Finance

United Nations Office for Project Services•New York, NY

10d

About The Position

The Finance Advisor provides strategic oversight and comprehensive financial management for the New York Portfolios Office (NYPO), ensuring compliance with organizational requirements, continuous improvement, and effective financial support across four portfolios. Reporting to the Head of Support Services, the role manages a team of six and works closely with finance practitioners in regional and field locations to maintain a robust control environment, deliver high-quality financial reporting, and integrate financial services. The position provides strategic financial and budget oversight; leads cross-functional integration, process efficiency, compliance, client-facing performance, and resource planning; and develops the Finance/Budget work plan in line with corporate goals. It also leads a high-performing and inclusive team, supports business planning and resource maximization, and contributes financial expertise to NYPO and corporate strategy. The role is based in New York and is listed as Senior Level, ICS 11, under an ICA-IICA-Regular contract, with an ongoing duration.

Requirements

Master’s degree or equivalent, preferably in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field, and at least 7 years of relevant experience; alternatively, a bachelor’s degree in a related field and at least 9 years of relevant experience.
Progressive professional experience in business process analysis, redesign, or optimization in financial management, budget oversight, and strategic financial planning.
At least 2 years of experience managing teams in a professional environment.
Fluent English.
Skills in budget processes, continuous improvement, financial analysis, financial planning, mentoring, stakeholder management, team leadership, and effective communication.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing the financial components of project management cycles.
Experience fostering diverse and inclusive team cultures, including in hybrid or multicultural work environments.
Experience working in an international organization or the UN system.
Fluent French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, or Chinese (Mandarin).

Responsibilities

Develop the annual Finance/Budget work plan, set priorities, and plan work in alignment with corporate goals and business planning.
Monitor the operating environment and support agility, risk management, and operational adjustments.
Ensure NYPO meets financial reporting requirements and strengthen client and stakeholder satisfaction.
Lead internal and external audit exercises and be accountable for financial audit recommendations.
Contribute specialist financial expertise to corporate strategy and Finance Group recommendations.
Drive finance initiatives that add value, support NYPO, and advance strategic objectives and business efficiencies.
Bridge HQ policy development and field-level execution, including delivering financial training.
Lead cross-functional integration and process efficiency between programmes and operations, especially in finance and budgeting.
Improve process coherence and policies to address recurring challenges, and benchmark internal financial practices against external best practices.
Collaborate with other management practice advisors on the use and enhancement of systems and tools; promote knowledge sharing in financial management and operations.
Supervise monthly, quarterly, and year-end accounting processes and help ensure the integrity and accuracy of financial performance and expenditure.
Ensure transactions are correct, escalate complex or recurring challenges, and drive budget-design inputs across programmes.
Lead system control and data-integrity tests and contribute to practice-led operational recommendations for new systems.
Deliver business training to strengthen financial capacity, awareness, and compliance.
Assess client satisfaction and performance using Financial Management KPIs and internal and external benchmarking.
Analyze statistics and trends to inform and guide the portfolio; establish knowledge management to capture trends and lessons learned.
Lead quarterly financial reviews with clients and stakeholders, communicating challenges and achievements.
Coordinate long-term strategies for NYPO functional challenges, lead financial process efficiencies, and contribute to developing NYPO SOPs.
Assess risks and opportunities in line with the Internal Control Framework.
Lead an effective, inclusive Finance team; build cohesion across two Finance sub-teams and foster a safe, respectful work environment.
Manage hybrid working arrangements equitably, ensuring remote and part-time team members have equal access to development, visibility, and recognition in accordance with UNOPS policy.
Embed diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives in PER/PRAs for Finance team members at ICS-10 and above, and include inclusive leadership competencies in training and development plans.
Lead budget and business planning in line with strategic and operational requirements; monitor budget implementation and resource use for NYPO administrative and LSS budgets.
Steward NYPO cluster management resources, ensuring timely cost recovery and adequate pricing.
Improve or develop costing and budgeting models to support resource planning in new projects and monitor NYPO performance against financial targets.