Finance and Systems Associate

Job Description

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) is the only United Nations unit exclusively dedicated to the design and administration of multi-stakeholder pooled financing instruments. Since 2003, it has supported over 200 UN-implemented pooled funds, providing an integrated platform of inter-agency pooled fund services to help UN organizations and partners make fast and efficient progress towards collective outcomes, like the 2030 Agenda. The MPTF Office’s current portfolio is over $16 billion in total, with more than $1.8 billion per year in contributions and includes more than 150 active pooled financing mechanisms.

The MPTF Office’s trustee and fund design and administration service is a standard-setter in the UN System – professionalized, highly transparent and firewalled from all UN implementing entities. The MPTF Office has put in place a number of tools and systems to support its transparent and accessible fund administration services such as its digital platform the MPTF Office Gateway. As a shared UN service provider, the MPTFO operates in a distinct and dedicated business unit. It provides an integrated service platform that, in addition to core trust fund design and administration functions, provides complimentary services to users like data analytics, research administration, and knowledge management.

Duties And Responsibilities

Under the guidance and supervision of the Finance Specialist, the Finance and Systems Associate forms part of the MPTF Office Finance Team, which collectively supports MPTF Office’s fund initiation and administration services and management of internal finance functions. This role maintains and supports the enhancement of all MPTF Office managed finance related IT platforms (i.e. Gateway, Quantum coding structures, UNEX or alternative etc.); facilitates financial expenditure reporting of Participating Organizations through UNEX.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Support to Office Finance related systems

• Conduct administration and implementation of the unit’s operational strategies in accordance with the Internal Control Framework issued by the Executive Coordinator
• Under guidance of Chief, Finance and Risk Management, provides support with setting up, maintain and monitor Quantum profiles for MPTF Office personnel; advises on potential conflicts in roles and changes required.
• Participate in systems testing, report feedback on testing and any issues for ITM.
• Support impacts analysis to current MPTF Office financial systems for new product development designs.
• Prepare first draft of specifications to financial systems; act as the key liaison between the MPTF Office business owner and technical developer and participate in systems testing prior to production.
• Create, modify, or inactivate codes on approval in Quantum for MDTF1 and UNDP1 business units including Fund, department, budget, donor and implementing agency codes based on approved coding formats; liaise with UNDP Peer Support to set up codes within the shared tables.
• Maintain the MDTF Office donor and fund code trees and tables in relevant systems; complete assigned opening and closing periods in Quantum. Focal person for the Budget Control journals.
• Contribute to business process and systems design to generate on-going gains in efficiency and productivity across the portfolio.
• Acts as the backup for Finance Associate on routine Fund Administration tasks like fund transfer requests, fund reporting and project/fund closure.

Systems support to Participating Organizations expenditure reporting processes

• Manage internal and external access user accounts for systems used for quarterly and annual reporting.
• Communicate with, and act as primary focal point for Participating Organizations (UN and NUNO) upload of financial expenditure reporting through the reporting system to MPTF Office.
• Identify, problem solve and respond to Gateway related upload queries from clients.
• Proactively reviews Participating Organizations upload errors and exceptions, including over-expenditures, and propose solutions to clients.
• Liaise with the ITM to coordinate resolution of technical issues.
• Open and close the reporting system, manage systems controls and ensure data can be transferred to Quantum.
• Process UNEX data into journals and transfer to Quantum and submit for posting by the Finance Specialist to the general ledger.

Support with project and fund closure reporting processes.

• Advises on potential conflicts in roles and changes required.
• Provisions access for Finance staff to the Fund Administration System (FAS)
• Contribute to strategy development for increasing Participating Organizations project closure rates.
• Lead monitoring and analysis of Participating Agencies’ refund and remittance of interest at the Fund level across the portfolio.
• Monitor Project and fund closure KPIs.
• Prepare project closure analysis reports identifying projects for Finance Manager’s review.
• Identify possible solutions for project closure at agency level.
• Other ad-hoc financial reporting on request Fund Closure.
• Prepare fund financial closure analysis reports for Finance Manager’s review.
• Coordinate with Finance Associates on fund closure.
• Identify funds eligibility for financial closure.
• Coordinate with portfolio team for donor refund.
• Identify issues for fund financial closure and suggest possible resolutions.
• Manage the architecture of the MPTF Office contacts database in Gateway.

Sharing and facilitation of knowledge building

• Where included in the office or individual learning plans or on request from clients, develop, organize and provide one-on-one or group training sessions on MPTF Office systems.
• Assists with building capacity and knowledge sharing within MPTF Office by supporting the development of tools and resources capturing best practices/guidance on financial closure.
• Support preparation of policy updates for project and fund financial closure.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core – CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)

Achieve Results

• Level 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively

• Level 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously

• Level 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility

• Level 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination

• Level 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner

• Level 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

• Level 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direct and Strategy – System Thinking

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Development – Knowledge Facilitation

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

Business Management – Partnerships Management

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Government, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Operations: Finance – Financial reporting and analysis

• Understands changes in regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks and standards for financial reporting in the public sector. Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring. Understands the benefits of integrated reporting, including non-financial resources such as human, social and intellectual capital, and environmental and governance performance

Operations: Finance – Financial risk management

• Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management”

Digital & Innovation – Data analysis

• Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making

Education

Required Skills and Experience

• Secondary Education with specialized certification in accounting and/or Finance. University degree in Finance or Accounting desirable. Part-qualified accountants from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
• Fully Qualified Accountant, from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy or Full Completion of the UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP). No UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (AFT) is required.
• Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications, but with degrees that major in accountancy and/or finance must complete UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited. However, no UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (AFT) is required.
• Candidate with no professional accountancy qualifications but with relevant experience must successfully undertake UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (AFT) before shortlisting and must complete the UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years (with Secondary education) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of experience in the use of computers applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) including data analysis as well as web-based IT applications and working with ERP systems.
• Experience in financial management/accounting with focus of project life cycle management including project closure is required.
• Experience in preparing data analysis and presenting results for review.
• Extensive experience in preparing financial reports and completing analysis.
• Experience working with UN pooled funding mechanisms is a distinct advantage.
• Experience of SharePoint and PowerBi platforms will be a distinct advantage.

Language Requirement

• Fluency in English required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant Information About UNDP Rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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