The United Nations is hiring a Chief of Service (Chief, Financial Operations Service) at the D-1 level in New York. This is a senior leadership role inside the UN's new Common Administrative Platform, overseeing global payroll, accounts payable, income tax, commercial insurance and financial monitoring for entities across the Organization. It is a temporary position with an initial three-month period, and the application deadline is 31 August 2026.
A Senior Leadership Role Inside the UN's New Common Administrative Platform
This position sits within the Common Administrative Platform (CAP) at United Nations Headquarters, under the Division of Administration (DOA) in the Department of Operational Support (DOS).
🏛️ The Department of Operational Support was established to provide end-to-end operational support, advisory services and other solutions to operating entities across the Secretariat, including departments, offices away from headquarters, peace operations, and regional commissions.
🗽 The Division of Administration in New York provides administrative support functions (human resources, budget, finance and general administration) and facility management and commercial services to entities at UN Headquarters. It also delivers financial operational services to entities across the globe. As the Common Administrative Platform, the Division comprises the OneEO, the Financial Operations Service (including OnePayroll), and the Facilities and Commercial Activities Service.
🔄 The CAP started its transition phase on 1 January 2026 as part of the UN80 reform initiative, which aims to consolidate common administrative functions across Secretariat entities into unified service platforms. This position will oversee the Financial Operations Service of the CAP at UN Headquarters, and the Chief will report to the Director of Administration in DOS.
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What the Financial Operations Service Covers
Within delegated authority, the Chief of Service oversees a group of service and benefit-oriented functions, namely:
💰 The global payroll (onePayroll) function.
🧾 Accounts payable.
🗂️ The income tax unit.
🛡️ The commercial insurance section.
📈 The financial monitoring and financial agreement desk of the oneEO.
The incumbent ensures that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and coordinates work across the different desks both within the CAP and beyond, while also fulfilling an important global function. The role combines strategic coordination, operational leadership, policy interpretation, data-driven decision-making, and staff management, all while ensuring full compliance with the Organization's Regulatory Framework.
What You Would Be Responsible For
📋 Managing the Financial Operations Service, which comprises global Payroll, Income Tax and Travel claims, Vendor Invoice Processing and commercial insurance.
🧭 Providing guidance to senior officials on policy matters related to insurance, benefits, payroll and other service areas, and ensuring that relevant policies and procedures are formulated and implemented.
⚙️ Overseeing the development and enhancement of systems and procedures to ensure delivery of good client service and appropriate accounting of disbursements and other transactions.
⏱️ Providing policy guidance and ensuring that payrolls, claims and awards in the Income Tax Unit and the Travel and Vendor Processing Unit are appropriately processed on a timely basis.
🔑 Exercising authority delegated by the Director of Administration and maintaining relationships with internal and external auditors.
🤝 Participating in meetings of committees and performing ad hoc assignments as required by the Director.
👥 Leading, supervising and carrying out the work programme of the Service, coordinating the work of the different units, and providing programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others.
📝 Coordinating and overseeing the preparation of reports for intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, the Committee for Programme Coordination, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs.
📊 Reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget and programme performance or on programmatic and substantive issues, particularly those presented in biannual and annual reports.
✅ Ensuring that the outputs produced by the Service maintain high-quality standards, that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data, and that all outputs comply with the relevant mandates.
🗓️ Assisting the Director in preparing the work programme of the Service, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion and timely delivery of outputs.
🧮 Undertaking or overseeing programmatic and administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Service, including preparation of budgets, reporting on budget and programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (e-performance), interviews of candidates for job openings, and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting.
🌍 Recruiting staff, taking due account of geographical balance, and managing, guiding, developing and training staff under supervision.
💬 Fostering teamwork and communication among staff in the Service and across organizational boundaries, and leading the substantive preparation and organization of meetings and seminars.
🎙️ Participating in and representing the Division at international, regional or national meetings, and holding substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
Acting as the UN's Property and Casualty Risk Manager
A distinctive part of this role is that the incumbent functions as Risk Manager for the property and casualty insurance of the United Nations. This entails working closely with, and coordinating across, various UN entities, offices and departments to develop risk assessments and related coverage requirements, and to arrange property and liability coverage as appropriate.
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Who Can Apply
🎓 Education: An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law, social sciences or a related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
📅 Experience: A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, accounting, payroll, administration, financial management, budget or a related field is required.
👥 A minimum of five (5) years of experience leading teams related to two or more of the areas of responsibility of the Service is required.
💻 Experience in the deployment, maintenance and adaptation of global payroll software, HR and payroll systems, and data analytics tools to process payments and address complex payroll issues, such as currency conversion problems or local regulatory changes, is required.
🔧 Experience in leading change management, business improvement initiatives or innovation projects in the operational financial management area is required.
🛡️ Experience in managing commercial insurance programmes and exposure to the worldwide liability and property insurance markets is desirable.
⚖️ Experience with international labour laws, tax regulations and social security systems is desirable.
🕐 Experience in managing teams across different time zones and cultures is desirable.
🏢 Experience in senior positions in the United Nations system or similar international organizations overseeing the implementation of administrative policies and procedures is desirable.
Languages
🗣️ English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, either English or French is required.
How Candidates Are Assessed
🧪 Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
Good to Know Before You Apply
💼 This position is funded by the Regular Budget. The appointment or assignment and any renewal are subject to the availability of funds.
⌛ The position is temporarily available for an initial three-month period. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. The selection is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.
🎯 Subject to the funding source of the position, eligibility may be limited to candidates based at the duty station, and this temporary job opening may be limited to internal candidates recruited through a competitive examination or staff selection process.
🧾 Staff members appointed to this position are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon assignment or appointment and annually thereafter.
⚖️ The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
🚫 The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process, and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Deadline
⏳ 31 August 2026
Link
🔗 https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/283296?language=en
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