Quality Assurance Advisor - Finance at UNOPS

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS 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.
Within these three core areas of expertise, UNOPS provides its partners with advisory, implementation and transactional services, with projects ranging from building schools and hospitals, to procuring goods and services and training local personnel. UNOPS works closely with governments and communities to ensure increased economic, social and environmental sustainability for the projects we support, with a focus on developing national capacity.
Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts, always satisfying or surpassing partner expectations.
We employ more than 6,000 personnel and on behalf of our partners create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of offices, we oversee activities in more than 80 countries.

The Global Fund does not have a country-level presence outside of its central Secretariat. Instead, it hires third party Local Fund Agents (LFAs) to oversee, verify and report on grant performance. LFAs are selected through a competitive bidding process. UNOPS serves as Local Fund Agent (LFA) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia.

The Global Fund typically engages one LFA  in each country where its grant funds are disbursed. The LFA provides access to local knowledge that is relevant to grant performance.  The Global Fund adheres to the principles of performance-based funding in making disbursement decisions. The aim is to ensure that investments are made only where funding is managed and spent effectively on programs that achieve impact in fighting the relevant diseases.The LFA is a crucial part of the Global Fund’s system of oversight and risk management. Its principal role is to provide informed and independent professional advice about the capacity of fund/grant recipients to manage the implementation of activities funded by grant funds (including the recipient’s  capacity to oversee implementation of activities by implementing parties), to make recommendations concerning periodic disbursement of grant funds, to review grant performance when a grant is being considered for renewal, and to provide the donor on an on-going basis with relevant information on issues or risks which might affect grant performance.

The LFA is expected to have an up-to-date and comprehensive understanding of relevant diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria), how they are prevented, transmitted and treated, and their impact on a specific country. The LFA team assesses the recipients’ institutional, program management, financial management, procurement and supply management capacities and systems to ensure that those are appropriate for implementation of donor grant programs. The LFA team also determines whether the recipient has adequate infrastructure and information systems to support grant implementation, including the monitoring of performance of  implementing partners and outsourced entities in a timely and accountable manner. The Global Fund has  adopted an intensive risk management approach to services with enhanced effort toward in-depth verifications and reporting. The identification of financial and programmatic risks with ongoing updates shall be provided to the donor with special attention to the overall context of the relevant diseases and grant implementation in country.

The Quality Assurance Advisor – Finance will be home based and report to the Team Leader & Quality Assurance Advisor for GFATM Activities, GPSO Geneva. The Quality Assurance Advisor-Finance,

Will review selected financial LFA assignments conducted by UNOPS LFAs across the world   for quality  prior to submission to the Global Fund.Will provide both onsite as well as remote technical assistance on financial management aspects of GFATM deliverables to LFA country teams as and when called upon to do so.Will assist the Team Leader and Quality Assurance Advisor for GFATM activities in tracking deliverables against work plans agreed with GFATM for each LFA country Will act as the Senior Finance Specialist for specific countries and undertake Finance related reviews and other assignments as mandated in the country LFA workplans.In addition, he/ she deals with the client and other administrative/ coordination duties as assigned by supervisor

Crucial to the provision of services as LFA is a knowledge management system to keep track of and disseminate information on Global Fund guidelines, templates, revisions thereof and other important new and changing requirements to the LFA work.

Functional Responsibilities

Below are some of the key functionalities.

Review Disbursement Request/Financial Progress Updates and complete the LFA Progress Review and Recommendation for Ongoing Disbursement forms and provide Quality Assurance (QA) feedback to the Central Coordination Team (CCT) QA team Leader and to country Team Leaders (upon agreement with the CCT QA team leader);Timely and relevant review on the Principal Recipient’s completed Enhanced Financial Reporting format;Review various documents submitted by the LFA Country teams and Principal Recipients and provide independent opinion/analysis of the adequacy of Finance capacities for Global Fund grants;Follow data verification procedures and formats, conduct field visits and using the format given by Global Fund and UNOPS, provide independent opinion and analysis on the financial management by the PR;To conduct any other analysis requested by the UNOPS CCT QA Team Leader from time to time;Identify Finance weaknesses and make recommendations to LFA Country teams to be further recommended to the Global Fund for necessary follow up by the Principal Recipients;Upon request of the CCT QA team leader discuss with the LFA Country Team Leader any financial aspects to be reviewed and take action;Prepare mission reports on the format required by Global Fund and submit it to the Country TL and CCT QA Team Leader;Review selected financial LFA assignments conducted by UNOPS LFAs across the world   for quality  assurance prior to submission to TGF as per the request of UNOPS CCT QA team Leader. Undertake quality assurance of the LFA financial deliverables to be submitted to the donor, to ensure that these are in line with contemporary professional standards; Immediately raise all suspicious acts, transactions and activities and processes which may pose potential risks, misconduct, mismanagement, misuse and frauds by grant recipients and implementing partners to the attention of the UNOPS CCT;In conducting the above tasks, ensure that relevant Global Fund guidelines and policies are adhered to including the ones which are related to the finance functional area. The respective international guidelines shall be also consulted and followed.Provide both onsite as well as remote technical assistance on financial management aspects of Global Fund deliverables to LFA country teams as and when called upon to do so.Assist the Team Leader and Quality Assurance Advisor for Global Fund activities in tracking deliverables against work plans agreed with Global Fund for each LFA country Act as the Senior Finance Specialist for specified countries undertake Finance related reviews and other assignments as mandated in the country LFA workplans.Deals with the client and other administrative/ coordination duties as assigned by supervisor.Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

Financial management experienceAuditing ExperienceManagement experience.Health sector experience.Decision making.Ability to analyse.Quality Assurance experiencesOrganizing and quality orientation.Communication skills.Client focus.

Strong project management and team management skills, ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines in complex environment;

In-depth knowledge of issues relating to project financial management in developing countries;

Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior-level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds;

Strong professional oral communication, writing and analytical skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents.;

Experience in carrying out quality assurance of financial assessment and review reports

Experience in financial accounting, with the ability to review and analyze accounting transactions;

Experience in reviewing and negotiating budgets;

Experience with financial management systems, with the ability to review and assess internal controls and financial  processes and procedures and provide recommendations for improvement;

Experience with reviewing financial statements (including income and expenditure statements, balance sheets and cash reconciliation statements);

Experience with reviewing and interpretation of audit reports;

Experience with grants management, fund management, cash management, financial management / analysis / reporting, asset management, planning and reviewing and project financial control;

Familiarity with government practices and best practices in international Finance management is essential.

Be well versed with the fiduciary oversight of international development projects in the health sector with specific insights into risk management and value for money concepts

Must be skilled in at least one of the following technical areas: financial management, health program management, procurement and supply chain management, and monitoring and evaluation;

Experience with larger donors in the area of health is an advantage;

Education

A master's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or relevant finance discipline is required:

OR A bachelor's degree plus two years of additional relevant work experience will be accepted in lieu of a master's degree.

Certifications

Internationally recognized professional accounting/ auditing qualification (e.g. Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Management Accountant (CMA), Chartered Accountant Certification, Chartered Financial Analyst or Fédération des Experts-Comptables Européens etc) is required.

Experience

Five (5) years of post graduate/professional certification financial management, accounting and/or auditing experience, preferably in developing countries, with

(i)                strong project management and team management skills, ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines in complex environment;

(ii)              an in-depth knowledge of issues relating to project management in developing countries;

(iii)             strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior-level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds; and

strong professional oral communication, writing and analytical skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents.

Languages

Fluency in oral and written English is required.  Working knowledge of other UN languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian) is desirable.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type:  Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: International, Level 2 (ICS10)
Contract duration: Full time initially until 31 December 2014, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx

Additional Considerations

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)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.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.

APPLICANTS MUST INCLUDE A ONE-PAGE COVER LETTER WITH THEIR APPLICATIONS