Finance Senior Officer

Background Information – Job-specific

• Fund Management has become a recognized strength of UNOPS Myanmar and a new potential business model for other country offices in the region. UNOPS Myanmar Programme Management Office provides support in grants management, budgeting and reporting, capacity assessment and building of implementing partners and oversight and compliance. UNOPS Myanmar will build on the accumulated knowledge and expertise and establish a Centre of Excellence in Programme Management to assist UNOPS offices elsewhere to expand engagements in programme/fund management in a recognized and consistent way. Programmes – if set up and managed well – can achieve the impact and scale required to make tangible contributions to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Programmes bring synergies and sustainable, lasting impact. They provide unique platforms for innovative approaches at scale and value for money.
• The Finance Senior Officer will be under the UNOPS Myanmar Programme Management Office (PMO), and will be supporting one of the multiple funds and programmes managed by UNOPS Myanmar. The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS MMCO. S/he will collaborate closely and engage actively with other UNOPS team members and the programme/technical team for managing grants and assisting in programme activities.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Senior Budget and Reporting Officer (PMO), the Finance Senior Officer is responsible for the smooth operation of financial management of assigned projects which will contribute directly to the overall performance of the assigned project/fund. The Finance Senior Officer will broadly carry out the following tasks and maintains the financial management of projects and promotes a collaborative, client-oriented approach.

Summary of Functions/Key results area:

• Implementation of operational strategies and procedures
• Budget Preparation and Management
• Cash Management and Treasury
• Assurance and Financial Reporting
• Knowledge Building and Sharing

Ensures administration and implementation of operational strategies, adapts processes and procedures focusing on achievement of the following results

• Full compliance with UN/UNOPS rules, regulations, and policies of financial activities, financial recording/reporting system, donor requirements and follow-up on audit recommendations; implementation of effective internal controls, proper functioning of a client-oriented financial resources management system.
• Adapt processes and procedures for budget and financial reporting in line with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations and best practice in Fund Management
• Implementation of cost sharing and trust fund agreements, elaboration of conditions of contributions within the office’s resource mobilisation efforts.
• Implementation of cost saving and reduction strategies in consultations with office management.
• Collaborate in the improvement of the UNOPS budget formulation system, by updating and proposing changes to facilitate efficient financial management and enhance financial reporting through the system

Budget preparation and management: Ensures and is accountable for the following:

• Coordination of the preparation of the field operating budget; 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 are monitored on an ongoing basis; working closely with different teams to strengthen budget management and take corrective actions when required.
• Communicate regularly with colleagues to ensure full control over the budget and sharing of information relevant for budget management related to the project across the team;
• Provision of information regularly to supervisors, project management and other UNOPS colleagues 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.

Cash management and treasury: Ensures and is accountable for the following:

• Organization and oversight of cash management processes, including liquidity management, recommendation of imprest level, risk assessment,, timely accounting and reconciliation of all transactions.
• Timely review of cash position for local accounts to ensure sufficient funds on hand for disbursements; identification and recording of receipts for income application.
• Manage the fund flow in close collaboration with the programme and contracts team, for the Senior Budget and Reporting Officer’s review and submission to donors as required.
• 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.

Assurance and Financial Reporting:

• Support quality control of the project accounts by performing ongoing review, analysis and reconciliation of accounts.
• Investigation of discrepancies and initiation of timely corrective actions.
• Prepare financial reports of the project to ensure timely and accurate submission to donors in accordance with the established procedures.
• Draft narrative descriptions of project financial status.
• Coordinate with Contracts and Programme teams to ensure cash and expenditure report reconciliation of grants on a bi-annual basis.
• Support to provide required information for internal and external audits.
• Support for responses to internal and external audit queries and observations related to financial reports.
• Oversee coordination of the audit for implementing partners (IP), in close collaboration with PMO, Grants management and Programme.
• Review and finalize UNOPS responses to IP audit recommendations in close collaboration with PMO, Grants management and Programme.
• Review and finalize audit report sharing letters.
• Ensure the status of audit recommendations are reviewed and addressed through close coordination between Contracts team, Programme team and the IPs.
• Carry out Due Diligence Assessment of implementing partners.
• Support for responses to the donor or fund agent related to financial reporting matters.
• Work in close collaboration with the Integrated Practice Advice and Support (IPAS) to ensure the effectiveness of project implementation and closure policies and tools.

Knowledge building and knowledge sharing:

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on Finance related topics.
• 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.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

• Masters’ Degree preferably in Accounting, Financial Management, Treasury Management, Business Management, Business Administration or related field is required, or additional 2 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree in these areas in lieu of the Master Degree.
• Certified Public Accountant or equivalent professional qualification is an asset.

Experience

• Minimum 2  years’ of professional-level experience in accounting or budgeting with responsibility for project accounting and preparation of financial statements, in an international organization providing financial management services is required.
• Experience working with international financial institutions is an asset.
• Experience in Financial Auditing is preferred.
• Knowledge of UNOPS financial rules and regulations is an asset.
• Working knowledge of ERP and using financial management electronic systems is desired.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (e.g. MS Office newer versions, Google Suite Applications) is required.

Language Requirement

• Fluency in English and Myanmar is required.
• Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=29208