Senior Quality Assurance Associate

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, operates in over 190 countries and territories with a mission to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential from early childhood through adolescence. The organization is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal development to its staff. UNICEF has a strong focus on building careers and fostering a culture of belonging and growth, supported by an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Job Overview:
The Senior Quality Assurance Associate will play a crucial role in the Business Performance and Modernization Team at UNICEF's Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Budapest. This position is responsible for enhancing the quality of processes within the GSSC, ensuring efficient service delivery, continuous quality improvement, and compliance with UNICEF policies and internal standard operating procedures (SOPs). The incumbent will conduct quality checks, issue reports based on data analysis, and design quality deep dives on specific areas of risk. The role also involves monitoring processes, following up on suspicious transactions, and raising awareness of potential fraud risks. This position is a Temporary Appointment for 364 days, emphasizing the importance of quality assurance in UNICEF's operations.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Quality Assurance Associate will conduct risk-based quality assurance (QA) reviews on GSSC processes to identify control gaps and non-compliance with SOPs. Responsibilities include producing monthly analytical and compliance reports with findings and actionable recommendations, testing key controls, and documenting evidence in the approved repository. The role requires the use of data analytics for trend and root-cause analysis, preparation of detective control reports, and coordination with work-stream owners on agreed actions. The associate will provide recommendations for process and system enhancements, maintain well-referenced working papers, and participate in GSSC projects and initiatives as needed. Additionally, the associate will lead quality assurance initiatives and perform any other ad hoc tasks assigned.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must have a minimum of seven years of relevant work experience. A completed university degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field from an accredited institution can count towards the minimum work experience requirement. Candidates with a bachelor's degree in relevant fields require at least four years of relevant experience, while a relevant master's degree may replace an additional two years of experience. Strong analytical, data extraction, cleaning, and reporting skills are essential, along with familiarity with data-analytics tools. Fluency in English, both verbal and written, is required.

Educational Background:
The minimum educational requirement is the completion of secondary education (high school diploma). A university degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field is preferred and will be considered in the evaluation of work experience.

Experience:
Candidates should possess at least seven years of relevant work experience in quality assurance, compliance, audit, or risk analysis. Experience in planning and executing assurance/compliance work is also necessary. Relevant certifications in internal audit, IS audit, fraud risk, or quality are considered advantageous.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory for this position. Knowledge of another official UN language such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish is desirable and considered an asset.

Additional Notes:
This position is a Temporary Appointment for 364 days. Applicants must be nationals of Hungary or other EU/Schengen countries or possess a valid long-term Hungarian residency and work permit. Temporary and/or sponsored visas are not accepted. UNICEF GSSC does not facilitate MFA accreditation for locally recruited staff, and applicants must already hold acceptable permits at the time of application. The organization offers a competitive salary exempt from national income taxes in Hungary, along with benefits and entitlements. UNICEF promotes diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, nationality, or background. The organization has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims and objectives, including discrimination and abuse. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.