GEF LAC Finance and Administration Contractor

Result of Service Effective and efficient support provided to the LAC finance team for the financial administration of 27 GEF projects in 17 countries.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority. It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. This consultancy is in UNEP’s Economy Division, Energy and Climate Branch, Climate Change Mitigation Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean team, and will be home based.

UNEP’s Economy Division works with a portfolio of Global Environment Facility (GEF) medium-size and full-size climate change mitigation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The projects, which are in different stages of development (concept, design, implementation, closure), are executed by different partners (Ministries, NGOs, etc.). The Economy Division, in its role as implementing agency, provides oversight and ensures adherence to GEF guidelines.

Under the supervision of the UNEP Climate Mitigation Unit Administrative Officer, the individual contractor will undertake administrative and financial tasks related to the portfolio of GEF projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Specific tasks and responsibilities are as follows:

Project Design And Development: - Verify documents for overall accuracy, consistency and uniformity in presentation and ensure comprehensiveness and compliance, cross-check consistency of figures in tables with the text of the reports, and verify references to other reports and documents and ensure that all necessary corrections are incorporated. - Assist in preparation of budgets with respect to project documents. - Initiate set up of third party banking details for executing agencies.

Project Implementation: - Track circulation of new project internalizations and all projects revisions through UNEP clearance and approval process - Provide guidance to Executing Agencies on the expenditure report template; review expenditure reports to ensure (a) correct amount and objects of expenditures have been charged (b) validity of charges (c) availability of funds; provide feedback to Executing Agencies as necessary in order for the agency to complete the document correctly. - Initiate processing of expenditure recording. - Assist in the follow-up on outstanding financial and technical reports with the executing agencies. - Study developed tools on tracking the financial report of all Executing Agencies, and keep these tools up-to-date. - Provide guidance to Executing Agencies on the cash advance template, review cash advances received and provide feedback to Executing Agencies as necessary in order for them to complete the document correctly. - Process cash advances and follow up on remittances of funds, process UNEP authorizations and sub-allotments to Executing Agencies - Notify payees on status of payments and investigate complaints of non-receipt. - One month after the end of each quarter (trimester), be responsible for sharing all fully signed reports to Executing Agencies. - Review budget/project revisions received and provide feedback to Executing Agencies as necessary in order for them to complete the document correctly. - Assist in the Reconciliation of project accounts against independent audit certificates received from executing agencies. Inform Executing Agencies of upcoming financial reporting requirements

Project Evaluation And Closure: - Assist in provision of financial information required in Project Implementation Review (PIR), Mid-term review/Evaluation and Terminal Evaluation. - Assist in the preparation of project completion and closing revision and supporting schedules. - Prepare request for refund of unspent balances.

Qualifications/special skills - A High School Diploma is required. - Additional technical qualifications related to administration, such as certified public account (CPA) or equivalent are desirable; - Minimum of five years of experience in financial management, portfolio management; finance, administration or accounting is required; - Experience working with GEF or UNEP projects is desirable; - Experience with SAP is desirable.

Languages - English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency (both oral and written) in English and Spanish is required

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.