Senior Manager, Investigation (Fraud)

The Internal Audit and Investigations Group (IAIG) provides independent assurance and oversight to strengthen UNOPS’ governance, risk management, and internal controls, while ensuring accountability through impartial investigations of misconduct. Our internal audit function delivers assurance engagements across field offices and HQ units, advisory reviews of functions, processes, and cross-cutting themes, and targeted project audits - both financial and operational. We also offer ad hoc advisory services to management on strategic matters. Our investigation mandate covers credible allegations involving UNOPS personnel, including fraud, corruption, mismanagement, abuse of authority, sexual or workplace harassment, retaliation against whistleblowers, and violations of UNOPS regulations, rules, or administrative instructions. Through these core functions, IAIG helps safeguard organizational integrity, promote ethical conduct, and enhance operational effectiveness—ensuring that UNOPS delivers its mandate with transparency, fairness, and accountability.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Director, Internal Audit & Investigations, the Senior Manager, Investigation (Fraud) is responsible for originating new policies, approaches, and standards for UNOPS' fraud and corruption investigative portfolio. The incumbent leads the fraud investigations team, providing authoritative advice and driving improvements in investigative methodologies and institutional risk mitigation strategies to ensure timely, impartial, and legally sound investigations.

1. Fraud Investigation Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Provide strategic leadership for the Fraud investigative portfolio, including monitoring caseloads, establishing priorities, determining investigative strategies and methodologies, and ensuring the timely delivery of investigation services.

2. Team Leadership & Performance Management

• Manage and supervise the Fraud investigations team, including work planning, case allocation, performance management, coaching, quality assurance, and the professional development of investigators.
• Provide functional supervision and quality assurance for personnel responsible for donor reporting and external disclosures relating to fraud and corruption investigations.
• Foster a culture of professionalism, ethical conduct and adherence to IAIG investigative guidelines and international best practices, setting standards of professional conduct and performance across the Fraud investigations team.

3. Investigative Oversight & Quality Assurance

• Lead and oversee complex fraud and corruption investigations, including defining investigation plans, directing investigative activities, managing interviews, assessing documentary, financial and electronic evidence, and ensuring investigations are conducted in accordance with UNOPS policies, applicable investigative standards and IAIG investigative guidelines.
• Review allegations within the Fraud portfolio, provide technical guidance to the IAIG intake function, advise on preliminary assessments, and recommend investigation, referral or closure, ensuring consistency and quality of case management.
• Prepare and review investigation reports, ensuring the quality, legal sufficiency, procedural integrity and consistency of investigation products, findings and recommendations.
• Provide oversight and technical guidance to the forensic audit team, including reviewing outputs, ensuring methodological soundness, and integrating forensic audit findings into fraud investigations, as appropriate.
• Oversee investigations involving allegations of procurement fraud, financial misconduct, embezzlement, collusion, bribery, conflicts of interest, and other violations of UNOPS regulations, rules and administrative instructions involving UNOPS personnel, consultants, implementing partners, and other affiliated individuals.
• Safeguard the impartiality, objectivity and independence of investigative processes, ensuring investigations are conducted without undue influence or conflicts of interest.
• Ensure the accuracy and reliability of investigative evidence, the credibility of analysis and findings, and the impartiality of conclusions reached across the Fraud investigative portfolio.
• Prepare and review investigation reports, ensuring they are timely, comprehensive, succinct and legally sound, with accurate evidence, credible analysis, impartial conclusions and recommendations consistent with applicable investigative standards.

4. Institutional Risk Management & Policy Development

• Contribute to the development, implementation and continuous improvement of IAIG investigative policies, procedures, methodologies and guidance relating to fraud and corruption investigations.
• Monitor and analyze investigation trends, identify systemic fraud and corruption risks, and recommend institutional measures to strengthen internal controls, accountability and fraud prevention.
• Advise the Director, Internal Audit & Investigations on institutional risks and appropriate mitigation measures identified through fraud and corruption investigations, supporting informed decision-making and institutional risk management.

5. Strategic Advisory & Stakeholder Engagement

• Advise the Director, Internal Audit & Investigations, senior management and other stakeholders on investigation strategy, institutional risks, corrective measures and policy matters relating to fraud, corruption and other financial or integrity-related misconduct.
• Provide authoritative technical expertise on complex investigative matters, supporting sound decision-making and the consistent interpretation and application of applicable investigative standards and institutional requirements.
• Promote organizational awareness and prevention of fraud and corruption through engagement with relevant stakeholders, including Finance, Procurement, Legal, People & Culture (HR), and external partners, identifying emerging risks, trends and lessons learned.
• Represent IAIG in engagements with UN entities, donors, implementing partners, national law enforcement authorities and other external stakeholders on fraud and corruption matters, exchanging information in accordance with applicable disclosure frameworks and legal guidance.

6. Knowledge Management and Innovation

• Contribute to the development and introduction of innovation to ensure UNOPS is continually incorporating best practice approaches in fraud investigation.

Required:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s equivalent) in law, accounting or other related disciplines with 7 years of relevant experience, OR, a first-level university degree in any of the above disciplines with 9 years of relevant experience.
  

Desirable:

• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or equivalent professional qualification from an internationally-recognized body is strongly desired.

Required:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in professional investigatory work, law enforcement/criminal investigations or related fields.

• Experience with conducting, managing and overseeing international investigations is required.

Desirable:

• Experience with UN policies, procedures and operations is desirable.

• 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.