Finance Specialist - Financial Performance Management and Reporting - Retainer

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.

Background Information – Yemen

The ongoing conflict has caused significant disruptions to the supply chain and to the overall availability of services. In light of the reduced or even absent provision of public services, communities have been affected by disease and environmental degradation. There is a relevant physical damage to infrastructure including roads, municipal services, water and sanitation and energy. In addition, the lack of functionality in one sector often spills over into other sectors with significant consequences on both the access to, and quality of services, that are often interrelated. 

UNOPS is undertaking a multi-sectorial engagement that aims at restoring urban services mainly in energy, urban roads, water and sanitation (WASH), municipality services in targeted cities in Yemen using an integrated approach.

Background Information – Job specific

UNOPS  is undertaking a World Bank-funded project (Yemen Emergency Electricity Access Project), which focuses on improving access to electricity in rural and peri-urban areas within Yemen. The project responds to the immediate developmental crisis by restoring electricity supply to critical infrastructure (hospitals, schools, water corporations, and electricity corporations). It will also build a more inclusive and sustainable solar market in Yemen through targeted financing to the private sector, expanding its reach to the poor and vulnerable while improving the quality of off-grid energy access products and services based on international experience.

To achieve the project’s objectives, UNOPS will engage solar microfinance institutions (MFIs), solar installers and suppliers, technical service providers, and other stakeholders. Specifically, the project is structured around the following three components:

Component 1: Financing for Off-grid Solar:

•  Under Subcomponent 1.1, UNOPS will partner with eligible microfinance institutions (MFIs), help them set up financing windows for high-quality, small-scale solar solutions for rural and peri-urban households, and provide partial grants to make the systems affordable.

• Under Subcomponent 1.2, UNOPS will contract solar suppliers and installers to provide grant-financed solar systems to critical service facilities in rural and peri-urban areas. The scope of the subcomponent includes health clinics, schools, rural water corporations, rural electricity service providers, and other providers of critical services. Implementation will start with health clinics and schools.

Component 2: Implementation Support and Market Development: UNOPS will contract service providers and NGOs to provide market-strengthening activities.

Component 3: Contingent Emergency Response Component: The emergency component that can be activated in the event of an eligible emergency situation.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Banking and Finance Expert will perform the following duties with effectiveness, transparency, and integrity:

1. Collect, analyze and share data related to the scope and coverage of YEEAP’s component Basic Electricity Supply to Households.

2. Provide financing technical support throughout all stages of YEEAP’s component Basic Electricity Supply to Households.

3. Assist in the review and preparation of financing reports and inputs related to the activities of Basic Electricity Supply to Households including the preparation of calls for proposals for MFIs, evaluation of submitted proposals, and development of implementation plans and processes while ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevance of information.

4. Work collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and participating MFIs to collect/analyze/ share information on implementation issues and suggest solutions on routine implementation activities 

5. Undertake field visits and surveys, collect and share reports with participating MFIs and other stakeholders. 

6. Report critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action.

7. Provide technical and operational support on the application and understanding of UNOPS policies, strategies, processes and best practices to support implementation YEEAP’s component on Basic Electricity Supply to Households.

Functional competencies

• Understand and respect UNOPS sustainability principles

  I.  Look for ways to embed UNOPS sustainability principles in day to day project management

 II.  Seek opportunities to champion gender equality at work place

 III.  Champion and communicate project’s sustainability aspects with key stakeholders

• Understand and Respect National ownership and capacity

i. Understand the principles of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and mainstream them into the project plans

 ii. Seek opportunities to recruit qualified local staff

iii. Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts

iv. Partnerships and Coordination. Understand the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and UNOPS, the project’s place in the UN system

 v. Strive to build strong partnerships and effective coordination among relevant project actors (e.g. United Nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations or other relevant partners) 

• Accountability for results and the use of resources

i. The project management processes are designed to deliver maximum accountability, transparency and results. If a project or processes is not in line with this, it is the responsibility of the PM to raise the issue to the Head of Programme in Amman Hub.

• Excellence

• Master’s Degree or equivalent preferably in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics or related field combined with 5 years of experience. 

• Applicants with a Bachelor’s Degree with additional 2 years of relevant working experience may also be considered.

• At least six years of relevant experience in grants management and/or microfinancing is required with a strong background in managing projects from conception to delivery.

• Financial Certificates such as CFA is desired.

• Knowledge of grants management and/or microfinancing is required.

• Knowledge of UN Rules and Regulations and UN Finance procedures is desirable. 

• Experience in usage of computers and office software packages (Word, Excel, outlook), advance knowledge of automated finance systems, and experience in handling web based management systems.

• Fluency in both English and Arabic is required.

1. Contract type: Retainer ICA
2. Contract level: Local ICA Specialist level 10
3. Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• 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
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.