Finance Specialist

Job Description

Under the direct supervision of the Support Services Manager and overall guidance of the Head of Project Unit, the Finance Specialist will be responsible for achieving the following:

Summary of Key Functions

A. Implementation of project financial management.

B. Budget planning and management.

C. Project cash and treasury management.

D. Project financial reporting.

E. Team Management.

E. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing.

A. Implementation of project financial management 

Ensures the implementation of project financial management , focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Ensure the management and accounting of project contributions management and accounting for contributions to ensure that funds due to the project are properly identified, consistently and uniformly classified, recorded on a timely basis and received with sufficient supporting documentation.
• Proper planning, expenditure tracking and control on the utilization of the CRLP financial resources.
• Lead the project’s finance business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal standard operating procedures; control of the workflows in the project.
• Advice project senior management on sound financial resources management.
• Provide guidance on requirements for handling project transactions concerning UNOPS’ financial practices and rules.
• Support the analysis and monitoring of the financial situation, presentation of forecasts for the project, and provides recommendations on appropriate measures to meet project needs.
• Identify financial risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Develop a recommendation report to enhance the project’s current monitoring mechanism.
• Provide advice to the Head of Project and the Support Services Manager on how to implement the recommendation report and support the delivery of the recommendations to senior management.
• Full compliance of project financial activities, financial recording/reporting system and audit follow up with UN/UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies and IPSAS standards.
• Monitor project financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigate anomalies or unusual transactions. Provision of information to supervisors and other UNOPS staff at HQ on the results of the investigation when satisfactory answers are not obtained.

B. Budget planning and management  

Manages the project budgets focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Manage financial resources through planning, guiding, and controlling them in accordance with UNOPS rules and regulations.
• Prepare and monitor project’s budget,
• Process project budget revisions upon authorization by the Senior Management (can be done only on the basis of signed documents and project budgets).
• Elaborate mechanisms to eliminate deficiencies in budget management.
• Prepare budget variance reports.
• Elaborate an internal control framework to ensure that payment requests (RfP) are processed, e-matched and completed, financial transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Enterprise system (ERP); travel claims and other entitlements are duly processed and timely receipting of goods and services in the ERP system.

C. Project Cash and Treasury Management  

Ensures effective project cash management systems focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Review the monthly and quarterly cash flow requirements for the project on a timely basis to ensure sufficient funds are on hand for disbursements.
• Conduct weekly reviews of the project’s cash balances in the Enterprise system to ensure adequate cash to meet the project’s payment and fund commitment needs. 
• Maintain regular communication with the Admin and Procurement team to monitor, track, and facilitate the timely processing of planned and pending payments, ensuring cash availability aligns with operational needs.
• Timely and accurate approval of bank reconciliation of the project’s operational account, including documented review of exceptions.
• Timely preparation of monthly cash-flow forecasts for use by UNOPS Treasury to fund the local bank accounts.
• Timely reconciliation of FPs escrow accounts and the UNOPS operational pass-through account.

D. Project Financial Reporting

• Prepare regular Interim Unaudited Financial Reports (IUFRs), in the prescribed format.
• Prepare and submit the Contribution Tranche requests in prescribed format.

E. Team Management 

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high-quality results and services of the team supervised through effective recruitment, work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.
• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.
• Serve as the OIC, Support Services Manager in their absence.

F. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for project personnel on finance related topics.
• Lead, approve and conduct initiatives on capacity development and knowledge building for project finance personnel, including network development, plans, learning plans and activities, finance practice information and best practice benchmarking.
• Oversee team’s contributions to finance knowledge networks and communities of practice including collaborative synthesis of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in human resources management.
• Guide team’s collection of feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

Impacts of Result

The effective and successful achievement of results by the Finance Specialist directly impacts on the availability of the project’s financial resources to effectively develop and implement the project. It enhances the project’s financial and project performance, demonstrating UNOPS’ effective stewardship of donor and partner funds. These promote the credibility of the organization as an effective service provider in project services and management.

About the Organization

Background Information - Peace and Security Cluster (PSC)

The UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners.  It is led by the Director, who has overall authority and accountability for the performance PSC on behalf of its clients.  The Director is responsible for administering and providing oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Centre Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Centre on behalf of its clients.  

Background Information - Job-specific

Established in 1997, UNMAS leads, coordinates and implements mine action under United Nations legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council, which include explicit references to remnant IEDs. UNMAS supports the UN's vision of "a world free of the threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance, where individuals and communities live in a safe environment conducive to development, and where mine survivors are fully integrated into their societies." 

UNMAS is a unit within the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) within the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council, or at the request of the UN Secretary-General or his designated official. When instructed by the Security Council or called upon by Member States, UNMAS deploys under humanitarian, peace and security mandates. UNMAS main headquarters is in the UN Secretariat, New York with a sub-office in Geneva. UNMAS provides direct support and assistance in the areas of explosive hazard threat mitigation to 18 countries/territories/missions, has a standby rapid response capacity and global technical advisors in the field of IEDs and Weapons and Ammunition Management. As an office within DPKO, UNMAS supports peacekeeping and special political missions in accordance with Security Council mandates.

Background Information– UNMAS Sudan

The UNMAS Sudan Programme, based in Port Sudan, works in close coordination with the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA), the UN Country Team and humanitarian partners. The project aims to protect civilians from the threat of explosive ordnance (EO) and strengthen the resilience of conflict-affected communities through a comprehensive, gender-mainstreamed and conflict-sensitive mine action response. It also supports broader humanitarian, early recovery and stabilization efforts by enabling safe access to areas contaminated by EO.

UNMAS Sudan’s key activities include land release operations; delivery of both direct and indirect Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), tailored to different gender and age groups; and provision of technical advice to humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding (HDP) actors to help them safely operate in EO-affected environments. The project also leads the coordination of the Mine Action Area of Responsibility (MA AoR) in Sudan, co-chairing the sector under the Global Protection Cluster framework. Through this role, UNMAS ensures that mine action is effectively integrated into humanitarian coordination mechanisms and that EO threats are adequately understood and addressed at all levels.

In addition, the project plans to strengthen its engagement in Victim Assistance (VA), particularly in support of EO survivors - an area that has seen limited attention since the onset of the current conflict. This includes efforts to reactivate the VA pillar within the MA AoR and improve coordination, referral pathways and advocacy for services and support to victims.
While the Programme’s current operational footprint is primarily focused on areas under the control of the Sudan Government - especially urban areas in Khartoum and Al Jazirah - UNMAS Sudan aspires to expand its outreach to all EO-affected regions, addressing both legacy contamination and new threats emerging from the ongoing conflict.