Risk and Compliance Specialist P3 # 130111 – Grade P3 – Conakry Guinea WCAR

Guinea is a lower-middle-income country facing significant challenges in child development and deprivation. According to the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report, Guinea has an HDI of 0.480, ranking 178th out of 191 countries in 2023, reflecting its ongoing struggle with poverty and social development challenges. Since 1984, UNICEF has worked with the government and various partners, including UN agencies, NGOs, and community-based organizations, to improve conditions for children.
The population of Guinea is projected to be around 15.2 million in 2025, with 63.4% living in rural areas and women comprising approximately 50.3% of the population. The annual growth rate remains steady at about 2.8%. Children under the age of 18 account for roughly 51% of the population, underscoring the critical need for child-focused interventions in areas such as health, education, and protection (World Population Review).

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories, tirelessly working to save children’s lives, uphold their rights, and unlock their potential from early childhood through adolescence.

Our mission goes beyond a job—it is a deep calling that drives our passionate and committed team every day. At UNICEF, we are proud of the impact we make in the lives of children worldwide.

We offer a dynamic environment where careers flourish. With diverse opportunities for personal and professional growth, our staff are empowered to build fulfilling careers while contributing to a purpose that truly matters. Our supportive culture, alongside a competitive compensation and benefits package, ensures that every team member thrives as they help create a better future for every child.

Visit UNICEF Guinea to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, a champion

Guinea is a lower-middle-income country facing significant challenges in child development and deprivation. According to the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report, Guinea has an HDI of 0.480, ranking 178th out of 191 countries in 2023, reflecting its ongoing struggle with poverty and social development challenges. Since 1984, UNICEF has worked with the government and various partners, including UN agencies, NGOs, and community-based organizations, to improve conditions for children.

The population of Guinea is projected to be around 15.2 million in 2025, with 63.4% living in rural areas and women comprising approximately 50.3% of the population. The annual growth rate remains steady at about 2.8%. Children under the age of 18 account for roughly 51% of the population, underscoring the critical need for child-focused interventions in areas such as health, education, and protection (World Population Review).

The vision of the 2024-2028 country programme is: “A Guinea where children, especially adolescent girls and children from the most vulnerable families in the most disadvantaged geographical areas, have equitable opportunities for sustainable access to essential social services and quality social protection, and can reach their full potential, including in a context of climate-related vulnerabilities and emergencies”.

Currently, Guinea faces several humanitarian and emergency situations with multiple health crises, including outbreaks of diseases such as poliovirus, diphtheria, yellow fever, and Lassa fever. The country is particularly vulnerable to health shocks due to weak healthcare infrastructure. In addition, the country faces regularly natural disasters, such as flooding, which displace populations, damage infrastructure, and exacerbate the already challenging humanitarian conditions. These ongoing challenges necessitate continued support and local resilience-building measures to mitigate their impacts on the population.

The UNICEF Guinea office is looking for committed and creative professionals to make a lasting difference for Guinean children.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative Operations/Representative  the Risk and Compliance Specialist will be responsible for strengthening risk assurance and compliance efforts in the context of a mediuml scale country office.

He/She will be responsible for providing complementary support, and monitoring related to the management of risk, including but not limited to the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of risk management practices at a process, systems, and entity level.

He/she will ensure the achievement of risk management objectives follows organizational rules and regulations, and acceptable ethical behavior; internal controls; information and technology security; sustainability; and quality assurance. Moreover, he/she will provide analysis and report on the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management and internal controls.

She/ he will be responsible of the following missions:

1. Risk management support

• Support the office management team in the annual risk assessment process and monitor reliability of reports and their compliance with applicable rules and regulations;
• Ensure the monitoring of risk mitigation action plans including a mid-term review;
• Lead the office peer reviews process, undertake visits to project sites and field offices to verify the quality of performance;
• Ensure the risk management approach is embedded in any project/proposal, in office governance committees’ review of submissions and in any major decision made by the management.

2.    Compliance support

• Review the office systems, procedures and processes for compliance with organizational rules and regulations;
• Enforce and strengthen internal controls to ensure that systems are in place to prevent, detect and report non-compliance.  Support the process for the preparation of the annual Statement of Internal Control (SIC) by the office;
• Review internal work processes in Programme and Operations to ensure that accountabilities are clear and placed at the adequate levels as per global policies and/or best practices;
• Establish a risk-based system to periodically and systematically review a sample of activities (Programme and Operations) to ensure they are carried out according to established work processes and in compliance with UNICEF policies and Procedures.
• Ensure smooth preparedness of internal and external audit, conduct a quality assurance and follow-up on the implementation of the recommendations and provides feedback to the management;
• Periodically test compliance with the Table of authority and adherence to the delegation of authorities in line with UNICEF policies and Procedures; and ensure staff understand the roles and responsibilities delegated to them;
• Review the conformity of statutory and non-statutory committees, assess committee members have been trained/oriented on their roles and responsibility.

1.  Fraud risk Management support

• Support the management of the office in collecting evidence to respond to OIAI’s queries when initially assessing allegations of fraud and misconduct or during actual investigations;
• Advise the management on lessons learned from investigations and measures to be taken accordingly;
• Ensure the implementation of the global anti-fraud strategy, suggest internal fraud prevention mechanisms and alert the management on any fraudulent issues as well as unethical behaviors detected;
• Lead the process of Fraud risk training / orientation to Partners and suppliers.

1. Oversight and advisory to the Management

• Help advise the management on actions to be taken to enforce and strengthen accountabilities for a robust, responsive and transparent governance framework;
• Contribute to effective management process by participating in key governance meetings (particularly CMT, PMT and OMT);
• Coordinate Risk assessment and control activities with other UN agencies by representing the office in meetings related to Risks and Compliance activities.

1. Create awareness/capacity building

• Establish a system to document and report weaknesses in internal control and implement actions aimed at addressing internal controls gaps (SOP, memos…) and building the capacity of responsible staff;
• Analyze cause and effect of policy changes to the operations of the office, anticipate changes and advise on the new way of doing business;
• Support the implementation of a continuous learning and development plan for the Risk and Compliance function;
• Ensure that management provides staff with access to relevant training and that staff and other personnel understand key UNICEF policies including PSEA, Fraud and Ethics.

1. Any support needed from the regional office

• On request, support the Regional Office in conducting reviews exercises in countries where Risk and Compliance positions are not established, or in supporting any other review in the area of expertise (Peer reviews, assessment…);
• Contribute to the development of a network/community of risk and compliance specialists at both regional and global level for experience sharing, updated working documents as well as office rules and policies.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  GJP 130111 Risk and Compliance Specialist P3.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher*) in Business Administration and Financial Management. Operations Management, Strategic Management, Risk Management, Audit, Investigation, Internal Control, Statistics and Data Analysis or Accounting certifications are considered as assets.

 *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

• Work Experience:

At least 5 (five) years of continuous professional work experience in Risk and Compliance or another directly relevant area, several of which in internal audit. Experience in financial management, particularly developing and implementing financial control systems, ERM, audits, internal control preferably with international organizations, NGOs and UN.

• Language Requirements:

Fluency in French or English and  working knowledge of the other language

Desirables:

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Experience in emergency response 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. For this position, eligible and suitable female or young or people living with disabilities candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.