Finance Assistant

Background Information Pakistan

UNOPS commenced operations in Pakistan in 1999 and significantly up-scaled activities from 2005 onwards to support populations affected by and vulnerable to earthquakes. In 2010, UNOPS opened a permanent office in Islamabad to support the Government of Pakistan and other partners to undertake humanitarian and reconstruction services, following the most devastating flood in the nation’s history.

UNOPS Pakistan has been implementing projects in the areas of early recovery and reconstruction of community infrastructure, project management and related monitoring and verification, community development, fund management, and procurement. Supported strategically by a regional operational hub and UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen and within the overarching framework of the ONE UN Programme, UNOPS Pakistan continues to deliver projects across the country under its core delivery practices of sustainable infrastructure, sustainable procurement, and sustainable project management.

UNOPS is based in Islamabad and has a provincial office in Peshawar. In addition, UNOPS is administrating Global Environment Facility (GEF) small grants on behalf of UNDP to support community led projects in Baluchistan. Similarly, UNOPS is also acting as the Local Fund Agent of the Global Fund. In Pakistan, UNOPS monitors a grant portfolio of $600,000,000 by undertaking regular and mandatory field visits across the country including FATA to provide independent monitoring of the activities carried out by the grantees of the Global Fund.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

• Preparing internal project budget for project related activities in consultation with the project manager and OSAC Finance Manager.
• Proper raising of purchase orders; getting approval providing precise and accurate Charts of Accounts (CoA) for generating PO’s.
• Processing Invoices, Interim Payment Certificates and Financial Claims, receiving complete documents from procurement section of payment review and check the amount to be accurate and make sure there is consistency in amount in all supporting documents.
• Maintain all payments tracking sheets for quick cross check of payments relating dates, suppliers, amount and any other necessary information.
• Management of the Petty Cash account with proper documentation and tractable records
• To ensure all payments are complying with UNOPS finance , procurement  and HR rules and regulation and in case of any deviation report to his/her supervisor for necessary correction or action.
• To monitor and ensure the proper procedure of procurements of goods and services has been followed and all transactions are backed up by supporting documents.
• Track & monitor progress of Procurement and HR department for timely closure and amendments of POs as per the budget availability.
•  Ensuring to avoid any omission while processing any payments to avoid any delay which will adversely affect project delivery in accordance with UNOPS policies, particularly UNOPS Financial rules and regulation
• Assists the project manager in preparation of any kind of reports as assigned to him/her.
• Proper follow up of all tax paid with UNOPS Finance, banks and maintain a well-developed records of all tax paid.
• To maintain a proper and organized filing system and to ensure project’s all financial documents are easily traceable whenever needed.
• Assist the concerned department in preparation of payment certificate, tax calculation and submission of payment requests to AR-NPOH finance section and to make sure the payments have been done. Maintain an appropriate follow up system to make sure payments are completed.
• Preparation of Operational Advances for project missions and other purposes, make sure the OA are cleared before its maturity period.
• Assist with travel arrangements and processing of travel claims.
• To ensure that strict internal control system is in place, Finance policies and procedures are being followed, the control system is effective, and the accounting system is reliable to achieve the dual aspect of project finance objective i.e. transparency and accountability.
• To be able to meet any deadlines and work under pressures.
• Any other task assigned by his/her supervisors.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Contributes to the sound management of finances.
• Contributes to the complete, accurate and timely submission of payment requests.
• Contributes to an effective and cooperative relationship with clients and partners on strengthening financial management.

Final Product:

• Efficient functioning of the processes, procedures of the finance Unit.
• Project Delivery meets the Project Delivery forecast/Plan/Target.

• Relevant professional Finance/Accounting certificates considered an asset

• Ability to perform a variety of standard tasks related to financial resources management, including screening and collecting documentation, financial data processing, filing, provision of information
• Good knowledge of UNOPS financial rules and regulations, accounting is desirable
• Strong IT skills
• Ability to adhere to work assignments and meet designated deadlines.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
• This post is open to Pakistan nationals only.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.