Trade Finance Product Specialist - Treasury

Job Description

Finance Group

The purpose of the Finance Group is to lead and develop the organization’s finance strategy and practice. The core functions of the Finance Group are to:

a. Articulate finance policies and processes; enable operationalization and managerial oversight through appropriate systems and reports; provide corporate advice and guidance; and strengthen the knowledge, skills and career development of finance practitioners.

b. Steward the resources of the organization, ensuring cost recovery and accurate financial reporting to partners; maintain appropriate controls and integrity of financial management in accordance with relevant international standards; enable prudent management and growth of financial assets; and build an informed and shared management engagement on financial issues in support of the organization’s business strategy.

c. Identify and develop opportunities for the provision of financial management services for partners and ensure appropriate modalities for service delivery.

The Finance Group (FG) is a critical and strategic business function in UNOPS and serves as an authoritative and integrated partner in the organization on strategic financial planning and budgeting, business strategy and practices, financial analysis and risk assessment, financial management services and long term organizational treasury and investments. As the steward of resources of a self-financing UN entity, FG is accountable for timely cost recovery and reporting to partners, maintaining the integrity and transparency of financial management of resources in accordance with the highest standards of ethics and organizational/international accountability framework and the accurate and transparent financial reporting to governing bodies, clients, partners and stakeholders.

The Credit Risk and Trade Finance Specialist - Treasury reports to the Head of Treasury. Under the overall guidance of the Head of Treasury, the role is responsible for ensuring that UNOPS has a comprehensive, coherent and successfully executed plan for the efficient and effective management of its credit risk exposures across its investment portfolios, banking partners, cash management and liquidity programs and advance financing activities. The role holder will also be UNOPS specialist in Trade Finance Products (e.g Guarantees and Letters of credit etc) and will be required to help build and share knowledge of these types of operations with UNOPS offices globally. The role will support both the policy aspect of the treasury function as well as the operational/transactional aspects working closely with UNOPS field offices and the Treasury Middle Office (IPAS).

Summary of functions:

1. Trade finance product operations (including reporting, monitoring and analysis)

2. Trade finance product policy (including Finance policy and support to procurement policy)

3. Facilities management

4. Knowledge management and innovation

1. Trade Finance product operations

• Manage full life cycle and communications externally with counterparties to coordinate the issuing and receiving of letters of credit across all UNOPS locations and projects globally
• Manage all aspects of trade finance: operation of letters of credit, standby letters of credit, bonds and guarantees. Monitoring of internal and external credit lines, non-payment risk and support projects with technicalities around insurance, shipping, transport and documentation handling of products.
• Understand, analyze and negotiate/renegotiate SBLC and guarantee facilities with UNOPS Banks.
• Assist in the development and optimization of the entire L/C process, including the development of standardized contract language and L/C proformas and aligning processes across UNOPS globally
• Maintain database of L/Cs and templates and provision of reports
• Increase the understanding of letters of credit within all relevant departments.
• Provide ad-hoc advisory services to UNOPS programs and projects globally

2. Trade finance product policy

• Review and implement the treasury guidelines and policy around Guarantees (Bid securities, Performance Securities, Advance Payment Securities etc.) vis-à-vis UNOPS Treasury Policy and UNOPS Procurement Policy

• Contribute and support to the maintenance of relationships with UNOPS international financial institutions for trade finance facilities

3. Facilities Management

• Organize and deliver guarantees and LC related training to business units as needed

• Report and monitor trade finance product KPI’s

4. Knowledge management and innovation

• Contribute to the development and introduction of innovation to ensure UNOPS is continually incorporating best practice approaches into financial services.

• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for corporate development planning and knowledge building.

• Plan, implement and organize capacity building of personnel, clients and stakeholders.

• Support UNOPS global offices with all things Credit Risk and Trade Finance related operations and be known as UNOPS specialist in this area.

Impact of Results

The Finance Specialist - Treasury impacts the effective management and financial integrity of UNOPS enabling prudent management and growth of financial assets and building an informed and shared management engagement on financial issues in support of the UNOPS overall strategy.

Education

• Graduate university degree in finance and/or business or a related field is required.

• A combination of Bachelor’s degree with two additional years of work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• Appropriate professional accreditation or qualification is highly desirable.

• Membership in an internationally recognized accounting body or Treasury body would be an advantage.

• Treasury/Trade Finance certification would be a further advantage.

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in treasury or banking with a strong focus on trade finance products, either in a large corporation or a financial institution is required with a masters degree.

• Experience negotiating facilities of this nature would be a distinct advantage

• Broad knowledge of Trade Products is strong asset

• knowledge of the Trade Finance risks and related topics is an asset

• Full working knowledge of English.

• Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset

About the Organization

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.