Finance Officer

Peace and Security Centre

The UNOPS Peace and Security Centre (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Centre is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Centre Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Centre on behalf of its clients.

Background – UNMAS

Background – UNMAS Iraq

The UNMAS Iraq programme was formally established in June 2015, at the request of the UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Iraq, to lead the UN efforts to mitigate explosive threats in the country, as well as to support the enhancement of national and regional mine action capacities. UNMAS is supporting multiple layers of operations under the UNMAS Iraq Strategic Plan which focuses on three main components: 

1. Explosive Hazard Management 2. Capacity Enhancement
3. Risk Education.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Support Services or Support Services Officer, the finance officer analyses and interprets the financial rules and regulations and provides solutions to a wide spectrum of complex financial issues in the Country Office; he/she ensures effective and transparent utilization of financial resources and integrity of financial services. The Finance Officer promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UNOPS rules and regulations.

The Finance Officer will work in close collaboration with the  Iraq Programme team in the Country, UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster and HQ teams  ensuring successful delivery of financial services.

Stewardship of financial resources:

• Elaboration of proposals for planning of financial resources of the UNMAS Iraq Programme, continuous analysis and monitoring of the financial situation and presentation of forecasts for development and management projects;
• Provision of high-quality professional advice to the supervisor and/or Programme Manager on financial resources within the UNMAS Iraq programme
• Proper planning and expenditure tracking of financial resources in accordance with UNOPS financial rules and regulations.
• Monitoring of financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions and investigation of anomalies or unusual transactions. Provision of information to supervisors and other UNOPS staff at HQ on the results of the investigation when satisfactory answers are not obtained.
• Identification of problems in financial and administrative areas, suggesting alternative solutions to resolve issues in compliance with broader UNOPS policies, rules and procedures.

Budget management:

• Coordination of the preparation of the field operating budget; review of budget submissions, regular analysis and reporting on the budget approvals and the delivery situation; monitoring of expenditures against budget allotments and reporting on variances.
• Coordination with the Peace and Security Cluster Portfolio Manager to ensure compliance with UNOPS financial rules and regulations, financial policies and procedures and that project budgets and revisions are prepared in accordance with established procedures and budgetary guidelines of the funding agency; ensure that project budget rephasings are processed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Discussion of concerns with the PSC Portfolio Manager when required making recommendations so that timely corrective actions can be taken. Review and appropriate recommendations with respect to the finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Work with portfolio manager to identify and manage risks

Cash management:

• Organization, reconciliation and oversight of UNMAS Iraq programme cash management processes, including Petty Cash and Operational Advances.
• Management and oversight over oneUNOPS bank account with regular review, reconciliation and submission to HQ, if required.
• Investigation of discrepancies and initiation of timely corrective actions on unposted payments, including the payments with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers.
• Maintenance of filing and documentation with the project; Maintenance and preparation of documentation for audit purposes;
• Timely response to HQ requests to resolve financial data issues.

Management & control of project payments

• Analysis and elaboration of proposals for the internal expenditures’ control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in oneUNOPS; payrolls are duly prepared; monthly payment orders (MPOs), travel claims and other entitlements are duly processed.
• Control of accounts closure.
• Timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers. Timely response to UNOPS Peace & Security Cluster and HQ requests to resolve financial data issues.
• Ensuring proper maintenance of the field financial accounts; preparation of financial records, statements and reports as required or approval of the work of subordinates; coordination of field replies to internal and external audit queries;
• Proper receipt, management, safeguarding and disbursement of payments handled by the field; review, modification, initiation and implementation of internal control procedures in coordination with UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster and  Headquarters;
• Proper control of the supporting documents for payments; preparation of all types of vouchers; Pay Cycle and payments execution.

Education

• Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; OR

• First level university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in the field of project accounting and financial reporting

• Proven experience in a wide-spectrum of operation-oriented financial management, including financial forecasting and budgeting

• Professional Certification in Accountant such as CPA, CA or ACCA etc is highly desirable

• Experience in UN/UNOPS highly desirable

• Solid computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office, in particular Excel

• Experience working with of other software applications (such as databases) and ERP would be desirable

• Experience in project management, especially with regard to project budget management, is highly desirable

• Experience in humanitarian affairs and experience in mine action desirable

• Fluency in English (speaking, reading, writing) is required

• Fluency in Arabic (speaking, reading and writing) is desired

• Fluency in Kurdish (speaking, reading and writing) is desired

• Knowledge of another UN official language is desired.

• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• This is a local position, therefore only nationals of duty station (Iraq) or applicants with a valid residence permit will be considered.
• 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.
• 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.  

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.