Posting Title: Senior Finance and Budget Assistant, G7
Job Code Title: Senior Finance and Budget Assistant
Department/ Office: United Nations Environment Programme
Duty Station: NAIROBI
Posting Period: 21 February 2017-22 March 2017
Job Opening number: 17-FIN-UNEP-73298-R-NAIROBI (X)
Staffing Exercise ID: N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Appointment against this post is on a local basis. External candidates will be considered only when no suitable candidate from the duty station is identified. The candidate is responsible for any travel expenses incurred in order to take up the appointment.
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided.
If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received.. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira ‘Need Help?’ link.
Organizational Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Environment is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
The Corporate Services Division is the guardian of UN Environment’s corporate interest, mitigating its exposure to risk and supporting the organization with management tools, plans and related capacity building.
It oversees UN Environment’s efficient and effective management, in line with UN Environment’s accountability requirements, rules, regulations and UN core values This post is located in Donor Partnerships and Contributions Section (DPC), Corporate Services Division at the Nairobi duty station.
Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Officer, DPC, the incumbent will perform the following duties
Responsibilities
1). Lead the deposits and reconciliation process and identification of income by using daily bank statements
- Review and monitor the daily bank deposit lists and create the weekly memo of all deposits received.
- Create the necessary receivables and forward the same to Accounts to complete by offsetting the same.
- Circulate the weekly memo to all recipients, i.e. FMOs at the Headquarters, out-posted offices, all other staff members who handle payments at UNEP, UNON and out-posted offices, for their information and records, enabling tracking of grant creation and receipting/acknowledgements to donors.
2). Support the Programme Officer in certifying income grants
- Checking for accuracy and timelines of the income grant creation process worked on by the team.
- Certifying grants in the UNON grant portal to enable UNON Accounts section to offset the contributions received.
- Take the lead in collaboration with UNON Accounts by providing any additional clarifications required to complete the process of approving grants and offsetting receivables.
- In collaboration with the contributions team, and in compliance with IPSAS, review and create pledge templates for MEAs when the pledges are available and coordinate the provision of this information for subsequent approval and creation of receivables by UNON.
3). Respond to queries relating to financial statements
- Cross-check and reconcile the receivables in Umoja with the data in CMT.
- Prepare reports, worksheets and analyze financial information.
- Assist the Programme Officer in the preparation of financial schedules for all funds and earmarked contributions on a monthly basis and at the year-end closure.
- Undertake research in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) (Umoja) areas of unit concern in the Grants Management, Funds Management and related modules and present solutions/proposals/recommendations to remedy any bottlenecks.
- Draft memoranda and respond to queries from internal and external auditors and where applicable support the Programme Officer in monitoring and ensuring compliance with audit recommendations.
4). Oversee the reconciliation and verification of the completeness of the receipts and unidentified contributions file as often as it is downloaded
- Correspond with relevant offices and payers to find out what contributions relate to.
- Draft and review the acknowledgement letters for contributions received, for the signature of the Programme Officer and verify their dispatch to the relevant donor governments and other bodies.
- Ensure proper files of all the letters are well maintained in relevant files.
- Oversee the correspondence from the team and provide documents relevant as is necessary to offices and donors that raise queries regarding the same.
5). Review and certify adjustment requests from other offices in the Adjustment Portal as and when requested to do so.
- Lead the team in the application of procedures and tools related to Contribution’s work, including ERP, CMT and Standard Operating Procedures.
- Train junior staff and resolve queries.
6). Perform other relevant tasks as required.
Competencies
- PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment. Knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyse and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions, including programme development and database management, claims and treasury operations. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and operational problems. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
- TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
- PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Education
- Completion of secondary school is required. Supplemental training in accounting and finance or related field is required.
- Must have passed the United Nations Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) or the Global General Service Test (GGST) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally-administered test at Offices away from Headquarters.
Work Experience
- A minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience in finance, budget, accounting, administrative services or related area is required.
- Working knowledge and experience in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is desirable.
Languages
- English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
- For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.
- Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on ‘The Application Process’ and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on ‘Manuals’ hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines.
Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira.
Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations.
Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted.
Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
More Information
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