Senior Finance and Budget Assistant at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Job Description

Responsibilities

Budget: • Acts as Certifying Officers under Financial Rule 110.4 to ensure that proposed obligations and expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and established regulations and rules.
• Undertakes reviews, analyses and preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions.
• Reviews, analyses and assists in the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNEP’s regulations, rules and policies.
• Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for project documents. • Undertakes research and provides support to higher level Finance & Budget Officers with respect to project portfolio management, evaluation, audit and other reviews.
• Monitor receipt of contributions for relevant projects to ensure timely application of funds. • Prepares allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures and availability of cash.
• Monitors budget implementation/expenditures and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure
(a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, and
(b) availability of funds and cash.
• Reviews donor and implementing agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Reviews periodically open items (including outstanding obligations and receivable documents) and recommends actions for liquidation and clearance.
• Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions.
• Assists in finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Monitors integrity of various financial databases.
• Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued • Undertakes research and analysis of budgetary policies and procedures and makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.

Payments and accounting: • Reviews, analyses and processes expenditure reports from partners, vendor invoices and other related documents and initiates payments (including cash advances) to third-parties, commercial entities, and individuals.
• Prepares financial statements for projects to donors when requested.
• Assists in the year-end closing activities.

General: • Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts or prepares correspondence to respond to inquiries in respect to relevant financial and budget matters.
• Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility.
• Drafts reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

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. Ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

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.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification
Supplementary training in administration, finance, budget, accounting or related fields is required.

Work Experience
A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible work experience in finance, budget, accounting, administrative services or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to eight (8) for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Working experience with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system such as Oracle or SAP is required. Experience with data analysis, reconciliations and reporting is desirable. Experience in an international organization such as the United Nations is desirable. Experience with GEF financial management is desirable. One (1) year experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.