Programme Finance Associate- Home-based (New York location)
Programme Finance Associate Job Description
UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.
Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response.
BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.
UNDP is a founding cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund, in line with UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2022-2025: Connecting the Dots, makes a vital contribution to UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the pledge to leave no one behind and leverages UNDP’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies. UNDP delivers three types of support to countries in HIV, health and development.
UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development, as described in the HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2022-2025: Connecting the Dots,
First, UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Sustainable Development Goals. Second, UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Sometimes this is done through focused or specialized programmes, such as promoting attention to the role of the law and legal environments in facilitating stronger HIV responses, including the use of flexibilities in intellectual property law to lower the cost of medicines and diagnostics. UNDP also works to empower and include marginalized populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men and people living with HIV.
Beyond these focused efforts, UNDP plays a role in ensuring attention to HIV and health within broader governance and rights initiatives, including support to municipal action on SDGs, sustainable responses for Health and HIV such as improving sustainability of AIDS financing, sustainable health procurement, strengthening of national human rights institutions and increasing access to justice for key populations.Third, as a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multi-sectoral health and development projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time.
UNDP’s Partnership with the Global Fund
UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund is an important part of this work, facilitating access to resources for action on SDG 3 by countries that face constraints in directly receiving and managing such funding. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions.
When requested, UNDP acts as interim Principal Recipient in these settings, working with national partners and the Global Fund to improve management, implementation and oversight of Global Fund grants, while simultaneously developing national capacity to be able to assume the Principal Recipient role over time. UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund and other health partners (eg GAVI) is overseen by the Global Fund Partnership and Health Systems Team (GFPHST), HIV, Health and Development Group, Bureau of Policy and Programme Support, Global Policy Network.
Health product procurement and supply chain management support are an integral part of development solutions and support services that UNDP provides for the implementation of large and complex health and development programmes, to contribute to the equitable delivery of essential services.
UNDP’s Support to COVID-19
Urgently and effectively addressing COVID-19 is critical to safeguarding progress on the SDGs. Through its presence in 140 countries and its integrator role, UNDP together with UN and other partners can support countries to immediately scale up evidence- and rights-based multisectoral responses, i.e. whole-of-government/whole-of-society responses, needed to effectively tackle COVID-19. In so doing, the organization can rapidly leverage its extensive presence and networks at global, regional and country levels, its mandate to work broadly – to connect the dots – across humanitarian and development sectors.
The national and international health landscapes are rapidly changing. New health initiatives are emerging, particularly in relation to non-communicable diseases, which brings to light pressing challenges linked to health systems strengthening including, health product procurement and supply chain management. These opportunities go beyond UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund and require a new modus operandi to optimize UNDP’s investments into global health.
Increasingly, UNDP is supporting governments in thematic area of health product procurement and supply chain management with funding from national budgets. In addition, UNDP is expanding opportunities for partnerships with key stakeholders on health product procurement including with UNICEF, UNFPA and UNOPS/Global Drug Facility (GDF) and supporting the development and management of national supply chains with partners such as GAVI, WHO, and WFP. UNDP has developed a health procurement architecture which is led by the Global Health Procurement Centre (GHPC) which works in close coordination with the GFPHST.
Under the guidance and supervision of the Finance Adviser GFPHST (New York), the Programme Finance Associate will provide financial management support services, ensuring effective and transparent utilization of financial resources for the GFPHST and with Country Offices managing Global Fund grants and other health and development programmes.
Programme Finance Associate Duties and Responsibilities
Ensures effective oversight on GF grant project budgets and monitoring of expenditures:
- Advise Country Offices on available financial tools, preparation of budgets and use of Quantum and Hyperion Planning and Budgeting System.
- Monitor the GF grant expenditures to ensure they are in line with approved budget by the donor and UNDP financial rules, regulations, policies, financial recording/reporting system.
- Provide advice and report on project delivery to the Country offices on a regular basis.
- Capacity building of sub-recipients and other national partners on overall financial management in coordination with the Country Team
- Periodic review of the project cash balances and revenue schedules with a regular follow up with the country offices to ensure sufficient financial resources for the GF projects AWP.
- Periodic review of the GF project resource balances in GL, PPM and budget control to identify mis-recorded items for a timely corrective action by the country offices.
- Periodic review of the aging balances of implementing partners, suppliers and open POs to ensure accuracy of financial receivables and commitments of the GF projects for their progress update.
- Periodic review of the project asset balances and position lists to ensure accuracy of the asset registration, depreciation and payroll charges.
Ensures accurate and timely reporting to donor and quality response to audit recommendations:
- Co-ordinate the timely submission of financial/programmatic reports (Cash Forecasts, Pulse Checks, Progress Update and Dsibursement Requests) required by the donors.
- Conduct periodic review of financial exception reports including financial statement items, liaise closely with GSSC and Country Offices, to resolve exceptions and issues in order to advise the country offices on corrective actions on time.
- Follow up with Country Offices on the financial closure of operationally completed projects within the mandated period in order to meet the reporting requirements of donors.
Effective support for financial assurance activities to the country offices:
- Provide support and analysis to the Finance Advisor on internal and external audit recommendation, donor requirements or other financial matters
- Maintains and tracks the SR audit recommendation implementations with a regular follow-up with the respective country offices.
Any other activity assigned by the Finance Advisor, GFPHST (New York)
Programme Finance Associate Competencies
Core Competencies – UNDP Core Competencies can be found here.
- 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
Programme Finance Associate Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Direction & Strategy – Negotiation and Influence:
- Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and create ‘win-win’ situations
Business Development – Knowledge Facilitation:
- Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally
Business Management – Risk Management:
- Ability to identify and organise action around mitigating and proactively managing risks
Finance-Accounting (General):
- Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, frameworks, standards, regulations, policies and trends, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations
Finance- Finance business partnering:
- Able to support business units and add value by innovating and providing solutions to financial issues/queries, including through FAQs, financial tools, advisory, etc. Influences and appropriately challenges non-finance colleagues for whom the service is being provided. Understands the operations, opportunities, and challenges of the organization. Holds a commercial outlook, demonstrating accountability towards organizational goals.
Finance- Budget management:
- Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of GF grant budget.
Finance- Financial planning and budgeting
- Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP’s long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and reporting.
Programme Finance Associate Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Secondary Education with specialized certification in Accounting and/or Finance.
- University degree in Finance or Accounting desirable.
- Qualified accountants from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
- Long-listed candidates may be required to take the UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test.
Experience:
- Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible finance/accounting experience is required at the national (CO) or international level (HQ). (Only 4 years of relevant experience is required for candidates in possession of a Bachelor’s Degree).
- Advance knowledge of Excel and database packages.
- Strong knowledge of Quantum, and Hyperion.
- Knowledge and experience of UN or UNDP operational processes and procedures.
- Financial resource management and donor reporting experience is desirable.
- Three years relevant work experience from a developing country is an asset.
- Familiarity with Global Fund’s financial management, systems, processes and reporting is desirable.
Language:
- Proficiency in the English language, both oral and written form is required.
- Working knowledge of another UN language is desirable.
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