UNOPS
Finance Associate
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Job Highlight
Ensure efficient and compliant financial operations by providing accounting, budget administration, cash management, and financial reporting support, adhering to UNOPS financial rules and regulations.
About The Group
From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies, and partners by providing quality services, integrated solutions, and management support through strategic, cost-effective, and results-oriented approaches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate, and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.
Role Purpose
The Finance Associate provides accounting, budget administration, cash management, and financial reporting support to ensure efficient and compliant financial operations. The incumbent performs a wide range of financial transactions with a high degree of accuracy, ensuring compliance with UNOPS financial rules and regulations (FRRs), policies, and donor requirements.
Functions / Key Results Expected
Budget Administration and Cost Recovery
- Support the annual budget setting process, as well as the preparation, monitoring, and revision of project and office budgets, ensuring accuracy and alignment with UNOPS financial policies and donor/partner agreements.
- Assist in the development, maintenance, and testing of financial and budget models for programme proposals, supporting scenario analysis, cost projections, and payout structures for outcomes-based financing contracts.
- Prepare and maintain financial data and analysis on budget utilization, expenditure trends, and funding gaps for long-term sustainability and management decision-making.
- Assist in developing cost-recovery models and maintaining an efficient cost allocation system in compliance with UNOPS guidelines.
- Contribute to the preparation of cost-sharing and trust fund agreements, follow up on partner contributions, and ensure proper recording in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
- Provide inputs on the financial implications of operational plans and support the implementation of cost-saving and efficiency measures.
- Assist in project financial closure processes, ensuring accuracy and completeness of records in accordance with UNOPS project closure protocol.
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Accounting, Payments, and Payroll
- Review and verify payment requests and supporting documents for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with approved budgets and UNOPS FRRs.
- Prepare and process vouchers (purchase orders, accounts payable, payroll, and journal vouchers) and execute pay cycles in the ERP system.
- Monitor foreign exchange (FX) rate fluctuations and cross-currency exposure across multi-currency project portfolios, tracking FX gains/losses and providing data to support FX risk mitigation strategies.
- Ensure timely and proper recording of goods receipt, service delivery, and accruals.
- Maintain an internal expenditure control system, ensuring transactions are properly matched, posted, and supported by adequate documentation.
- Conduct expense verifications and financial reviews of EOF grantees, ensuring compliance with grant agreements and established procedures.
- Process and reconcile accounts receivable and accounts payable, including follow-up with partners and projects on pending items.
- Perform monthly and quarterly account reconciliation, identifying and resolving discrepancies in coordination with HQ and project teams.
- Support payroll processing, ensuring accurate and timely disbursement and resolution of queries.
- Ensure timely month-end and year-end closure of accounts and submission of required financial reports.
- Respond promptly to HQ queries to resolve financial data or audit issues.
Office Cash and Treasury Management
- Review and monitor cash positions for local accounts to ensure sufficient funds for operational disbursements.
- Oversee the daily review of zero-balance accounts, imprest management, and proper recording of receipts and contributions.
- Prepare monthly cash flow forecasts and liaise with operations and project teams to gather cash requirement estimates.
- Conduct bank reconciliations, ensuring accuracy and prompt resolution of variances.
- Initiate and record bank transfers, replenishments, and foreign exchange transactions in the ERP system.
- Manage petty cash and operational advances, ensuring compliance with policy and timely settlement.
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Financial Reporting and Analysis
- Prepare and review financial reports, including interim financial reports (IFRs), donor expenditure statements, and management dashboards.
- Support preparation of variance analyses, cost distribution summaries, and project-level expenditure reconciliations.
- Participate in quarterly and annual financial closure activities, ensuring completeness and consistency of data.
- Support internal and external audit exercises, ensuring timely submission of documentation and clearance of audit findings.
- Maintain accurate records of Value Added Tax (VAT), prepayments, operational advances, and other balance sheet accounts, ensuring reconciliations are performed regularly.
- Analyze and prepare adjusting entries (GLJEs) and ensure accuracy of financial postings across projects.
Knowledge Building and Sharing
- Support the organization, facilitation, and delivery of training and learning sessions on finance topics.
- Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned.
- Conduct research on finance-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries, and briefing notes.
Education Requirements
Required
- Secondary school (or equivalent) with 6 years of relevant experience is required OR
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or other disciplines with 2 years of relevant experience is required.
Desired
- Professional certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CA, CIMA) is desired.
Experience Requirements
Required
- Relevant experience is work in project financial management, budgeting, cash management, and financial reporting, or related areas.
- Demonstrable proficiency in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g., G-Suite, etc.) and web-based management systems.
Desired
- Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.
- Experience working with outcome-based financing models and/or FX/cross-currency experience is considered an asset.
- Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
- Experience with financial systems or ERP software is desired.
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