Donor Review Manager, DRM

Donor Review Manager

Regular Consultancy, CST-II

Risk Management Division, Donor Review Management Branch

WFP Headquarters, Rome, Italy/ Remote

11 Months

This role is located in Rome within the Anti-Fraud Anti-Corruption and Donor Review Management Branch of WFP’s Risk Management Division (RMD).

WFP is relying on funding from government partners to finance its operations. WFP’s major partners are constantly undertaking corporate as well as project-specific assessments of the organization.

The Donor Review Management unit was created in order to optimize the management of these reviews. Benefits include more timely and responsive management of requests; a simpler and more straightforward setup for Country Offices and others involved in donor reviews; consistency in dealing with donor requests; and support to donor representatives.

Under the direct supervision of the head of unit, the incumbent will be responsible for managing the centralized Donor Review Management function.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Central management and coordination of formal donor reviews

Lead end to end management of donor reviews:

Ensure corporate requirements for conducting donor reviews are adhered to.

Identify key actors for each donor review and build constructive relationships with internal stakeholders and donor community.

Lead supporting documentation collection process for donor reviews to meet set deadlines.

Supervise the quality review process of documentations prepared prior to release to donors to ensure consistency and accuracy and initiate meetings/discussions with relevant functional heads where required (HQ/RO/CO).

Manage deadlines.

Ensure that donor representatives and relevant WFP divisions are informed during all steps of the review process and provide inputs as deemed relevant.

Lead resolution process after the donor review to ensure positive outcome.

Lead, motivate and coach a team of donor review analysts to enable their continued development and high performance Manage prioritization of donor reviews, with reference to importance and risk level.

Represent unit at internal meetings, external meetings and events with other UN agencies, banks and other financial institutions, or other partners and entities as required.

Analyze donor review findings to identify significant gaps in processes and opportunities to improve and recommend solutions to the relevant offices (HQ/R0/CO). Enhance and manage Donor Review Database. Coordinate and ensure implementation of recommendations, especially on risk and internal control issues.

Provide advice on technical matters related to donor reviews. Provide advice during donor agreement drafting stage on review-related clauses in donor agreements to ensure adherence to corporate requirements.

Develop standard donor-review clauses and donor review Terms of Reference to increase efficiency and limit WFP risk exposure. Lead the development of corporate guidelines including SOPs to define donor review process. Develop Knowledge Management Platform for donor review exercises to improve the processes and disseminate information to all stakeholders (Provide toolsets including FAQ and a library of responses to donor enquiries). Provide training to functional areas and field operations, as required.

Provide reporting on donor review progress and work with functions and higher risk country offices to agree on meaningful risk indicator metrics for compliance with donor requirements.

Other accountabilities, as required.

• Satisfactorily led and managed all donor reviews (prioritized; efficiently carried out);
• Satisfactorily provided relevant and timely advice to stakeholders (Partnership Division, Legal Office, Finance Division, Country Offices, etc.) on donor-related matters;
• Advocate and follow-up with the implementation of key selected donor recommendations;
• Donor review database is up to date and outcomes are disseminated to relevant stakeholders;
• Guidance on donor reviews is published and up to date.
• Clear, relevant, and quality training provided as per training plan
• Donor reporting relevant and issued timely

Education: Advanced University degree in a relevant subject (Accounting, Business Administration, Finance or related field) or First University degree in the same subjects with additional years of relevant professional experience. Certified Public Accountant, Chartered or Certified Accountant, and/or Certified Internal Auditor certification or equivalent desirable.

Experience: Eight years or more of post-graduate relevant progressively responsible professional experience in audit, accounting, compliance, finance, risk management or related field. WFP and/or UN system experience desirable.

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese.

ESSENTIAL: Partnership and coordination skills. Analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving skills. Resourcefulness, initiative, good judgement, tact, ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing. Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds. Flexibility in accepting work assignments. Sensitivity to deadlines. Detail-oriented and well organized. Ability to prioritize and plan. Ability to understand business requirements. Sensitivity to reputational risks and the broader impact of donor reviews. Knowledge of the broader context and perspective including impact of decisions on objectives and programmes of the Organization. Excellent diplomatic skills and sensitivity to donor requests.

DESIRABLE: External audit experience, ideally with international organizations and/or large not-for profit organizations. Has managed small teams of more junior staff with related areas of expertise. Knowledge of the United Nations system, its key actors and coordination mechanisms. Understanding of UN/WFP rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Knowledge of internal controls and proper accounting procedures and systems and ability to recommend improvements to address weaknesses and mitigate risks.