Funds Monitoring Consultant

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

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UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF South Sudan has over 100 donor funded grants to manage each year, with varying requirements and conditionalities. With the high turnover of staff and challenges in managing these budgets in line with donor expectations, the country office is recruiting a consultant for 6 months to provide additional quality assurance and oversight to grants to ensure appropriate funds utilization and reporting in order to strengthen donor relations initiatives for the country office. The assignment based within the Donor Relations Team (DR) would be remote.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

The Funds Monitoring Consultant, reporting to the Donor Relations Manager (P4), will work with the Donor Relations Team and Budget Team from 15 December 2021 to 15 June 2022 to carry out the following functions:

• Spotcheck of financial donor reports to ensure donor conditionalities are met, working with the Donor Relations and Budget teams as required for corrective actions
• Quality assurance of financial reports and proposal budgets to donors, recommending guidance and corrective actions to programs colleagues as needed
• Support the Donor Relations team with audit requests and subsequent recommendations
• Documentation of common errors and best practices to share following the spotcheck and audit for capacity building of programs/field colleagues
• Support the Donor Relations and Budget teams with any additional analyses related to fundraising and funds utilization trends
• Capacity development to support onboarding of a new national Budget Officer

Scope of Work:

As a member of the Donor Relations Team, the Funds Monitoring Consultant will provide cross cutting support to achieve the following areas

1. Spotcheck of financial donor reports to ensure donor conditionalities are met (20%)
   • Review of at least three submitted reports each month, analyzing against approved budgets and grant conditionalities (i.e., flexibility, eligibility of activities).
   • Provide updates to DR Manager on key findings
   • When needed, work with program, budget and DR colleagues for corrective actions
2. Quality assurance of financial reports and proposal budgets to donors (40%)
   • Review of 100% of donor financial reports before submission to ensure correct preparation and alignment with donor conditionalities
   • Review of EU-EiE grant with summary document of key changes and guidance for future reporting
   • For new donors (Global Fund and World Bank), review and advise on grant conditionalities, documenting best practices and common challenges
   • When needed, work with program, budget and DR colleagues for corrective actions
3. Support the Donor Relations team with audit requests and subsequent recommendations (10%)
   • Provide inputs to upcoming external audit (planned for late October 2021), liaising with DR and program colleagues for information as needed
   • Provide feedback and inputs on ways forward following initial feedback report from the auditors expected.

• Review 2020 and 2021 no cost extension requests and provide an analysis (PPT) on common reasons and recommendations for future programming

4. Support the Donor Relations and Budget teams with any additional analyses related to fundraising and funds utilization trends (5%)

• Provide analysis on fundraising opportunities and ongoing proposals to inform decision making in resource mobilization
• Conduct gap analysis as required with support of Budget colleagues

5. Capacity development to support onboarding of a new national Budget Officer (15%)

   • Provide training and capacity development to the new Budget Officer on aspects related to reports compilation, review and grants management to facilitate handover of responsibility to the new staff member.
   • Develop aide-memoire/resource guide with key donor conditions, best practices, checklist of points to consider to guide budget development and reviews

   Work Assignment Overview

• Analyses on expenditures of 3 donor financial reports per month (total :33 reports minimum)
• Quality review of 100% reports/proposals submitted by the country office (total: 100% reports and proposals)
• 1-pager on key grant conditionalities/common challenges for new donors (total :2 – Global Fund and World Bank)
• Corrected EU-EiE grant with summary document of key changes and guidance for future reporting endorsed by HQ finance teams (total :1)
• PowerPoint on review of no-cost extensions from 2020/2021, reasons and ways forward (total: 1)
• Documentation on best practices in grants/funds management, covering best practices and common challenges. (total: 1 brief/PPT – format to be discussed)
• Support on budget analyses and corrective action on grants as needed (total actions: TBD)
• Development of a resource guide for budget review and management (total: 1).

Work arrangement: This position will be remote based. Consultant expected to have laptop and basic internet package to facilitate calls/meetings (Zoom or Microsoft teams).

Minimum Qualifications required

Program management, finance, international development, business, NGO management, or related field

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required

• 2-3 years minimum experience in grants management and reporting for UN agencies or NGOs
• Demonstrated knowledge of key donor conditionalities of UNICEF South Sudan key resource partners: USAID, UK AID, Global Fund, World Bank, Netherlands, OCHA pooled funds, Japan, Germany
• Experience with preparation and quality review of donor financial reports (thematic and multi-sectoral)

• Experience with proposal development and quality assurance of budgets

• Demonstrated skills in excel

All applications must be submitted with detailed financial and technical proposal

Payment Schedule

Payment will be done monthly upon delivery of key task and submission of all necessary reports as stipulated in the detailed Terms of Reference.

https://www.unicef.org/southsudan/

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.