Finance Associate

Job Highlight

Ensure efficient and compliant financial operations by providing accounting, budget administration, cash management, and financial reporting support, adhering to UNOPS financial rules and regulations.

About The Project Office

Since 1995, UNOPS has maintained an active presence in Afghanistan, delivering efficient, agile services in support of both humanitarian response and development efforts. Prior to August 2021, the Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) implemented projects across a broad range of sectors, including infrastructure, procurement, capacity building, and environmental protection. In response to evolving humanitarian needs, AFCO has shifted its focus to supporting life-saving initiatives and basic human needs. Current priorities include managing large-scale cash-for-work programmes, procuring emergency supplies, and providing inter-agency coordination, communication, and accountability support.

Role Purpose

Under the guidance and supervision of the Finance Senior Officer (ICS-9), the Finance Associate supports the provision of financial services, ensuring high quality, accuracy, and consistency of work. The Finance Associate promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UNOPS rules and regulations.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Budget Administration and Cost Recovery
• Support the preparation, monitoring and revision of project and office budgets, ensuring accuracy and alignment with UNOPS financial policies and donor/partner agreements.
• Prepare and maintain financial data and analysis on budget utilization, claims and invoices for management decision-making.
• Contribute to the preparation of verification reports, follow up with implementing agencies to obtain supporting documentation, and ensure proper recording in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and Management Information System (MIS).
• Prepare forecasts of payments verified and to be paid under PVEP and liaise with component leads to gather estimates.
• Assist in preparation of correspondence and reports in accordance with the set procedures.
• Provide inputs on the financial implications of operational plans and support the implementation of cost-saving and efficiency measures.
• Assist in project financial closure processes, ensuring accuracy and completeness of records in accordance with UNOPS project closure protocol
• Accounting and Payments
• Review and verify payment requests and supporting documents for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with approved budgets and UNOPS FRRs.
• Prepare and process vouchers (purchase orders, accounts payable, and journal vouchers) and execute pay cycles in the ERP system.
• Ensure timely and proper control and recording of supporting documents for payments and pending liabilities, goods receipt, service delivery, and accruals.
• Maintain an internal expenditure control system, ensuring transactions are properly matched, posted, and supported by adequate documentation.
• Process and reconcile accounts receivable and accounts payable, including follow-up with partners and projects on pending items.
• Perform monthly and quarterly account reconciliation, identifying and resolving discrepancies in coordination with project teams.
• Ensure timely month-end and year-end submission of required financial and progress reports.
• Respond promptly to queries to resolve financial data or audit issues.
• Cash and Treasury Management
• Review and monitor cash positions for local claimants to ensure sufficient funds for disbursements.
• Ensure the proper recording of receipts, invoices, and other supporting documents.
• Prepare monthly cash flow forecasts for expected disbursements and liaise with operations and project teams to gather cash requirement estimates.
• Conduct account reconciliations, ensuring accuracy and prompt resolution of variances.
• Initiate and record bank transfers, replenishments, and foreign exchange transactions in the ERP system/trackers.
• Financial Reporting and Analysis
• Prepare and review financial reports, verification reports, and management dashboards.
• Support preparation of variance analyses, cost distribution summaries, and project-level expenditure reconciliations.
• Participate in quarterly and annual financial closure activities, ensuring completeness and consistency of data.
• Support internal and external audit exercises, ensuring timely submission of documentation and clearance of audit findings.
• Analyze and prepare adjusting entries (GLJEs) and ensure accuracy of financial postings across projects.
• Initiate communication with claimants eligible for payments under PVEP to obtain information/documents required to process their payments.
• Support checking of partners/contractors and key personnel against sanction lists.
• Obtain confirmation from the donor on the sanction status of each partner/contractor.
• 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.
• Ensure full compliance with the verification methodologies and processes agreed with the donor and other stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with the data management SoPs, including documentation categories and naming conventions, etc.
  
  

• Secondary school diploma or equivalent.
  
  

• University degree (Bachelor's or Master's) in Business Administration, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field.
  
  

• Secondary School Diploma with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience in project operations, finance, HR, procurement, or administrative support.
• Bachelor’s Degree with a Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience.
  
  

• Experience working within a UN System organization. Direct experience managing operations or audit responses for large-scale donor-funded projects (e.g., ADB).
• Demonstrable proficiency in the use of collaboration tools and web-based ERP management systems is required.