Financial Verification and Reconciliation Senior Officer

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

Since 1995, UNOPS has maintained an active presence in Afghanistan, delivering efficient, agile services in support of both humanitarian response and development efforts. Prior to August 2021, the Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) implemented projects across a broad range of sectors, including infrastructure, procurement, capacity building, and environmental protection. In response to evolving humanitarian needs, AFCO has shifted its focus to supporting life-saving initiatives and basic human needs. Current priorities include managing large-scale cash-for-work programmes, procuring emergency supplies, and providing inter-agency coordination, communication, and accountability support.

The Financial Verification and Reconciliation Specialist will play a crucial role in the Afghanistan ADB Verification of Claims and Expenditures Project (VCEP). This project aims to verify outstanding claims from contractors, consultants, suppliers, and project management offices for works and services completed under ADB-financed projects prior to 15 August 2021. The Specialist will scrutinize financial documentation, assess expenditures, and reconcile amounts due, working closely with contract management specialists and sector teams to ensure accurate and eligible payments.

The Financial Verification and Reconciliation Specialist conducts substantive analysis, judges the validity of conclusions, and synthesizes proposals to meet demands related to the financial aspects of claims for payments under the Afghanistan ADB Verification of Claims and Expenditures Project (VCEP).

1. Verification of Claims from Contractors/Suppliers/Consultants  

• Collect and review the Withdrawal Applications (WAs), outstanding invoices, supporting documents, and requests for contract verifications, and assess whether expenditures were in accordance with the contracts’ terms and conditions, for the grants’ intended purposes, and eligible for financing.

• Review the advance payments disbursed to contractors/consultants/suppliers, and reconcile with the verified outstanding payments.

• Based on the review and verification of the outstanding invoices, and physical confirmation (by other team members) of the works, goods, and services, reconcile the amounts of the invoices, submitted by contractors, consultants and suppliers.

• In consultation with the Finance Specialist, Contract Management Specialist and Legal component of the team, identify the amount of taxes and other duties to be paid by contractors, consultants and suppliers eligible for inclusion in the claim. 

1. Reconciliation and Verification of Advance Accounts and Related Pending Liabilities  

• Collect and review the supporting documents available in the PMOs of Executing/Implementing Agencies (EA/IAs) to confirm the eligibility of expenses incurred by PMOs for the works, goods, and services, administrative expenses, and salaries financed from the projects’ advance accounts. 

• Identify unliquidated amounts from the advance accounts and contribute to securing EA/IAs confirmation that the unliquidated amounts will be returned.

• Reconcile the unliquidated balances with the fund balances as per bank statements of the advance accounts available in the banks and identification of any withdrawals or cash movements in the advance accounts after freeze periods.

• Determine the eligible amounts for liquidation against the project's advance accounts after verifying supporting documents for the payments made from the project's advance accounts 

• Verify the pending liabilities against advance accounts including PMO salaries, individual consultants’ claims and other PMO expenses.

• Confirm with the EA/IAs that there are no pending payments for the works and services.

• In collaboration with the VCEP’s safeguard team, review and verify the documentation available across stakeholders related to payments of eligible compensation made or to be made to the affected people for Land Acquisition and Resettlement (LAR), health and safety issues.

1. Knowledge Management and Innovation

• Support the implementation of new modules in the MIS enabling the processing and monitoring of payments to contractors/suppliers/consultants.

• Contribute to knowledge management activities to ensure that project experiences and learning are documented.

• Interact with the team to explain, in conformity to contracts, what data/type of information/ documentation is necessary to support the substantiation of the financial component of claims.

• Interact with the team to explain the process to follow in order to properly address the financial related aspects of the claims for payment.

• Brainstorm and collaborate with the team to create alternative ways of producing evidence or necessary documentation when standard documentation is not available.

• If required, along with team coordinators, support planning and coordination activities, and follow up on progress and quality of outputs  from team members.

• Support the supervisor in producing reports and other documentation necessary for internal UNOPS use and external stakeholder management.

• Participate in recruitment, work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.

• Perform any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Note: The nature of this role requires flexibility in adapting to team needs, as alignment of contract details, local conditions, local law(s), and other factors  may generate unexpected requirements.

Required

• Advanced University Degree (Master Degree or equivalent) in Finance, Management, Business/Public Administration, or other relevant discipline with 2 years of relevant experience. 

• A first-level University degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) in Finance, Management, Business/Public Administration, or other relevant discipline with 4 years of relevant experience.

Desired

• Professional qualifications such as CPA or CA

Required

• Minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in finance and accounting.

• Experience in the financial accounting component of claims, contract variations, liquidation of expenses, certification of works or equivalent. 

• Experience in implementing projects funded by International Financial Institutions (IFIs).

Desired

• Experience in developing countries or post-conflict environments. 

• Familiarity with the country context and programme/project regions.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that 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. 
• 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.

• 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.