Finance Manager

Job Highlight

This role offers a unique opportunity to independently manage and adapt financial operations within a dynamic regional context, ensuring compliance and strategic financial oversight for critical projects. It provides a platform to lead financial teams, influence policy application, and contribute significantly to the integrity and transparency of UNOPS' mission in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

About The Group

The UNOPS Ukraine and Eastern Europe MCO (UEMCO) operates in Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland, supporting urgent humanitarian needs while building pathways for recovery and development. In Ukraine, UEMCO delivers large-scale infrastructure, energy, housing, education, and mine action projects in partnership with UN agencies, international financial institutions, the European Union, and bilateral donors. Its agile portfolio responds to fast-evolving needs with strong procurement and implementation capacity. In Moldova, UEMCO supports justice sector reform and is exploring opportunities to expand its role across public sector modernization and infrastructure. In Poland, UEMCO works with government and private sector actors to strengthen ties with UN procurement and contribute to Ukraine’s recovery, leveraging Poland’s EU experience to support Ukraine’s future accession and integration.

Role Purpose

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Support Services, the Finance Manager serves as the lead finance professional for UEMCO and advises the Head of Support Services, Country Director, senior management, project managers and support services personnel on financial management matters across Ukraine, Moldova and Poland.

The Finance Manager, an authoritative specialist, independently plans, manages, and oversees project and office financial operations. S/he provides authoritative advice on financial policies, adapts existing approaches to meet emerging needs, and ensures strict compliance with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRRs), IPSAS standards, and donor/partner requirements. The role involves leading a financial team, strengthening financial management capacity, and solving complex financial problems to ensure integrity, transparency, and effective resource utilization.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Budget Planning and Management

• Lead budget formulation, monitoring and revisions in line with UNOPS FRRs and project agreements, ensuring allocations support strategic objectives and operational efficiency.
• Lead consolidated financial planning and forecasting for the MCO portfolio and management budget, including analysis of delivery, income, expenditure, cost recovery, resource requirements and financial sustainability.
• Provide management with timely analysis of portfolio financial performance, highlighting funding gaps, delivery risks, under-recovery and other matters requiring corrective action.
• Ensure sound financial planning and control, including preparation of detailed budget variance analyses and expenditure forecasts.
• Implement internal control frameworks that ensure accurate processing of payment requests, timely and accurate recording of the receipt of goods and services, and maintenance of complete supporting documentation in the ERP system.
• Review and authorize budget revisions, ensuring they are supported by proper documentation and management approval.
• Advise management on cost-efficiency measures, resource optimization, and corrective actions to address budgetary gaps and risks.
• Drive continuous improvement in budget management tools, templates and reporting mechanisms.
  
  

Implementation of Project Financial Management

• Oversee the full cycle of project financial management, ensuring accurate accounting, effective control, and timely recording of contributions and expenditures.
• Lead the financial process mapping and development of internal standard operating procedures (SOPs), ensuring consistency and compliance across all project transactions.
• Advise project management on financial strategy, resource allocation, and risk mitigation, ensuring effective use of funds and alignment with project objectives.
• Conduct financial forecasting and scenario analysis, providing data-driven recommendations to meet project needs.
• Identify, assess and mitigate financial and operational risks, proposing corrective actions where necessary.
• Monitor financial exception reports for unusual transactions, investigate anomalies, and report findings to management.
• Ensure full compliance of project financial activities with UNOPS policies, audit standards, and IPSAS.
• Support audits and ensure the timely implementation of audit recommendations.
  
  

Cash Management and Treasury

• Oversee cash management operations to ensure liquidity and accuracy in fund allocation.
• Review daily, weekly and monthly cash positions to maintain sufficient balances for disbursements and manage the zero-balance and imprest accounts.
• Prepare cash flow forecasts for operational and project needs and ensure alignment with budget projections.
• Review or approve bank transfers and foreign exchange transactions, as applicable to the assigned system role and delegation of authority, while ensuring appropriate segregation of duties.
• Maintain strong relationships with local banking institutions and ensure compliance with national financial and banking regulations.
• Monitor operational advances, recoveries and petty cash accounts, ensuring timely reconciliation and closure.
• Conduct periodic treasury analyses and forecasting of income and expenditure trends to inform financial planning and risk management.
  
  

Commitments and Payments

• Ensure accuracy, validity and compliance of financial transactions, commitments and payments against budget allocations and contractual terms.
• Review and approve payment requests, verifying the completeness of supporting documentation and proper use of account codes.
• Ensure that transactions are properly recorded, reconciled and reported in the ERP system.
• Maintain control of accounts receivable and payable, ensuring timely recording and follow-up with clients, partners and donors.
• Support the establishment and implementation of an effective expenditure control framework, ensuring that vouchers are matched, verified, and cleared in accordance with financial rules.
• Manage financial data quality through ongoing review, reconciliation, and corrective action for unposted or exception items.
• Supervise timely accounts closure, including accruals, provisions and adjusting journal entries.
• Coordinate with HQ and Regional Office on complex payment or compliance issues and resolve financial data discrepancies.
  
  

Financial Reporting

• Prepare, review and analyze monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports for management and donors, ensuring accuracy and adherence to reporting timelines.
• Support the preparation of client financial statements, interim financial reports (IFRs), and delivery reports in line with contractual and audit requirements.
• Develop and maintain financial dashboards and reporting tools for portfolio oversight and performance analysis.
• Contribute to the annual financial closure process, ensuring all accounts are reconciled and adjustments made in compliance with UNOPS standards.
• Provide financial input and analysis for strategic reports, audits and evaluations.
• Lead or support the implementation of audit recommendations and contribute to internal and external financial reviews.
• Advise project managers on donor financial requirements and support the timely preparation and review of financial reports, expenditure statements and other financial information required under project agreements.
  
  

Advisory and Cost Recovery

• Provide expert guidance to field and project finance teams to ensure consistency and compliance.
• Review project agreements, budgets, and classifications to ensure proper cost attribution and cost recovery (Local shared services (LSS), global shared services (GSS) and management expenses (ME)).
• Conduct financial reviews of project expenditures to ensure complete and accurate cost attribution and recovery in accordance with approved pricing, project agreements and UNOPS policies, and to prevent financial losses.
• Advise management on financial accountability mechanisms, including full-cost recovery and spending limit oversight.
• Provide advisory support on operational advances, petty cash, and fund management modalities, ensuring efficiency and risk control.
• Strengthen financial closure processes, ensuring all commitments, receivables and payables are reconciled and accurately reported
• Provide financial input to the development and review of new engagements, including budgets, pricing, resource requirements, cost-recovery arrangements, cash-flow assumptions and financial risks.
  
  

Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Support the organization, facilitation and delivery of training and learning sessions on finance topics.
• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing insights and lessons learned.
• Conduct research on finance-related topics and contribute to the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes.
  
  

Team Leadership and Capacity Building

• Lead and supervise the Finance team, ensuring effective work planning, allocation of responsibilities, performance management, coaching and professional development.
• Promote consistent application of financial policies, controls and procedures across the MCO and provide technical oversight and guidance to project finance personnel.
• Foster collaboration between Finance, Programme, Project Management and other support services functions to ensure timely and client-oriented delivery of financial services.
  
  

Education Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required
  
  

Desired

• Professional certification in accounting (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CIMA) is desired.
  
  

Required

Experience Requirements

• A progressively responsible experience in financial management, accounting, or related fields.
• Experience must include managing financial operations, budgeting, financial reporting, and ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
• Experience supervising a team is required.
  
  

Desired

• Experience with UN/UNOPS financial systems (e.g., OneUNOPS, SAP).
• Experience in a humanitarian or development context.