with the skills and competencies needed to ensure optimum performance and ensure gender and geographical diversity.

• Foster a positive work environment, respectful of all, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed.

• Provide guidance and mentoring for personnel within the Internal Audit team to promote their professional growth, motivation, and satisfaction of personnel while ensuring appropriate personal development and succession planning.

• Identify training needs and ensure gaps identified are addressed through a proper coaching and training plan

Impact of Results:

IAIG contributes to UNOPS’ results by continuously assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of its business lines and the level of acceptable risk associated with business opportunities. It also contributes to the improvement of governance, risk management, and control processes. Furthermore, IAIG leads the Executive Director's investigations into alleged misconduct: remediating funds where possible, helping to prevent and detect future waste and abuse, and strengthening internal and external stakeholder confidence in UNOPS.

• Advanced University degree (Masters' or equivalent) in Accounting, Auditing or  Finance is required. 

• First level degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in combination with additional two years of relevant  professional experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.

• Professional certification in a related field such as Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is highly desired.

Required:

• Ten years of professional experience in Auditing, within these 10 years, a minimum of five years managing an audit team

• Experience leading, planning, and executing audits

Desirable:

• Previous experience within a UN organization, International Financial Institution, or Big 4 audit firms is desirable.

• Knowledge of Project management tools, MS ProjectTM or similar team management tools, TeammateTM Audit Software, and related CAAT’s are considered an asset.

• Familiarity with ERP is considered a plus. 

• Experience in leading or supervising data analytics teams is an asset.

• Experience in artificial intelligence is considered as a plus.

• Experience in IT and cyber security audit is considered as a plus.

• Experience in forensic audit is considered as a plus

• Experience in using artificial intelligence in audit is an asset.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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.