Finance Specialist-(Re-Advertisement - Open to internal and external applicants who are nationals of the EU, EEA and Switzerland)

This vacancy is open to nationals of EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.

Background

The Bureau for Management Services’ Office of Financial Resources Management (BMS/OFRM) supports the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the implementation of the 2030 agenda and UNDP’s Strategic Plan. It achieves this by developing and making fully operational a dynamic and harmonized integrated resource management framework based on comprehensive analysis that enhances UNDP’s financial and administrative performance, as well as facilitating UN reform and coherence. The primary role of BMS/ OFRM is to maintain the financial integrity of UNDP through providing functional leadership, supporting the efficient and effective management of its financial resources, promoting financial sustainability and responsible resource allocation. This is accomplished by the development and implementation of sound financial policies and practices, oversight of corporate financial management performance, and flexible scalable support to resource allocation. BMS/OFRM serves as a business partner to Bureaux and Country Offices, providing sound financial management, advisory and analytical services, with a view to continuously improve the financial management performance of business units and support Bureaux in the exercising of their oversight functions.

Within OFRM, the Financial Performance Management & reporting (FPMR) is responsible for oversight of financial reporting, the preparation and integrity of UNDP’s financial statements, and providing timely and accurate financial information in accordance with international accounting standards. FPMR fosters trust and accountability through leadership in financial policy, robust internal financial controls, and close engagement with auditors to support an unqualified audit opinion, while also delivering expert accounting and financial advisory support, addressing complex and non-routine financial issues, and overseeing financial risk related to implementing partners, enabling informed senior decision-making and sustained audit assurance.

Within FPMR, there are four units:

• Corporate Financial Reporting (CFR): Responsible for promoting clear accountability for financial transactions and for producing UNDP’s corporate financial statements.
• Financial Performance Management (FPM): Responsible for managing aspects of financial performance, including the administration of the Annual Representation exercise and the Statement of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting; monitoring of financial risks related to financial statement integrity; and management of the implementing partners policy framework, including the agency-wide Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) framework.
• Payroll Finance Oversight (PFO): Responsible for the financial oversight of payroll accounting functions, as well as the reporting of employee benefits and liabilities for all UNDP personnel.
• Finance Integration & Technologies (FIT): provides expert, structured financial analysis to resolve complex, non-routine issues and enhance the quality and timeliness of senior decision-making.

Scope of Work

The Payroll Finance Oversight (PFO) function provides financial oversight and governance over UNDP’s global payroll operations. PFO ensures the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of payroll-related financial information by establishing and monitoring controls, reviewing payroll accounting, overseeing compliance with applicable policies and financial rules, and assessing payroll-related financial risks. In fulfilling its mandate, PFO partners closely with and interacts regularly with the Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) to align operational processes with financial governance objectives. The function acts as a critical second-line capability, supporting management through analysis, issue resolution, and coordination with service providers and internal stakeholders, while safeguarding the organization against financial, compliance, and reputational risk arising from payroll activities.

Within the Payroll Finance Oversight (PFO) function, the Finance Specialist provides specialized technical expertise and serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on payroll accounting, providing technical oversight, monitoring, and analysis of payroll expenses and related balance sheet accounts. The Finance Specialist works closely with the Global Payroll Services (GPS) and Benefits Entitlement Services (BES) teams within the Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) to strengthen payroll finance processes, advise on payroll system configuration and accounting treatments to mitigate risk, and review higher-risk transactions, providing assurance over IPSAS-compliant financial recording and reporting and contributing to reduced audit risk.

Duties and Responsibilities

a) Establish effective payroll finance oversight and policy implementation:

• Review and maintain payroll-related financial policies, procedures, and accounting treatments affecting the financial statements, including inter-agency balances, payables, and employee benefit liabilities.
• Assess and strengthen the payroll control environment, including Quantum ERP (Oracle HCM) application controls, system configuration, and audit trails, proposing process and system improvements to enhance efficiency and risk management.
• Lead the review of payroll accounting mappings and centralized processes from Quantum ERP (Oracle HCM) through to the General Ledger, including review of segregation of duties and compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and industry best practices.
• Design, develop and maintain payroll oversight tools and reports (e.g. exception reports, dashboards, and models) to support monitoring, analysis, and periodic reporting of payroll costs and employee benefits.
• Provide technical oversight of payroll-related financial risks, including employee benefits, staff receivables and advances, inter-agency transfers, and unrecovered balances.

b) Contribute to the preparation of IPSAS-compliant financial statements and other corporate financial reports, including:

• Planning and preparation activities, including researching applicable reporting requirements, assessing materiality, and determining reporting scope. This requires in-depth knowledge of IPSAS standards, including complex areas such as revenue recognition, leases, transfer expenses, financial instruments, employee benefits, property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, provisions and contingencies, foreign currency translation, consolidation…etc.
• Leading, as required, the financial statement compilation process and preparing the primary financial statements and related notes.
• Overseeing or performing analytical reviews, including year-over-year trend analysis, ratio analysis, and investigation of variances, for management review.
• Preparing draft briefing notes and talking points, including high-level insights on financial performance and the impact of changes in accounting standards, assumptions, or estimates.

c) Establish payroll controls to comply with the Statement of Internal Control over Financial Reporting (SICFR):

• Develop and maintain payroll-related risk and control matrices in line with SICFR requirements, clearly documenting risks, key controls, and ownership.
• Lead annual control testing (as needed) for payroll processes and accounts, including walkthroughs, sample-based testing, and assessments of control design and operating effectiveness.
• Lead on identification of control gaps, recommend remediation actions, and oversee completion of corrective measures to timely closure, providing management with control effectiveness assessments for SICFR assertions.
• Lead preparation of payroll-specific inputs and documentation to support SICFR certification and overall financial reporting assurance.
• Liaise with OAI and external auditors on payroll-related SICFR testing, documentation, and evidence requests.
• Lead and promote strong SICFR compliance by advising on documentation standards, evidence retention, and control responsibilities, and by recommending system and process enhancements (including Quantum ERP (Oracle HCM) and GL configuration) to strengthen the payroll control environment.

d) Perform payroll finance oversight and analytical functions, including:

• Design, implement and maintain an efficient and effective monitoring strategy for payroll-related General Ledger (GL) accounts, with a focus on material and higher-risk balances and transactions.
• Perform periodic reviews of payroll-related GL accounts, transactions, reconciliations between Quantum ERP (Oracle HCM) and the GL, and related adjustment journals to ensure compliance with IPSAS and UNDP policies.
• Oversee staff advances and payroll receivable accounts, provide aged balance analyses to offices, and support the resolution of outstanding balances, including guidance on write-offs in line with established procedures.
• Liaise with offices, ITM, and system vendors to troubleshoot payroll accounting issues and support system configuration, enhancements, and testing related to payroll GL accounts.
• Conduct complex analyses and engage with actuaries and third-party administrators to assess employee benefit liabilities (including ASHI, pensions, medical insurance, and leave) and review third-party administrator performance and stewardship reporting.

e) Establish risk-informed financial policies and procedures, as follows:

• Lead research and risk analysis to inform the development of financial policies aligned with UNDP’s risk management framework and appetite.
• Lead in drafting and updating financial policies and procedures that incorporate risk mitigation measures and reflect operational needs.
• Benchmark policies against international standards and peer organization practices to ensure quality and relevance.
• Engage stakeholders to gather feedback and ensure policies are risk-informed, user-friendly, and contextually appropriate.
• Lead ongoing policy review and refinement based on implementation feedback, emerging risks, and evolving best practices.

f) Support internal and external audit and assurance processes, including the annual UNDP financial audit conducted by the United Nations Board of Auditors (UNBOA), by:

• Managing audit requests and queries through professional and timely responses; preparing and validating transaction samples and audit evidence tied to the general ledger and source documentation; and facilitating walkthroughs of key financial processes and internal controls.
• Supporting post-audit follow-up and year-round audit readiness, including contributing to management responses and representation letters, reviewing audit reports and financial statement adjustments, documenting lessons learned, maintaining robust audit trails and reconciliations, and supporting internal control assessments and continuous improvement initiatives.

g) Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and sharing

• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in Finance.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

• The position is part of a team of three staff members, including the supervisor, and has no direct reports.

Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

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 Financial risk management

• Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management.

Finance Financial and process innovation

• Financial and business process engineering expertise required to innovate, design, change and implement new financial business models, financial instruments, financing opportunities, business processes, policies and procedures, and technological solutions

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 Audit Risk Management

• Ability to address risks and audit issues raised in the course of an audit and propose solutions in order to ensure a true and fair audit opinion is achieved.

Business Management Portfolio management

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.
• Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.

Business Direction & Strategy

• Systems thinking Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Finance or Accounting, and/or a professional accounting qualification from an accredited institute of accountancy is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Professional Certificates

• Those with professional accounting qualifications from an accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
• Candidates with no accountancy qualification but with relevant experience must successfully undertake the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT) to be eligible for shortlisting.
• Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications, but with degrees that major in accountancy and/or finance must complete UNDP Finance Training and certification Programme (FTCP),if recruited.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years (with master´s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor´s degree) of experience in financial management, accounting or auditing.

Experience, Knowledge, and skills

• Experience conforming to IPSAS/IFRS and full accrual accounting conventions.
• Experience with ERP financial systems is required (preferably Oracle).
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills with a proven track record.
• Demonstrated experience in AI, digital transformation, and process automation and demonstrated ability explore and apply new technologies.
• Experience as a collaborative team player with flexibility to work across global time zones.

Desirable Criteria

• Audit experience (internal and/or external) is an asset.
• Experience with project costing and time and labour distribution and timecards would be an asset.
• Experience in working with actuaries and actuarial reports would be an asset.
• Experience working in the UN system would be an asset

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Band / Grade: NPSA Level 10

Remuneration: UNDP PSA remuneration is based on grade bands. In Madrid, the remuneration in this band ranges from EUR 4,819 to EUR 6,188, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Benefits: The PSA contract also includes a generous benefits package, including leave (annual leave, sick leave, and parental leave), medical insurance, and pension contributions.

For more information: please visit UNDP's careers site