Chief – Grants Management – P5  

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job ? it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, hope

Under the guidance of the Deputy Director, Financial Reporting and Grants Management, the incumbent will lead in coordinating the improvements in the end-to-end grant management process, whilst providing oversight to the Global Shared Service Center (GSSC) and UNICEF field offices in this area; and oversees the UNICEF donor reporting function. The incumbent will provide support to strategic innovative grant arrangements in line with the organization’s strategic plan and the DFAM planned results. In addition, they will provide technical and strategic support in donor related issues to key stakeholders such as the UNICEF field offices, Programme and Partnership divisions, Global Shared Services Center, other DFAM sections and the Legal office in line with the stipulations in UNICEF Financial Regulations and Rules, policies and procedures. The incumbent is responsible for the periodic review of the grant workflow and providing recommendations of innovative, risk informed grant management and donor reporting mechanisms.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Grant Management

• Is responsible for the substantial management and oversight of the grant management life cycle through development of relevant policies, procedures, training and tools focused on the financial aspects of Other Resources (OR) grants to ensure they are compliant with agreement terms.
• Ensures the integrity of grant level financial information and records in UNICEF corporate systems including VISION (grants management module, FI and FM modules) and ECM. Investigate and resolve issues, in liaison with ICTD, GSSC, and country offices.
• Manages the Grants Management Unit including completion of key deliverables, performance management, preparation of work plans in consultation with Unit staff, monitoring progress and implementing opportunities for efficiency improvements.
• Periodically reviews policies/procedures and propose revisions, where necessary, for the attention of the Deputy Director and the Comptroller.

Donor Reporting and Relation

• Provide advice on complex issues and participate directly in negotiations with the goal of identifying creative solutions to meet donor requirements while at the same time ensuring compliance with UNICEF policy and in support of UNICEF’s mandate.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have?

Minimum requirements:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Accounting, Business Administration, Financial Management, Economics, and/or any related field. Membership of a recognized professional accountancy body is highly desirable.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the areas of finance and administrative management, preferably with an international organization in both headquarters and field office setting.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is highly desirable. Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) is desirable. 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are?

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. 

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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