The Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA) was established on 20 October 2021 as a pooled funding instrument to help address basic human needs across Afghanistan, in complementarity to the ongoing humanitarian assistance. The Fund ultimately seeks to support vulnerable Afghan communities withstand, in a sustainable manner, the multiple crises that arose from the new operating environment that came into place after the powershift of August 2021. The Trust Fund Management Unit (TFMU) is the Fund Secretariat for STFA: it is the entity responsible for the operational functioning of the Fund and provides technical and management support to the STFA’s Steering Committee (SC). TFMU works under the direction of, and reports directly to, the STFA SC and its Chair, the UN Resident Coordinator; UNDP CO Afghanistan provides operational and logistical support to the unit for its day-to-day administration.
Duties and Responsibilities
Ensures implementation of operational and financial management strategies, and adapts processes and procedures, focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Provide coordination and technical support to all the STFA PUNOs relating to financial management and reporting of the Trust Fund, including development of results-based budgeting systems for the joint programme.
- Full compliance of financial processes, financial recording/reporting system, and audit recommendations
- Continuous analysis and monitoring of the financial situation, presentation of cash flow forecasts for the Trust Fund and oversight for all resources managed by the Trust Fund and provision of high-quality professional advice to the management.
- Ensure timely fund transfer to the PUNOs and liaise with the MPTFO for disbursement to the PUNOs.
- Monitor accurate, completeness and timely preparation of a comprehensive set of management, operational and statutory reports.
- Elaboration and implementation of cost saving and reduction strategies.
- Routinely monitors financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigates anomalies or unusual transactions.
- Organization and oversight of Trust Fund cash management processes, including liquidity management, risk assessment, timely accounting and reconciliation of all transactions.
- Support results-based budgeting of the projects in line with corporate and Trust Fund requirements and ensure collection of reliable financial records.
- Lead implementation of effective mechanisms for financial monitoring of the programmes and projects and provide technical advice on financial management, interpretation and analysis to review/verify PUNOs/MPTF financial reports, improve quality of recording and reporting system.
- Lead quarterly and annual reporting using inputs from the joint programmes for dissemination to the donor community, Participating UN Organizations and other key stakeholders.
- Ensure proper and timely project closure as well as timely refund of the unspent balances to the MPTFO/donors.
- Ensure there is no unrecorded expenditure left against a particular donor.
- Support to maintain a ‘watch list’ for risk areas and provide risk management support to the Integrated Risk Management Unit team.
- Provide financial-data related support to the Third Party Monitoring.
- Provide operations related administrative support, contract management and ensure timely payment of all types of invoices received from the suppliers
- Extend support in exploring for non-traditional resource mobilization (e.g. digital fundraising/ crowdfunding initiatives)
- Attend all TFMU meetings (SC, Donors, TCWG and PUNOs) and take notes on financials issues.
Coordinate implementation of results-based budgeting and ensures management of the budgets focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Financial resources management through planning, guiding, controlling of the resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations, allocation strategy as well as MPTF guidance.
- Prepare financial schedules and reports; monitors effective and timely execution of the accounting activities for all contributions and other related income, as well as for treasury accounting for Trust Fund finances.
- Review PUNO budgets and ensure monitoring the delivery of the PUNOs, ensure that all the financial transactions are recorded and verified in compliance with IPSAS as outlined in the corporate policies and procedures.
- Timely reviewing of PUNOs financial delivery, analysis of budget vs expenditures, and to guide PUNOs on financial management of STFA fund.
- Review and analysis of PUNOs budget revision requests and ensure compliance with STFA Operations Manual to ensure minimum operations cost allocated.
- Review AWP of the TFMU and provide technical support for budget entry into Quantum.
- Elaboration of proper mechanisms to eliminate deficiencies in budget management
- Establish and implement a system for regular financial monitoring and spot checks and follow up on the implementation of recommendations by the PUNOs implementing the projects funded by the Trust Fund.
- Ensure consolidated periodical financial reports (monthly/quarterly/annual) are prepared in line with established requirements and in a timely manner
- Other tasks as requested by the Trust Fund Manager or Finance Specialist
Maintains revenue management system; maintaining donor contribution agreements; development of donor profiles and updating of the pipeline table:
- Contribute in reviewing of Standard Administrative Arrangement / cost sharing and trust fund agreements to ensure compliance with corporate policies and procedures.
- Assist in analyzing and researching on donors’ information, identification of opportunities for cost-sharing on donors, preparation of donor’s profile.
- Follow up on the resource mobilization activities, income and reporting schedules and assist on timely donor reporting.
- Provide advice on different donor reporting requirements; monitoring of financial reports to be submitted to donors.
- Ascertain and monitoring donor reporting requirements, ensuring that donor reports meet donors’ informational needs.
Knowledge sharing and management:
- Regularly update STFA allocation strategy paper and support compliance with the Trust Fund financial reporting and programme management by reviewing joint programme documents, AWPs and other relevant documents and suggesting any mitigating measures, where required.
- Support implementation of relevant trainings related on reporting, financial monitoring and management.
- Support the Participating UN organizations in preparation of various financial reports for joint the UNSFA and STFA.
- Collaborate and coordinate with focal points of the Participating UN organizations other teams on financial management and project management.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.
Competencies
Core competencies:
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
- System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Business Management
- Having ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity;
- The ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment
- Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
- Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
- Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns
Finance
- Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, regulations, policies and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.
- Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP’s long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and reporting
- Ability to address audit issues raised in the course of an audit and propose solutions in order to ensure a true and fair audit opinion is achieved.
- Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- A professional accounting qualification from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy.
- Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited.
- Candidates satisfying the two above criteria are exempted from undertaking the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT).
- Candidates with MBA or Master’s in Finance with no accountancy qualification but with relevant experience.
Experience:
- 2 years experience in providing financial management services, and/or managing staff and operational systems.
- Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.)
- Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is required for external candidates.
- Previous work experience in trust fund finance management is highly desirable.
- Previous experience with multi-million joint programmes or large programme portfolios is highly desirable.
- Prior experience of donor contribution management is highly desirable.
- Working experience with diverse and multi-cultural teams is desirable.
Required languages:
- Fluency in English – both written and oral is required.
- Fluency in the national language, Dari and/or Pashto is required.
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