Senior Finance Associate, GS-7, Fixed Term, HOSTED FUNDS, EOF, London, UK, Req

Contract

This is a G-7 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about G-7 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.

For every child, Education

The Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) is a fund dedicated to improving education and employment outcomes for children and youth globally. EOF pays primarily on the basis of the results achieved, ensuring that taxpayer-funded domestic resources, aid, and philanthropic funds are only used to pay for what works. This is a game-changing way to finance results in education, focusing attention and realigning systems on the most challenging but most important measure of a program's performance: whether it is improving lives.

EOF is hosted by UNICEF. The Fund is administered under UNICEF’s financial, human resources and administrative rules and regulations, while operations are run by the Fund’s own independent governance structure that provides strategic guidance and oversight to its investments. EOF’s day-to-day activities are carried out by a Secretariat under the direction of the EOF CEO.

The Operations function in EOF will ensure efficient and cost-effective administrative and financial support services, working closely with operations colleagues in UNICEF HQ to ensure that the Secretariat’s administrative and financial operations and services follow the organization's policy, procedures, rules and regulations. Operations staff are accountable, among others, for budget and expenditure monitoring and specialized functions related to donor and financial reporting.

How can you make a difference?

As part of the Operations team, and under the direct supervision of the Operation Specialist, the Senior Finance Associate will perform a variety of specialized financial and budget related tasks which will service the Education Outcomes Fund Secretariat activities. At a G7 level, the position is expected to work with a high level of independence, bring expertise to the role, and find solutions to a variety of finance related tasks. Given EOF’s position as a fund operating on the frontier of innovative finance for development, this will be challenging role requiring creatively and strong problem-solving skills, alongside deep financial and analytical acumen.

The key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks include:

1. Draft donor budgets to accompany donor proposals.
2. Draft financial donor reports and cumulative summaries for review by Operations Specialist, ensure all donor requirements are complied with, particularly donor specific detailed information required. This includes complex donor budget tracking and reporting, managing currency risk, multiple donors and fund flows etc.
3. Prepare monthly cash flow projections, perform variance analysis, and prepare forecasts and reports for management review to inform decision making. Provide analysis and detailed explanations around actual and forecast project and organizational wider expenditures.
4. Maintain, improve and update the EOF financial model and forecast; develop and monitor value for money indicators.
5. Work alongside the Chief Operating Officer and Operations Specialist to improve processes, procedures, systems and tools for financial planning, reporting and management at EOF. Recommend system and process changes to reduce risks, recommend areas for improvement in knowledge sharing and capacity building to ensure compliance.
6. Manage reporting schedules, communicate, and control deadlines; review and analyze financial transactions in SAP, taking note of balances, possible discrepancies, adjustments required, suggesting corrective actions if required. Review accounting schedules as generated by DFAM Analysis and address any issues regularly (quarterly, mid-year and end year closures.)
7. Prepare regular budget monitoring reports for program managers, provide required support to budget owners on policy, procedure, budget monitoring systems, trend analysis, forecasting funding needs, ad-hoc analysis related to improvement of efficient use of resources.
8. Support managers with budget allocations, maintenance, and review of planning outline, as required. Provide training to budget owners and focal points as assigned, in the operation and functionality of planning and financial management systems.
9. Work closely with FSO (Funds Support Office) to ensure the funds are allocated to the correct PCR/ IR, review monthly updates Money-In, Money-Out reports received from FSO, reconcile with VISION
10. Additional duties, as required: act as backup for Sr. Operations Associate and Administrative Assistant when required, participate in projects and perform other tasks as assigned.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Completion of secondary school is required; university level courses in Financial Management, Business Administration, Accounting, Economics or any other related field of discipline relevant to the job is an asset
• At least 7 years of experience in finance, accounting, budgeting, commercial financing, financial reporting and financial models.
• Advanced knowledge of Excel required (pivot tables, dashboards, financial modelling)
• Knowledge of IPSAS and ERP/SAP highly desirable
• User experience with PowerBI desirable
• Fluency in English is required, with good writing skills. Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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:

Applicants for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United Kingdom (UK). Please attach a copy of your work permit to your application submission.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

The appointment for this position is limited to EOF, a UNICEF hosted fund. While UN staff regulations and rules, as well as UNICEF policies and procedures, apply to you during your appointment, certain provisions therein may apply to you differently due to the limited scope of your appointment. In particular, you will not be subject to rotation exercise as per the Executive Directive on Staff mobility and rotation (CF/EXD/2015-002) or any revision thereof. In addition, during your appointment in EOF, you will not be considered eligible for conversion to a Continuing Appointment as per UNICEF Administrative Instruction on Continuing Appointment (CF/AI/2017-002) or any revision thereof. In the event that your post is abolished, the priority granted, and other support provided to staff on abolished posts in staff selection processes will only be extended to posts within EOF and not to other posts in UNICEF.

UNICEF candidates: To return to a UNICEF appointment outside EOF, you will need to be selected in a competitive recruitment exercise. Upon selection for a UNICEF post outside of UNICEF-hosted funds, the period you have served with the UNICEF-hosted fund will count towards the calculation of the tour of duty in your duty station and eligibility for a continuing appointment.

External Candidates: To secure a UNICEF appointment outside EOF, you will need to be selected in a competitive recruitment exercise. Upon selection for a UNICEF post outside of UNICEF-hosted funds, the period you have served with the UNICEF hosted fund will count towards the calculation of the tour of duty in your duty station and eligibility for a continuing appointment.

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