Finance Senior Officer (Project)

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our 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.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

The Thailand Multi Country Office (THMCO), established in 2017, supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises three main business units: THMCO Thailand, THMCO Indonesia,  THMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, THMCO Papua New Guinea and, THMCO China. 

Background Information - PNG WASH Project

The PNG WASH Project is a EU funded initiative to be jointly implemented by UNICEF, Water PNG and UNOPS. The project budget for the UNOPS and UNICEF work is USD 12 M.

In line with the Papua New Guinea National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Policy (WaSH) 2015 - 2030, the proposed Action aims to contribute towards improving the quality of life of Papua New Guineans through increased access to and utilization of safe, adequate and sustainable water supply, sanitation and improved hygiene practices in locations with high population concentrations (hospitals, schools, and major market places). The Action aims for: increased equitable access to safe, convenient and sustainable water supply and sanitation and improved hygiene practices; as well as long-term hygiene behavior change at the personal, household, community and institutional levels particular to urban areas that are currently under-served, in line with the national WaSH policy.

The overall objective of the proposed 51 months Action is to increase access to clean water through safe and sustainable water supply, improve sanitation, and promote good hygiene practices, which are essential for survival and development of children and women. It will do so by primarily targeting urban locations with higher population densities, with a focus on schools, health centres/hospitals and markets, which are more prone to the spread of water-borne diseases. Ultimately, the Action aims to support decreasing the occurrence and spread of diarrhea, reduce child stunting, improve livelihoods, improve income-earning opportunities, reduce gender-based violence, strengthen COVID-19 response efforts, and support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project expects to achieve the following results/outcomes:

Result 1 - Outcome 1: Improved equitable access to safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation services in community facilities, targeting urban schools, health centres and marketplaces;

 Result 2 - Outcome 2: Sustained use of safe water and sanitation services and adoption of improved hygiene practices among people living in targeted urban towns at personal, household, community and institutional levels, including people affected by humanitarian situations (i.e. COVID-19);

Result 3 - Outcome 3: Improved WaSH sector governance and enabling environment for quality service delivery in targeted urban towns.

The project has a lifespan of 5 years and is split into two phases; inception and implementation. The inception phase is due to commence in March 2021 and is expected to last six months. The intention is to commence the 54 months implementation phase towards the end of 2021. The primary component of the inception phase is the feasibility study. The objective of the feasibility study is to work with Water PNG on the identification of the target district town(s) within which the WASH services will be delivered.

Following the feasibility study there will be a three-month period during which the concept design of the water supply and sanitation services will be carried out and planning for the implementation phase finalised. UNOPS, as the project technical implementing partner, will be responsible, during the inception phase, for the following activities:

• Support the technical elements of the feasibility study;

• Support Water PNG in the review of their earlier preliminary technical designs and cost estimates for the four towns being considered;

• Support to the project team on the analysis and identification of infrastructure solutions including design, construction, compliance, asset management and O&M requirements;

• Working with UNICEF and in consultation with Water PNG, the District Development Authorities and national government departments assess, evaluate and select the town(s) to be included in this project based on a set of objective and transparent criteria, including the factors originally used by Water PNG;

• ·Support the preparation of the concept design and cost estimates for the WASH services during the inception phase;

• Support the preparation of the feasibility study report that will inform the project inception phase report.

THMCO is recruiting for the position of Project Finance Senior Officer based in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Reporting to the Project Manager, PNG WASH Project, the incumbent is responsible for supporting the Project Manager in managing the funds of the project with specific focus on budgeting, cash flow forecasting, financial monitoring and financial reporting. 

The incumbent liaises with the Support Service Unit (SSU) team to ensure the project receives timely and effective support from the team. The incumbent also collaborates with the SSU Finance business stream as well as the Programme Management Office (PMO) on various project finance related matters. The incumbent may supervise junior personnel.  

Operational strategies 

• Ensure full compliance with the provisions of UNOPS FRRs, IPSAS, Organization Directives, Administrative Instructions and guidance in all financial transactions, recording, reporting, etc.

• Support in the planning of financial resources, continuous analysis and monitoring of financial progress and presentation of forecasts for the planning and management of the project.

Project finances

• Ensure and enforce the financial oversight on the project activities in line with internal control procedures, financial and fiduciary guidelines and standards for all financial and the related transactions in the project.

• Contribute to the preparation of project workplan and engagement processes focusing on aspects of entering data to systems and tools ensuring compliance to agreement and ERP protocols. 

• Coordinate with the project team in the preparation and consolidation of cash-flow forecasts ensuring inputs are extracted from the budget, cash-flow plans, activity plans and  monitoring tools.

• Contribute to the identification of project risks, participate in the preparation of assurance activities and support project audit activities including implementation of the recommendations.

• Support the monitoring on the financial status including pending and approved budgets; contributions available for expenditure and contributions already expended.

• Review and confirmation of appropriateness of operational transactions processed through the interpretation and determination of applicable UNOPS policies and Financial rules and regulations. 

• Keep contact with the project team, PMO team, SSU finance team, IPAS and FG to verify, correct, add and improve quality of financial activities of the project including financial reports and audits;.

• Support project team to ensure budgets are prepared in accordance with established procedures, ERP protocols and clients budgetary guidelines that meet reporting requirements.

• Monitoring expenditure against budgets, commitments, delivery and funding (including Account Receivables); review and processing budget revisions and contributing to project operational and financial closure.

• Routine monitoring of financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigation of anomalies or unusual transactions.

• Reconciliation of expenditures and preparation of various financial and statistical reports and ensure timely corrective actions are taken on budget and financial reporting aspects.

• Review of payment requests for completeness prior to submission for processing, ensuring that documentation needed are complete and that all required procedures are fulfilled to enable the payment. 

• Timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers. Timely response to IPAS and FPG requests to resolve financial data issues.

• Reconcile project expenditure/revenues as recorded in the General Ledger on a regular basis. 

• Identify needs for general ledger adjustments and initiate adjustments, ensuring all required supporting documentation are compiled and submitted. 

• Conduct regular analysis of projects financial data and report status to the relevant parties for necessary action. 

• Maintain all supporting project financial documents for audit and review processes

• Coordinate with the Finance Unit for cost recovery posting and regular monitoring of portfolio performance.

• Undertake field missions as requested. 

• Maintain a robust protocol to register/record and track project and office assets, inventories and supplies. 

Donor financial reporting 

• Prepares financial management reports for approval of the supervisor and issued to donors and clients in compliance with established reporting requirements.

• Assist in the implementation of reporting system and reports to meet funding source requirement

• Prepare periodic financial reports to funding source and partners in compliance with established reporting requirements

• Attend project meetings and make presentations of financial and related matters as requested by the Project Manager. 

• Assist the Project Manager in the preparation of project completion reports and ensure compliance with contractual obligations

Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Support the documentation of requirements from donor agreements in regards to budgeting, cash flow, cost recovery, accounting, reporting and project closure.

• Support the collection, documentation and maintenance of finance knowledge in the new UNOPS knowledge management platform in areas of expertise.

• Prepare notes, guidelines, and replies relating to or arising from implementation of project finance procedures.

• Support finance management on other financial matters as required

Education:

• First university degree (Bachelor's or equivalent) in Accounting, Finance Management, Commerce, Business Management, Business Administration or other related field is required.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in the fields listed above or other related fields is desired but not required. Candidates in possession of a relevant advanced degree and at least two (2) years of relevant experience may be considered.  

Experience:

• Minimum of four (4) years relevant experience (or more depending on academic credentials) in accounting, financial management, or financial reporting in an international organization, multinational corporation or similar organization.  

• Experience in financial reporting is required.

• Experience in budgeting, and budget and financial analysis is desired.

• Knowledge of UN financial rules and regulations is an asset. 

• Experience using ERP systems is an added advantage

Contract type: Local Individual contractor Agreement (LICA) Contract level: ICS-9,  LICA-9
Contract duration: Open-ended

• 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.