Finance Consultant

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women Financial Management Services (FMS), led by the Deputy Director of Financial Management, encompasses five specialized teams: Finance Section (Revenue & Asset Management), Virtual Global Service Centre (financial donor reporting and project closure), Financial Operations, Finance Country Office Support, and Regional Office Finance Specialists. The unit oversees strategic financial planning and management, including accounting, revenue management, treasury operations, internal controls, and corporate financial solutions. It provides critical financial reporting and risk advice to the Executive Director and Senior Management while representing UN Women in inter-agency and external financial policy forums. Additionally, the unit offers financial advisory support to headquarters, country and regional offices, covering project proposal guidance, donor agreement negotiations, audit management, reconciliations, and cost recovery. It ensures compliance through annual financial statements, donor reporting, account reconciliations, and asset and treasury oversight. Dedicated client support includes project closures, advance management, recruitment of finance staff, and induction training for new users. Capacity-building initiatives, such as regional training, country missions, webinars, and one-on-one guidance, further enhance financial management knowledge across the organization, ensuring alignment with UN Women’s strategic goals.

UN-Women’s accounting policies, effective from January 1, 2012, now follow the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). UN Women’s financial activities are governed by UN Women’s Financial Rules and Regulations, which have been in place since the inception of the entity in 2010. UN Women is currently undertaking a review and revision of the Financial Rules at the request of the Executive Board.

The consultant will report to the Deputy Director of Financial Management Section.

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Within the overall guidance of the Deputy Director of the UN Women Financial Management Services section, the consultant will be required to consult with the various key internal stakeholders concerned, as well as to have familiarity with other UN organizations’ Financial Regulations and Rules, and to consult for any additional information or clarification that may be needed from these entities to understand their practices.

The consultant must have independence to use professional judgment to interpret Financial Regulations and Rules, elaborate revision of the key texts, ensure coordination with all interested parties, provide strategic proposals, overview and policy documents.

He or she will be responsible for the following:

• Identifying points requiring clarification, redundancies between the Financial Rules, Regulations and Executive Board decisions.
• Identifying gaps between the Financial Regulations, Rules, and the objectives of the Organization.
• Proposing a harmonized, clear, and coherent revision of the Financial Regulations and Rules that are consistent with the UN Financial Regulations and Rules and like the Financial Regulations and Rules of UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA.
• Elaborating a proposal for changes required to the Financial Regulations and Rules prepared collaboratively with all relevant internal and external stakeholder; and
• Preparing an integrated set of Financial Regulations and Rules for consideration by the Executive Board

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This consultancy can be home-based or performed from UN Women’s offices in New York.  As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of 3 trips to New York.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Strong analytical and drafting skills
• Strong knowledge of UN system Financial Regulations and Rules
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Political skills/experience of liaison with member states.

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in law, Finance, Accounting / Business Administration, Economics or related field
• First-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:

• Seven years of relevant experience in Financial Regulations, legal structures of intergovernmental structures, financial management and/or internal controls or other directly relevant experience
• Experience in review or update of UN or International Organisations’ financial regulatory frameworks
• Legal and financial background

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of French or Spanish or any other UN official language is an asset.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)