Back Finance Officer

Background Information - Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

After 30 years of independence, Moldova’s prison system continues to resemble the Soviet model of ‘carceral collectivism’ instantiated by gulag-resembling architecture and a cultural attachment to this penal philosophy. The most acute problems faced by the penitentiary system are overcrowding, criminal subculture, inadequate healthcare and insufficient meaningful activities. The overcrowding has been particularly severe in Prison no. 13 in Chișinău, an institution built in 1849 that serves as the only pre-trial facility covering both the capital and central region of Moldova. Aiming to align the treatment of prisoners to European standards by improving material conditions, safety and management practices, the Moldovan Government is pursuing the development of a new remand facility that will replace Prison no. 13 in Chișinău.

UNOPS has been engaged by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to deliver the construction of the penitentiary. The new facility is expected to have a capacity of 1,050 inmates and would enhance the physical conditions of detention for pre-trial detainees in Moldova. The project, expected to be completed by 2027, is jointly financed through the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the Government of the Republic of Moldova.

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following duties which are performed according to organizational needs and structure:

Under the direct supervision of the Finance Manger and Senior Project Manager, the Finance Officer provides key elements of advisory, management, and planning services to ensure compliant planning, administration, and management (including budget, treasury and cash management) of the Business Unit’s financial resources. Under close supervision, s/he may maintain oversight and control of Programme financial activities, providing value-added advisory services.

Functional Responsibilities

1. Implementation of operational strategies and procedures

2. Budget Preparation and Management

3. Cash Management and Treasury

4. Control of Accounts and Payments

5. Team Management

6. Knowledge Building and Sharing 1. Ensures administration and implementation of operational strategies, adapts processes and procedures focusing on achievement of the following results:
   

7. Ensure full compliance with the requirements of the UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations in all financial transactions, recording, reporting, etc.

Continuous analysis and monitoring of the financial situation of the Project to ensure accurate reporting are provided to management for decision-making.

Coordination of the preparation of the budgets; 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.

Identification of administrative budgetary requirements; provision of guidance on guidelines for budget preparation.

Review and update of guidelines, procedures in light of changing circumstances or for the purpose of complying, streamlining and/or strengthening of existing financial and budgetary procedures

Review, analysis and revision of data with respect to the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements submitted by project managers; review of budget proposals for reasonableness, consistency with the organizational goals and priorities.

Monitoring of budget implementation, expenditure levels against allotments and determination/recommendation of reallocation of funds when necessary

Status of budgetary allocations monitored on an ongoing basis; networking with clients to strengthen budget management and take corrective actions when required. Provision of information to supervisors and other UNOPS staff at HQ on the results of the investigation when satisfactory answers are not obtained.

Collaboration in the improvement of the UNOPS Project Budget formulation system, with the cooperation of Information Technology, ensures the relevance of the system at all times by updating and proposing changes to facilitate financial management of projects and enhance financial reporting.

Review and appropriate recommendations with respect to the finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.

Organization and oversight of cash management processes, including liquidity management, recommendation of imprest level, risk assessment, bank relationship management, timely accounting and reconciliation of all transactions, security for cash assets on site.

Timely review of cash position for local accounts to ensure sufficient funds on hand for disbursements; identification and recording of receipts for income application.

Establishment of efficient local banking arrangements and compliance with local financial and banking regulations

Building of project capacity to effect payments using ERP/OneUNOPS and/or Imprest Accounts.

Monitoring of the delivery and income of the Fund

Discussion and communication with the project support colleagues on the savings or potential concerns that may require further review. 4. Accounts and payments: Ensures and is accountable for key elements of the following:

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 ERP; payrolls are duly prepared; travel claims and other entitlements are duly processed.

Quality control of the account by performing ongoing review, analysis and reconciliation of accounts. Investigation of discrepancies and initiation of timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers. Timely response to HQ requests to resolve financial data issues.

Control of the Accounts Receivables for UNOPS projects and follow up with partners on contributions, and maintenance of the General Ledger.

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;

Ensuring proper receipt, management, safeguarding and disbursement of payments handled by the field; review, modification, initiation and implementation of internal control procedures in coordination with MCO;

Proper control of the supporting documents for payments; preparation of all types of vouchers; Pay Cycle and payments execution;

Preparation of timely financial reports for submission to the funding agency in accordance with UNOPS rules, and in line with the established procedures;

Monitoring of financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions and investigation of anomalies or unusual transactions;

Ensuring proper maintenance of the Accounts Receivables for UNOPS projects and follow-up with partners on contributions, deposits creation in ERP and their application to AR pending items. 5. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on Finance related topics in the field office..

Contribute to Financial management knowledge networks and communities of practice by providing collaborative synthesis of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in financial management.

Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.

Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices

A Bachelors Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related fields is required.

A Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related fields or related will be an asset.

Certification in Public Accountancy (CPA) or Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) will be an asset. Experience:

A minimum of one year of progressive experience in budget and financial management is required.

Experience in accounting with responsibility for project accounting and preparation of financial statements in an international organization in providing financial management services is an asset.;

Knowledge of UNOPS/UN financial rules and regulations is an asset;

experience using an ERP system (preferably Agresso) is required.

Experience in the usage of MS Office and/or G Suite (Google Workplace) with advanced knowledge of spreadsheet packages is required

Fluency in written and oral Romanian and English are required.

Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: Local ICA Specialist
Contract duration: open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx
Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

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.

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.