Finance Associate

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS provides project management, procurement and infrastructure services to governments, donors and UN organisations. Its services can be advisory, implementation or transactional, with development of the national capacity always in focus.

UNOPS was the first organisation in the world that was awarded the four most prestigious accreditations in project management, including PRINCE2 ®, and one of five organisations in the world awarded the Gold Level from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.  For its approach to project management and consistent quality UNOPS received ISO 9001 certification in 2011.

In Serbia, UNOPS has been active since 2000, became the Project Centre (RSPC) in 2013, and was reclassified, due a growing portfolio, to Operations Centre (RSOC) at the beginning of 2017. UNOPS has been a reliable partner of the Government of the Republic of Serbia in providing support for demanding socio-economic reforms and facilitating accession to the European Union.

Currently, the RSOC is implementing ten projects focussed on: sustainable municipal development, creation of more favourable environment for employability, business and infrastructure growth, enhanced social inclusion via durable housing solutions and access to health, education and jobs for the most vulnerable population, recovery from damages incurred by May 2014 floods in Serbia and building climate-resilient infrastructure. All projects have good governance and gender equality as transversal theme. UNOPS projects are contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals framework and objectives.

Under the direct supervision of the Finance Officer, the Finance Associate will provide financial and administrative support to the timely set-up, processing, recording, monitoring and maintaining financial transactions and accounts relating to payments and receipts in accordance with UNOPS’ financial rules, regulations, policies, and processes.

In particular, the Finance Associate will perform following tasks:

Administration of budgets and cost-recovery system

• Participate in information-gathering for budget preparation
• Extraction of required financial information from UNOPS project agreements and set up of necessary accounts in line with existing UNOPS financial policies and procedures
• Set up of approved budgets in UNOPS ERP system (oneUNOPS)
• Monitoring, review and adjustment of Projects’ expenditures/obligations against approved budgets
• Preparation of Projects’ cost sharing portions within the office’s resource mobilization efforts
• Provision of inputs for delivery forecasting, implementation of cost-saving and reduction strategies in consultation with the office management
• Preparation and processing of budget revisions
• Support Project closure process

Payments/Accounting

• Monitor and ensure validity of charges by verifying authorized amounts and ensuring availability of budget and funds
• Review of payment requests for completeness prior to processing, ensuring that documentation needed is complete and that all required procedures are fulfilled to enable the payment.
• Communication with colleagues/clients on areas requiring verification, corrections, additional information
• Entry of transactions and financial data in UNOPS ERP (oneUNOPS) system.
• Remittance processing
• Preparation of bank reconciliation report.  Review for discrepancies and action as required. 
• Replenishment of the Imprest accounts
• Opening/closing/replenishment of petty cash accounts
• Analysis of reports, investigation and preparation of adjustment as required.
• Maintain financial filing system ensuring clear and auditable trail on all financial transactions
• Assume Finance profile tasks in oneUNOPS

Financial Reporting

• Prepare financial and statistical reports for internal use as required by management
• Prepare financial reports to funding sources and external clients in compliance with established reporting requirements
• Preparation of monthly expenditure schedules
• Support quarterly and year-end statements

Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Contribute to the implementation of internal control systems, report any identified weaknesses and suggest remedial action(s)
• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on finance-related topics
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in human resources

Education

• Secondary school diploma is required
• University Degree in Finance, Economy, Business Administration, Public Administration or equivalent disciplines is desirable but not required  
• Relevant certification in financial management or accounting is a distinct advantage

Work Experience

• Minimum of six years of relevant working experience within the areas of finance, accounting, business administration or related field is required.  BA or MA degree may substitute for some years of experience.
• Knowledge of UNOPS financial rules and regulations, working knowledge of ERP would be an asset
• Experience with MS Office 2010/or newer versions and financial management electronic systems are desired
• Experience in UN system organisations is desirable

Language Requirements

• Fluency in Serbian and English is required

Driving licence

• Driving license is an asset

• 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.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.