Operations & Finance Specialist

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners by providing quality servces, integrated solutions and management support through strategic, cost-effective and results-oriented approches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

Launched in 2020, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) was established as a coalition to mobilize new sources of public and private finance to safeguard the world’s most climate-resilient coral reefs—coral refugia—and prevent their collapse. The GFCR mission is to enhance the resilience of coral reef ecosystems, communities and economies by unlocking new public and private resources that accelerate sustainable businesses and finance solutions (reef-positive solutions).

GFCR applies a blended finance approach that sequences different forms of capital to support coral reef conservation, economic, and community resilience outcomes. The approach combines grant funding, technical assistance, concessional finance, risk-sharing structures, and private investment to address constraints from early pipeline development through scale. At later stages, commercial and near-commercial capital can support expansion of proven reef-positive enterprises and larger-scale investment opportunities.

The GFCR supports reef-positive businesses and financial solutions across four core investment pathways: Sustainable Ocean Production; Sustainable Coastal Development; Circular Economy and Pollution Management; and Financial Mechanisms. Complementing these investment pathways, GFCR also advances a broader systems-change agenda by leveraging lessons learned from its portfolio and global coalition to promote ocean finance innovation, influence international policy processes, strengthen enabling environments, and catalyze the replication and scaling of reef-positive finance solutions.

Under the oversight of the Deputy Director, the Operations & Finance Specialist provides operational support to the GFCR Secretariat. The position supports the effective planning and delivery of Secretariat and programmatic operations.

The role helps ensure effective delivery across the Secretariat through operational support (HR, Travel, Procurement), and financial monitoring of the secretariat and the Fund budget including monitoring portfolio and project financial status.

Summary of key functions:

1. Programme operations

2. Fund operations

3. Financial reporting

4. Administrative support

1. Programme operations

• Ensure guidance to Recipient UN and Non-UN Organizations on operational process requirements as laid out in the relevant Operations Manual.

• Supports as needed the coordination of Non-UN Organizations due diligence processes.

• Facilitate the implementation of the GFCR workplan in accordance with UNOPS Project Management Methodology (PMM) and ensure that all organizational policies are complied with (Organizational Directives and Organizational Instructions);

• Monitor and supervise all aspects of operations to ensure compliance with corporate strategies, UNOPS rules, regulations, policies, and standards of accountability, ethics, and integrity, and achievement of results;

• Keep abreast of best practices that can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of hosted entity’s operations;

• Perform other functions as necessary for the effective operation of the hosted entity.

2. Fund operations

• Leads coordination and liaises with the Administrative Agent (UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office) to ensure accurate and timely grant transfers to recipient organizations.

• Oversees due diligence assessments for non-UN partners as required.

• Contribute to the annual narrative reports and other reports as required.

• Supports file management.

• Ensure maintenance of the UNGT Work Plan as needed.

3. Financial management and reporting

• Lead the review of financial expenditure reports submitted by GFCR implementing partners.

• Lead coordination and follow-up with partners on missing information, clarifications, or revisions required for financial reporting.

• Lead consolidation of financial reporting inputs for Secretariat review and governance processes as needed.

• Coordinate the development and monitoring of budgets and allocations for GFCR.

• Ensure the availability of required financial reports, investigate anomalies, and monitor financial projections. Reinforce the secretariat’s compliance with established policies, plans, guidelines, and UNOPS procedures.

4. Administrative Support

• Liaise with UNOPS on procurement, HR, travel, logistics, and other administrative processes for the GFCR Secretariat, in line with UNOPS rules and regulations.

• Supports travel planning and coordination, including mission-related documentation, travel requests, and follow-up.

Required

• Master's degree or equivalent in Public Administration, Public Policy, MBA finance, accounting and/or other relevant related field.

• Bachelor’s degree in the aforementioned areas with 2 years of additional relevant experience is accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Required:

• A minimum of five years of relevant experience in operations, financial reporting, project management support, or related functions is required.
• Proven experience in budget management.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems such as ERP.
• Experience in developing workplans and meeting planning.
• Experience in financial proposal and/or reporting writing.
• Experience coordinating across a variety of geographically dispersed stakeholders.

Desired:

• Experience in organizing events or complex field missions, including planning, logistics and reporting.
• Experience working with the UN system or multilateral development agency.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
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• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.