Finance Specialist – Payroll Finance Oversight (PFO)

About the role

The Finance Specialist provides financial oversight and governance for UNDP’s global payroll operations, ensuring the accuracy, completeness and integrity of payroll‑related financial information. The role works closely with the Global Shared Services Centre to align operational processes with financial governance objectives.

Key responsibilities

• Review and maintain payroll‑related financial policies, procedures and accounting treatments, including inter‑agency balances, payables and employee benefit liabilities.
• Assess and strengthen the payroll control environment, covering Oracle HCM (Quantum ERP) application controls, system configuration and audit trails.
• Lead the review of payroll accounting mappings from Oracle HCM to the General Ledger, ensuring segregation of duties and IPSAS compliance.
• Design, develop and maintain payroll oversight tools and reports such as exception reports, dashboards and models.
• Provide technical oversight of payroll‑related financial risks, including employee benefits, staff receivables, inter‑agency transfers and unrecovered balances.
• Contribute to the preparation of IPSAS‑compliant financial statements and corporate financial reports, including analytical reviews and briefing notes.
• Develop and maintain payroll risk and control matrices in line with the Statement of Internal Control over Financial Reporting (SICFR) and lead annual control testing.

Required skills

• Expert knowledge of Oracle HCM (Quantum ERP) payroll modules and system configuration.
• Strong understanding of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) for payroll accounting.
• Experience in financial statement preparation and analytical review.
• Proficiency in developing payroll oversight tools, dashboards and exception reporting.
• Ability to design and test internal controls and risk matrices for payroll processes.