Head of Internal Audit

Background Information - Job-specific

The Internal Audit and Investigations Group (IAIG) Director reports directly to the Executive Director of UNOPS, and is responsible for providing audit, investigation, and related advisory services. The Head of Internal Audit reports to the Director of IAIG and will lead the team in ensuring that UNOPS continues to achieve high standards of good governance, risk management, and accountability. IAIG conducts internal audits to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of UNOPS governance and risk management as well as controls.
IAIG supports UNOPS in ensuring:
(a) Achievement of the organization’s strategic objectives;
(b) Adequacy and effectiveness of risk identification and prioritization, determination of risk tolerance and efficiency and effectiveness of control processes in mitigating residual risks;
(c) Effectiveness, economy and efficiency of operations and programs;
(d) Safeguarding of assets;
(e) Compliance with applicable regulations, rules, policies, procedures, and contracts.

IAIG internal audit activity adds value to the organization and its stakeholders by providing objective and relevant assurance and advice, and by contributing to the effectiveness and efficiency of governance, risk management, and control processes using a systematic, disciplined, and risk-based approach.

The Head of Internal Audit will be expected to interact closely with the Head of Investigations and their team. IAIG leads investigations into alleged fraud, corruption, waste of resources, abuse of authority or other misconduct, and violations of UNOPS regulations, rules, and administrative instructions. Ensuring close cooperation and timely information sharing between the Audit and Investigations Sections will better prevent misconduct and strengthen the internal control environment.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Director, IAIG, the Head of Internal Audit will:

Summary of key functions:

1. Strategic development

2. Quality assurance

3. Knowledge management and innovation

4. Team Leadership
   1. Strategic development:
   

5. Develop the risk-based annual Internal Audit Plan, monitor it, and update IAIG’s plan during the year based on a continuous risk assessment.

Submit the risk assessment and annual work plan to the Director of IAIG

Ensure the execution of the annual Internal Audit Plan. This includes the coordination of up to 10 internal audits, up to 10 advisory engagements, and the management of up to 60 project audits per year.

Lead and/or coordinate the planning and execution of audit field missions for different types of engagements at selected locations, as well as UNOPS HQ.

Develop findings, and agree on management action plans and timelines for implementation of corrective and preventive actions with the auditees.

Ensure proper monitoring of the implementation status via the internal Audit and Oversight Recommendations (AUDITOR) tool.

Coordinate the resources allocation and track engagements completion according to the internal KPIs.
2. Quality assurance:

Quality assure audit reports and oversee the audit team in order to ensure they meet the highest possible standard required under public reporting.

Ensure the use of standard audit work papers, audit programs, and innovative tools such as data analytics.

Cooperate with the Investigation Section to identify control gaps that allowed misconduct to occur and propose relevant remedial action.

Provide advice to other departments in relation to potential exposures to fraud, corruption, and other inappropriate practices.

Monitor the Quality Assurance and Improvement Plan and ensure timely and regular update

Organize and coordinate periodic quality self-assessment

Organize and coordinate the mandatory periodic External Quality Assurance exercise.

Conduct special assignments such as management reviews, and consulting projects, provide support to the Investigations section, and coordinate training workshops.

Be a catalyst for strategic initiatives. This includes capacity building within UNOPS to better mitigate fraud and corruption.

Liaise with sister UN agencies, Clients, Donors, Partners, and Board of Auditors. Joint Inspection Unit and International Financial Institutions. Exchange information where permitted.

Be willing to continuously innovate IAIG’s work plan with better practices and initiatives.

Liaise and work closely with the IAIG Donor reporting specialist.
4. Team Leadership:

Establish the annual work plan for the Internal Audit Team in collaboration with the Director Internal Audit & Investigations and stakeholders. Set objectives, performance measurements, standards and results expected.

Monitor implementation of the team’s annual work plan, oversee progress and ensure delivery of results as planned and according to expectation.

Promote teamwork and collaboration by providing the team with clear direction, objectives and guidance to enable them to perform their duties responsibly, effectively and efficiently.

Plan, recruit and develop a flexible workforce with the skills and competencies needed to ensure optimum performance and ensure gender and geographical diversity.

Foster a positive work environment, respectful of all, and ensure that the highest standards of conduct are observed.

Provide guidance and mentoring for personnel within the Internal Audit team to promote their professional growth, motivation, and satisfaction of personnel while ensuring appropriate personal development and succession planning.

Identify training needs and ensure gaps identified are addressed through a proper coaching and training plan.

Impact of Results:

IAIG contributes to UNOPS’ results by continuously assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of its business lines and the level of acceptable risk associated with business opportunities. It also contributes to the improvement of governance, risk management, and control processes. Furthermore, IAIG leads the Executive Director's investigations into alleged misconduct: remediating funds where possible, helping to prevent and detect future waste and abuse, and strengthening internal and external stakeholder confidence in UNOPS.

Advanced University degree (Masters or equivalent) in Accounting, Auditing or Finance is required.

First level degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in combination with additional two years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.

Certification: Professional certification in a related field such as Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) is highly desired.
Experience

10 years of professional experience in Auditing.

Within these 10 years, a minimum of 5 years managing an audit team

Experience leading, planning, and executing audits

Previous experience within a UN organization, International Financial Institution, or Big 4 audit firms is desirable.

Knowledge of Project management tool , MS ProjectTM or similar team management tools, TeammateTM Audit Software, and related CAAT’s are considered an asset. Familiarity with ERP is considered a plus.

Experience in leading or supervising data analytics teams is an asset.

Experience in artificial intelligence is considered as a plus.

Experience in IT and cyber security audit is considered as a plus.

Experience in forensic audit is considered as a plus

Language Requirements

Fluency in written and spoken English.

Working knowledge of another United Nations language such as French or Spanish is an asset.

Contract type: Staff
Contract level: P5
Contract duration: Fixed-term staff contract - 'One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability'

For more details about United Nations staff contracts, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/UN-Staff-Contracts.aspx

Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

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.

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.