Portfolio Advisor

UNOPS; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

UNOPS seeks a Portfolio Advisor to align GPO’s global portfolio objectives with corporate strategy, risk management, and robust internal controls. You will provide senior management with high-level technical advice, executive reporting, and data-driven decision support.

The role focuses on strategic budget analyses, financial oversight, and continuous improvement of compliance frameworks across global portfolios, reporting to the GPO Deputy Director.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance and Project Management, or related field with 9 years of relevant experience.
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in above fields with 7 years of relevant experience is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight of portfolio performance and governance.
• Lead risk management and internal controls across GPO portfolios.
• Prepare executive reports and dashboards for senior management.
• Advise on budgetary allocation and financial planning within UNOPS policies.
• Coordinate audits, compliance reviews and implementation of audit recommendations.
• Drive digitalization by developing advanced BI dashboards and automated reporting tools.

Skills

Finance

Risk management

Internal controls

Project management

Operations

Google Suite

BigQuery

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/Finance/Project Management

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

Google Suite

BigQuery

Job description

Job Highlight

Drive strategic oversight of UNOPS’ global portfolios through performance analysis, business intelligence, financial advisory, risk management and quality assurance, providing senior management with the insights and tools needed for effective, compliant and data-driven decision-making.

Role Purpose

The Portfolio Advisor serves as a senior advisor and operational driver, aligning GPO's global portfolio objectives with corporate strategic priorities, operational excellence, and comprehensive risk management. The position reports directly to the GPO Deputy Director. The incumbent is responsible for the alignment of GPO’s internal control and compliance environment with UNOPS policies and procedures, directing risk mitigation strategies, managing portfolio intelligence and executive reporting. Furthermore, the Portfolio advisor acts as a central resource and key advisory focal point for Support Services teams.

Impact of Results

The Portfolio Advisor’s strategic advisory, portfolio leadership, and management of GPO compliance and financial oversight frameworks directly impact GPO overall global delivery, operational efficiency, and financial viability. By providing high-level technical advice, instilling rigorous internal controls, and proactively managing risks, the incumbent significantly reduces success-failure margins. Consequently, this position directly reinforces the reputation, visibility, and credibility of GPO as an agile, accountable, and high-performing partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Strategic Portfolio Delivery and Performance
• Oversee the formulation of GPO Annual Targets ensuring alignment with operational strategy, delivery standards, and engagement addition objectives.
• Lead and analyze GPO portfolio KPI performance across portfolios to identify performance gaps and advise senior management on strategic interventions.
• Drive GPO risk management processes, acting with portfolios to proactively identify, analyze, and mitigate strategic, financial, and operational risks.
• Executive Monitoring, Business Intelligence and Reporting
• Actively monitor GPO issues logs, analyzing systemic operational bottlenecks, and enacting holistic corrective action plans to reinforce the internal control environment.
• Lead the preparation and synthesis of high-level executive reports, portfolio performance analyses, and strategic briefings for GPO senior governance.
• Drive innovation and digitization by leading the conceptualization, design, and deployment of advanced business intelligence dashboards and automated oversight tools, significantly reducing manual reporting overhead across global portfolios.
• Ensure all regular and ad-hoc corporate reporting requirements are met, maintaining high data integrity and strategic value.
• Strategic Financial Management and Budget Advisory
• Provide comprehensive financial advisory for GPO Management Teams, overseeing the complete Administrative budget cycle, resource allocation, and budget reallocations and revisions.
• Prepare and provide timely and accurate strategic budget analyses and financial reports, ensuring maximum efficiency and optimization of financial resources, enabling data-driven decision-making by GPO.
• Establish and enforce rigorous financial data quality directing cross-portfolio interventions and coordination with finance teams to resolve critical data anomalies.
• Monitor and report on GPO financial targets and management expenditure, ensuring strict compliance with UNOPS financial regulations, rules, and the corporate accountability framework.
• Quality Assurance, Risk Mitigation & Compliance
• Enforce and lead quality assurance reviews of high-value and high-risk operational documents submitted to GPO for executive approval, ensuring alignment with UNOPS Policy and Procedures.
• Direct the continuous monitoring and tracking of High-Stake / High-Risk projects, establishing active follow-up protocols and escalation pathways, and providing advisory to portfolios.
• Serve as the main Focal Point for all internal and external GPO audit exercises; lead audit preparedness, coordinate official responses, and direct the implementation of audit recommendations to resolve control gaps.
• Design and lead capacity-building and training initiatives for GPO personnel on portfolio management methodologies, UNOPS compliance rules, and risk management best practices.

Education Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in preferably in Business Administration, Finance and Project Management, or a related field with 9 years of relevant experience OR
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience is required

Experience Requirements

Required

• Relevant required experience is defined as experience in finance, risk management, internal controls, project management, operations etc.
• Knowledge of Google Suite applications and working with Big query is required.

Desired

• Prior experience working in international organizations, particularly within the UN system, is an advantage (desird).
• Prior experience in preparation of reports, dashboards and tools related to financial data and risk analysis is an asset.
• Experience working in multicultural teams is desired
• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.
• Certification in Project Management (PRINCE2, PMI, etc.) is an asset.