ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

Contract

This is a G-6 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about G-6 contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund was established in 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide retirement, death, disability, and related benefits for staff of the United Nations and other member organizations of the Fund. The Pension Fund pays benefits in 17 currencies to more than 80,000 beneficiaries who reside in 190 countries, and services more than 140,000 participants who work in the 24 member organizations of the Pension Fund. The Fund has offices in New York (United States) and Geneva (Switzerland) and two liaison offices in Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand), respectively.

The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund-Pension Administration (UNJSPF-PA) comprises about 250 staff from diverse countries and cultures, based across four prominent duty stations (New York, Geneva, Bangkok, and Nairobi). We are a career employer offering unique opportunities for growth within the United Nations system. We offer staff competitive benefits, including a defined benefit pension plan (not subject to variation of capital markets), parental leave, a comprehensive insurance plan, and flexible working arrangements subject to operational requirements. Our office is located in the heart of Manhattan, within walking distance from the Grand Central Station hub, in a state-of-the-art facility (the One Dag Hammarskjöld building). Visit www.unjspf.org for more details.

This position is located the Payments Section of the Financial Services within the Pension Administration of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).

The incumbent reports to the chief of Miscellaneous Payments Unit under the general supervision by the chief of Payments Section. The Payments Section manages monthly payroll for the UNJSPF periodic benefits, updates cost-of-living adjustments, and administers returned payments and Accounts Payable.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Scrutinizes payment instructions for completeness, accuracy and validity of weekly payments. • Investigates erroneous entries by processors and conducts JIRA testing. • Communicates with UNJSPF pension beneficiaries with respect to weekly payments. • Reconciles and reviews statement of benefits and print mass communication letters such COLA letter and statement of benefits. • Extracts details of weekly payments and CPI data from IPAS in order to analyze and verify accuracy and validity. • Consolidates data into financial statements. • Assists with the monitoring of COLA updates. • Prepares exchange rate updates and CPI imports and assists with the preparation of COLA updates. • Audits various weekly payments and provides backup functions for various transactions in the Payments Section, e.g., reissuance, estate payment, emergency fund payment, and payroll related (payroll closing, PI update, suspension/unsuspension, and deletion), to ensure correctness of disbursements and adherence to relevant Fund’s regulations and rules or practices. • Provides guidance and training to colleagues as required. • Supervises other General Service staff as required. • Drafts/prepares memoranda and/or cables to relevant other work units in the UNJSPF. • Responds to queries from staff members and third parties. • Performs other duties as may be required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge in the use and application of the Organization’s financial regulations and rules as well as accounting policies and practices. Ability to extract, interpret, and analyse a wide variety of data and to resolve data discrepancies and other 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. 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five years for candidates who possess a first-level degree or higher.

Experience in pension-related fields is desirable.

Experience in preparing international (SWIFT) payments is desirable.

Experience in processing global adjustments applicable to periodic benefits of a large multicurrency benefit scheme is desirable.

1 year or more of experience in data analytics or related area 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 official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a desk review of applicants' candidates profile or an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is available through 31 December 2024 subject to further extension based on the availability of funding. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

The applicable human resources procedures are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fund and the UN Secretariat. Any candidate from a member organization of the UNJSPF applying for this post is considered as an internal candidate provided he/she has been appointed through the appointment and promotion procedures applicable in his/her respective organization.

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

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.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions.

Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The 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 according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (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.