About UN University (UNU)

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge, furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. UNU’s mission is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, United Nations University (UNU) has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU’s work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe. For more information, please visit http://unu.edu

About UNU-CENTRE

UNU Centre Administration is responsible for developing and implementing administrative policies governing the UNU and its global network of institutes and programmes. In addition, UNU Centre Administration provides services to internal clients in the areas of financial management, budgeting, human resources management, travel and procurement. It also oversees the joint inter-agency Oracle Cloud ERP platform, facilitating and supporting essential business processes. UNU Centre Administration is located in Tokyo, Japan, with a global services centre based in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Administration, the Consultant will take the lead in implementing the University’s Statement of Internal Control. Working closely with stakeholders across the University, the Consultant will develop a comprehensive internal control framework and related policies, identify controls for critical business processes, ensure thorough documentation and support continuous improvements efforts. The Consultant will also establish a robust internal control self-assessment framework, prepare the Statement of Internal Control, and provide training to business process owners and personnel. Additionally, this role may contribute to other enterprise risk and or/finance initiatives.

The Consultant’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following areas :

• Design an internal controls framework aligned with internationally recognized standards to support the University in mitigating risks, enhancing compliance, and improving the accuracy of financial reporting;
• Develop an Internal Control Policy and other necessary supplementary documents;
• Review and enhance ERP system controls, with a focus on segregation of duties and access controls, in consultation with process owners;
• Collaborate with stakeholders to document key business processes, risks, and controls; assess gaps against best practices, and recommend improvements to strengthen governance and control effectiveness;
• Develop and implement an Internal Control Self-Assessment (ICSA) framework, including tools, templates, and methodologies to ensure consistent self-assessment processes and reporting;
• Provide training to heads of offices and process owners on the ICSA framework, pilot it in select offices, gather feedback, and refine the tools and processes for full implementation;
• Deploy monitoring tools, including dashboards and KPIs, to track control effectiveness, and apply pragmatic solutions to drive continuous improvements and resolve issues;
• Develop user-friendly guides and training materials, and deliver training sessions to promote a culture of risk awareness, compliance, and enhance internal controls capabilities;
• Prepare the Statement of Internal Control (SIC), ensuring that the assertions are supported by evidence and that underlying controls are sufficiently reliable.

Key performance indicators

• Final versions of Internal Control Framework and related policies
• Documentation and implementation of the Internal Control Self-Assessment (ICSA) framework
• Delivery of user guides/materials and training sessions
• Final version of Statement of Internal Control
• Weekly progress updates and milestone reviews

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion — take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity
• Integrity — act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards
• Humility — demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others
• Humanity — act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet

Behaviours:

• Connect and collaborate — build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyse and plan — seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver results with positive impact — hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and develop — pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and innovate — demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways

1) Education and certification

• Master’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related discipline;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

2) Required skills and experience

• 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in audit, internal control or risk management roles
• Hands-on experience in identifying risks, evaluating the adequacy of controls, and recommending process improvements in accordance with international standards such as the COSO framework
• Ability to work independently with strong organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and able to work effectively across culture
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, etc). Experience with analytical tools such as Power BI is an asset.

3) Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset

Duration

The successful candidate will be retained under a Consultant Contract (CTC). Consultants engaged by UNU may not provide services for more than twenty-four (24) months in a thirty-six (36) month period.

UNU is not liable for any taxes that may be levied on the remuneration you receive under this contract. Payment of any such taxes remains the sole responsibility of CTC holders.

Remuneration

The consultant will work home-based on a full-time basis (20 days per month). Remuneration will be commensurate with experience and based on a daily rate to be submitted as part of the application procedure.

This contract carries no entitlement to paid annual leave nor sick leave.

Travel considerations

Should “mission travel” be required, UNU will pay for travel. However, this will be subject to the following prerequisites: Medical Clearance, Security Clearance through the Travel Request Information Process (TRIP) system, completion of the BSAFE online course, travel Visa, and liability waiver. Trip prerequisites will be met at the expense of the consultant.

Travel cost will be calculated based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel. Costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals must not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC at http://icsc.un.org).

Expected start date

1 March 2025 or earlier

How to Apply

To apply to UNU, you will not need an account. Instead, we ask that you:

• Apply via the apply link;
• fill out the UNU P11 Form (please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organisations);
• provide a motivation statement (in the P11 form); and
• answer a few questions that are tailored to the position.

You may wish to refer to the UN Values and Behaviours Framework for more information.

Application Deadline

26 January 2025

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a desk review and/or a competency-based interview, background checks and references.

Special notice

UNU does not sponsor a working visa for this position.

Consultants do not hold international civil servant status nor are they considered a “staff member” as defined in the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations.

UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply. Applications from developing countries, and from women are strongly encouraged.

UNU has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNU, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

If you have supervisory function you need to have awareness on gender related issues.

Information about UNU rosters

UNU reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNU.

Scam warning

UNU does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.