Project Finance Specialist
UNOPS
Drive financial integrity, transparency, and compliance, overseeing operations and strengthening financial management across projects and teams.
About The Group
The Finance Group serves as a strategic partner and fiduciary advisor, ensuring transparent, accountable, and effective resource management across UNOPS. The Group defines financial strategy in alignment with organizational goals, establishes finance policies, systems, and processes, and leads corporate budgeting to enable full cost recovery and ensure long-term financial sustainability. Throughout the project lifecycle, the Finance Group provides expert guidance, oversight, and tailored financial solutions. Responsibilities include delivering comprehensive financial and corporate performance reporting, strengthening financial capacity across the organization, and continuously enhancing resource planning and allocation. In addition, the Finance Group prepares and oversees the implementation of finance-related policies, upholding the highest standards of financial stewardship and supporting UNOPS in achieving operational excellence and fiscal responsibility.
Role Purpose
The role is part of a centre of excellence, providing seamless, appropriate, relevant and proactive project-specific tools, guidance and support. The role includes collaboration on project setup, implementation and closure with UNOPS delivery functions and UNOPS Partnerships Group, and supports outreach and training on all things related to project finance.
Functions / Key Results Expected
- Partner Negotiations
- Represent FG Project Finance in negotiations with partners on financial matters covering Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), agreement templates and related annexes as guided by the Project Finance Advisor. Review and approve financial conditions/clauses as per delegation.
- Prepare partner-specific process guidance and supporting documents to ensure quality and process compliance with UNOPS policies as well as documentation of the partner’s needs.
- Project Finance
- Provide inputs to audit queries from both internal (Internal Audit & Investigations Group) and external bodies (UN Board of Auditors, Joint Inspection Unit). Provide support for project audits and verifications as needed.
- Act as an approver in accordance with the assigned Delegation of Authority.
- Oversee and coordinate both regular and ad hoc internal and external reporting on client projects and the cost recovery model. Ensure accurate reconciliation of general ledger accounts under the responsibility of project finance.
- Develop and maintain financial reporting templates, ensuring they meet partners' reporting requirements.
- Design and update financial reporting layouts and category groups within the UNOPS system, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all financial data.
- Support and coordinate any system development related to project finance
- Support and implement any other project finance related tasks as needed.
- Implementation/Transactional Services Delivery Support
- Ensure and provide finance support to UNOPS delivery functions throughout the entire service life cycle, including the review of implementation and transactional service agreements, system setup of finance-related records (such as project/service accounts and budgets), review and approval of accounting entries related to services, support projects with financial challenges through provisions/write-offs and/or additional funding requests, preparing financial reports for partners, and ensuring closure of financial records at the end of an agreement.
- Cost Recovery
- Support the continuous development and implementation of UNOPS’ cost recovery model. Review and recommend cost recovery-related budgets, rates, processes and performance.
- Ensure consistent application of UNOPS cost recovery principles and support the refunds of any excess recoveries to UNOPS partners.
- Provide inputs to official UNOPS documents related to cost recovery.
- People Management
- Contribute to the annual work plan for the project finance team. Propose objectives, performance measurements, standards and results expected for the role and any supervisees.
- Monitor implementation of the assigned tasks, report progress and ensure delivery of results as planned and according to expectation.
- Promote teamwork and collaboration by providing supervisees with clear direction, objectives and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.
- Develop a flexible workforce with the skills and competencies needed to ensure optimum performance.
- Foster a positive work environment, respectful of all, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed.
- Knowledge Management and Innovation
- Contribute to the development and introduction of innovation in UNOPS project finance practices.
- Promote knowledge sharing and dissemination of lessons learned across the organization.
- Plan and lead capacity-building initiatives for personnel, clients and stakeholders.
- Maintain comprehensive knowledge of project finance activities to support UNOPS teams and other corporate functions as needed.
Required
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or other relevant disciplines with 7 years of relevant experience OR
- A master's degree (or equivalent) in any of the above disciplines with 5 years of relevant experience is required.
- Appropriate professional accreditation or qualification in Finance is desirable.
Experience Requirements
- Relevant experience is defined as working in financial management.
- Demonstrable proficiency in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems.
- Highly desirable: Experience working in a field location.
Highly desirable: experience working on financial matters as they relate to project management, including project budgeting and project reporting.
Understanding of the UNOPS financial model as it relates to client projects is a strong asset.
Further experience with partner relations and project financial aspects are a strong asset