Chief, Special Assignment Section (Office of Audit and Investigations)

The Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) reports to the Administrator and is responsible for internal audit and investigations services to UNDP and its affiliated entities. OAI provides independent, objective assurance on the effectiveness of risk management and the effectiveness and adequacy of internal controls. OAI has a decentralized organizational structure with the Directorate, the Investigations Section, the Headquarters Audit Section, the Special Assignments Section and other units located at Headquarters and with Regional Audit Centres (RAC) located in the five regions covered by UNDP. Under the guidance and supervision of the Director, OAI and, as far as the NGO/NIM audit process is concerned, of the Deputy Director (Audit), the Chief, Special Assignments Section (SAS) manages the following internal audit services: inter-agency audits, audits of Multi Donor Trust Funds, cross-cutting audits, special audits and reviews, management of the audit exercise for nationally implemented projects. Many of these audits involve travel, including to hardship duty stations. He/she develops working relationships with management and stakeholders in order to improve risk management and internal controls and promote effectiveness and efficiency of operations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific client service responsibilities include: Comprehensive audits of Multi Donor Trust Funds administered by UNDP; Joint or coordinated audits of joint UN programmes and activities; Audits of corporate-wide cross-cutting themes; Planning and review of the annual audits of nationally implemented projects (“NGO/NIM audits”); Act as focal point for Global Fund audits, which involves liaison and coordination on Global Fund audit matters with other UNDP units and Global Fund counterparts; Special audits and reviews; Advisory services. General Management: As a member of the OAI management team, contributes to or takes the lead in new strategic initiatives, and in the continuous improvement of audit processes and methodologies, in particular in the area of inter-agency audit cooperation and audits of Global Fund grants; As Chief of the Section, effectively manages human resources assigned, including; providing support to staff in the achievement of their career goals, ensuring appropriate learning and development, and actively participating in planning and assessing staff performance. General accountabilities include: Achieving the results and outputs for the Section, as documented in the OAI Annual Work Plan; Establishing and maintaining an effective quality control over the activities and outputs of the Section, to ensure that they conform with professional standards as well as UNDP and OAI policies. Client Services: Oversees and guides audit teams in conducting audits of the portfolio assigned. This involves planning, managing, and occasionally directly participating in the audits, ensuring their proper execution including quality control procedures; Coordinates audit work with the Internal Audit Services of other UN organizations and takes a lead in inter-agency audit activities; Assumes a lead role in preparing summaries of audit results, best practices and lessons for presentation or dissemination to UNDP managers and other key stakeholders; Prepares consolidated or cross-cutting audit reports; Provides advisory services on issues related to audit, risk management and internal controls; Represents OAI in the group of Representatives of UN Internal Audit Services and in various UNDP meetings and working groups on corporate issues; Monitors the implementation of audit recommendations, in particular those resulting from inter-agency audits, validates follow up information provided by management and ensures data uploaded into the Comprehensive Audit and Recommendation Database System (CARDS) are accurate. Other activities: Participates in the medium-term and annual planning of OAI activities; As focal point for Global Fund audit matters, contributes to policies, procedures and methodologies for Global Fund audits and provides advice to OAI’s Global Fund audit teams, ensuring a consistent audit approach; Develops and implements an audit risk assessment model for joint UN activities; Maintains and further develops the audit risk assessment model for NGO/NIM projects; Develops an appropriate audit approach for the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) and manages the transition to the HACT audit and assurance regime; Coordinates activities in the field with the Chiefs of the Regional Audit Centres; Identifies cross-cutting themes for OAI audits and takes the lead in coordinating such issues; Maintains close working relations with counterparts in other United Nations system audit services and with the UN Board of Auditors; Builds and maintains close working relations with UNDP managers and UN system counterparts, including at the senior level; Contributes to workshops and training on risk management, internal controls and audit disseminating lessons learned from audits; Promotes the use of performance audit techniques within OAI; Participates in the implementation of his/her personal learning and training development plan; Performs any other tasks as requested by the Director and Deputy Director (Audit).

Competencies

Core Values & Ethics: Demonstrates integrity and fairness; Displays cultural sensitivity; Shows strong corporate commitment; Complies with UNDP regulations, rules, and the United Nations Standards of Conduct. Leadership: Focuses on client impact and results; Takes initiative and calculated risks; Leads team effectively; Displays positive attitude/enthusiasm; Takes decisions. Managing Relations: Builds strong client relationships; Builds strong external relationships; Communicates clearly and convincingly; Manages conflict and stress. Managing Complexity: Leads development of clear strategies; Manages projects effectively; Develops innovative solutions; Handles multiple tasks; Establishes priorities. Building & Sharing Knowledge: Actively builds deep knowledge in one or more areas; Makes valuable practice contributions; Applies existing knowledge to work; Provides advice & support to others. Learning and People Development: Provides constructive coaching and feedback; Acts as long-term mentor for others; Promotes a learning environment; Acts on personal learning plan. Professional: Demonstrates ability to manage and/or perform the following services: Comprehensive audits of Headquarters business units; Comprehensive audits of corporate functions; Performance (value-for-money) audits; Information and Communications Technology audits; Project audits; Advisory services. Technical: Demonstrates ability to use the following tools: Microsoft Office suite; Electronic working paper software; Computer assisted audit techniques (ACL or IDEA); Enterprise Resource Planning systems.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Statistics, Law, or related field; A first level degree in combination with a certification as Chartered Accountant or Certified Public Accountant may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree; Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation desirable; Additional professional certifications (CISA, CFE) are an advantage. Experience: A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in audit or another directly relevant area, several of which in internal audit; Working experience in an International Organization is desirable; Field experience is an advantage; Experience in performance (value-for-money) auditing is required. Language Requirements: Fluency in English; Proficiency in French or Spanish is desirable; Knowledge of other United Nations official languages is an advantage. IMPORTANT: HOW TO APPLY The application should contain duly completed and signed Personal History Form (P11), which can be downloaded from www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc . The form should be uploaded to your online application in lieu of CV. If you experience technical issues uploading your P11 form during the online application, please send it jobs.oai@undp.org indicating your name and post title in the e-mail subject field. Please note that: • applications without P11 form will not be considered; • applications should be submitted in English language.

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UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Chief, Special Assignment Section (Office of Audit and Investigations)