External & Internal Vacancy: Senior Finance Associate, GS7, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire #103174

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package. Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF. For every child, the right to a hero ! Organizational Context and Purpose for the job The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations. JOB ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT Purpose for the job The Senior Finance Associate will be responsible for providing a variety of specialized tasks in finance functions, ensuring accurate and timely delivery that is in compliance with UNICEF financial rules and regulations, whilst demonstrating the capacity to research, adapt and evaluate irregular cases, and also to recommend improvements to process delivery and design. How can you make a difference? Key Functions, Accountabilities And Related Duties/tasks. At the G-7 level, the tasks below are expected to be carried out with a high level of independence. Provide support and oversight to transactional teams. Provide technical expertise, proficiency and procedural oversight to transactional teams ensuring consistent adherence to standards, policies, and best practices based on substantial subject-matter knowledge. Exercise a high degree of autonomy in leading stream-specific project implementations and cross-functional initiatives with internal and external stakeholders. Ensure accurate representation of business units’ needs in relevant projects and forums, reflecting a broad scope and impact of support services. Ensure timely and quality reporting of incidents and facilitate efficient resolution in line with service quality expectations. Monitor the performance of transactional teams, identify gaps, ensure quality control, and address recurring issues proactively. Lead the development and maintenance of critical process documentation, ensuring alignment with evolving business needs and compliance standards. Enable informed decision-making. Provide data-driven insights and reports to drive change and support informed decision making. Proper handling and protection of sensitive and confidential information in line with data privacy rules and internal controls. Monitor trends in process performance and suggest adjustments or optimizations based on findings. Offer high-level insights into operational risks, challenges, and strategic opportunities ensuring informed decision-making across functional areas. Identify systemic risks and present well-structured mitigation strategies that address root causes and anticipate future bottlenecks. Drive process improvement. Lead or actively contribute to business solution initiatives that generate upstream value. Take ownership of relevant internal project delivery, ensuring end-to-end delivery with minimal supervision, including pilot implementation of processes. Identify and resolve technical or process-related bottlenecks that hinder transactional processing, act as a key contributor in diagnosing areas where technical solutions would improve business performance proposing practical, innovative solutions. Independently conduct root cause for recurring issues and identify areas for process redesign. Leverage high-level technical and procedural knowledge to recommend