Portfolio Advisor

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.

Background Information – UNOPS

Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. It does this by providing sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

Background Information – Global Portfolios Office (GPO)

UNOPS GPO is a specialized unit that provides strategic oversight, operational guidance, and portfolio management for UNOPS' global projects. GPO works across the globe and comprises:

• The New York Portfolios Office, including the Sustainable Development cluster and the Peace and Security cluster;
• The Geneva Office, including hosted engagements, the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) team based in Vienna, and other global programmes.

By harnessing the collective expertise, resources, and networks of our Geneva and New York offices, and of the WEC team, GPO amplifies UNOPS impact in support of its strategic priorities and SDGs on a global scale.

The GPO works closely with major global partners and benefits from close links with the Geneva Office and the New York Board and External Relations Office

The Portfolio Advisor serves as a senior advisor and operational driver, aligning GPO's global portfolio objectives with corporate strategic priorities, operational excellence, and comprehensive risk management. The position reports directly to the GPO Deputy Director.

The incumbent is responsible for the alignment of GPO’s internal control and compliance environment with UNOPS policies and procedures, directing risk mitigation strategies, managing portfolio intelligence and executive reporting. Furthermore, the Portfolio advisor acts as a central resource and key advisory focal point for Support Services teams.

Impact of Results

The Portfolio Advisor’s strategic advisory, portfolio leadership, and management of GPO compliance and financial oversight frameworks directly impact GPO overall global delivery, operational efficiency, and financial viability. By providing high-level technical advice, instilling rigorous internal controls, and proactively managing risks, the incumbent significantly reduces success-failure margins. Consequently, this position directly reinforces the reputation, visibility, and credibility of GPO as an agile, accountable, and high-performing partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

1. Strategic Portfolio Delivery and Performance

• Oversee the formulation of GPO Annual Targets ensuring alignment with operational strategy, delivery standards, and engagement addition objectives.
• Lead and analyze GPO portfolio KPI performance across portfolios to identify performance gaps and advise senior management on strategic interventions.
• Drive GPO risk management processes, acting with portfolios to proactively identify, analyze, and mitigate strategic, financial, and operational risks.

2. Executive Monitoring, Business Intelligence and Reporting

• Actively monitor GPO issues logs, analyzing systemic operational bottlenecks, and enacting holistic corrective action plans to reinforce the internal control environment.
• Lead the preparation and synthesis of high-level executive reports, portfolio performance analyses, and strategic briefings for GPO senior governance.
• Drive innovation and digitization by leading the conceptualization, design, and deployment of advanced business intelligence dashboards and automated oversight tools, significantly reducing manual reporting overhead across global portfolios.
• Ensure all regular and ad-hoc corporate reporting requirements are met, maintaining high data integrity and strategic value.

3. Strategic Financial Management and Budget Advisory

• Provide comprehensive financial advisory for GPO Management Teams, overseeing the complete Administrative budget cycle, resource allocation, and budget reallocations and revisions.
• Prepare and provide timely and accurate strategic budget analyses and financial reports, ensuring maximum efficiency and optimization of financial resources, enabling data-driven decision-making by GPO.
• Establish and enforce rigorous financial data quality directing cross-portfolio interventions and coordination with finance teams to resolve critical data anomalies.
• Monitor and report on GPO financial targets and management expenditure, ensuring strict compliance with UNOPS financial regulations, rules, and the corporate accountability framework.

4. Quality Assurance, Risk Mitigation & Compliance

• Enforce and lead quality assurance reviews of high-value and high-risk operational documents submitted to GPO for executive approval, ensuring alignment with UNOPS Policy and Procedures.
• Direct the continuous monitoring and tracking of High-Stake / High-Risk projects, establishing active follow-up protocols and escalation pathways, and providing advisory to portfolios.
• Serve as the main Focal Point for all internal and external GPO audit exercises; lead audit preparedness, coordinate official responses, and direct the implementation of audit recommendations to resolve control gaps.
• Design and lead capacity-building and training initiatives for GPO personnel on portfolio management methodologies, UNOPS compliance rules, and risk management best practices.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in preferably in Business Administration, Finance and Project Management, or a related field with 9 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience is required

Required

• Relevant required experience is defined as experience in finance, risk management, internal controls, project management, operations etc.
• Knowledge of Google Suite applications and working with Big query is required.

Desired

• Prior experience working in international organizations, particularly within the UN system, is an advantage (desird).
• Prior experience in preparation of reports, dashboards and tools related to financial data and risk analysis is an asset.
• Experience working in multicultural teams is desired
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
• Certification in Project Management (PRINCE2, PMI, etc.) is an asset.

• 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.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• 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.