Budget and Programming Assistant SC5

WFP encourages female candidates and people with disabilities to apply.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis. We are committed to promoting diversity and the principle of equal employment opportunity for all our employees and encourage qualified candidates to apply irrespective of religion or belief, ethnic or social background, gender, gender identity and disability.

Job Title:

Grade:

Type of contract

Duty Station: Vacancy Number:

Date of Publication:

Deadline of Application:

Budget and Programming Assistant

SC5

Service Contract

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

828560

21/07/2023

06/08/2023

This vacancy announcement is for Nationals from the Kyrgyz Republic.

BACKGROUND

WFP’s vision is that people in the Kyrgyz Republic will have substantially increased access to national social protection systems that safeguard and foster their ability to meet their food security, nutrition and associated essential needs, and to manage the risks and shocks they face, with ample opportunity to graduate from poverty and contribute to sustainable food systems, national disaster risk management efforts and social cohesion.

WFP, the second largest UN agency in the Kyrgyz Republic, will support and promote the inclusion of people with diverse and often intersecting vulnerabilities and inequalities, by supporting nationally led social and civil protection systems and programmes (strengthening the government’s ability for anticipatory action and ensuring that no one is left behind) and by modelling new approaches within complementary WFP interventions (which can be adopted or transitioned), leveraging WFP’s global expertise in promoting healthy diets and sustainable food systems, climate risk management, warehousing, food safety, smallholder market access and innovations such as private sector-oriented solutions, micro-insurance and digital public goods.

Derived from the UN Cooperation Framework and national priorities, promoting participatory community engagement and nutrition-sensitive approaches, the 2nd generation Country Strategic Plan (2023-27 EN|RU) continues WFP’s human capital development, capacity building and productive asset creation activities to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable, with a focus on food systems strengthening across three core pillars: (i) Social Protection; (ii) Climate Change Adaption, Disaster Risk Management & Emergency Preparedness; and (iii) Schools as platforms for healthy diets. In addition, a contingent emergency response outcome can be activated in case of need.

JOB PURPOSE

To provide technical support for efficient planning, monitoring and analysis of project financial performance to enhance optimal use of financial resources.

Supervision: Programme Assistant reports to Budget and Programming Officer under the general supervision of the Country Director

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Contribute to the review of budget plans, monitoring and analysis of project financial performance and make recommendations in compliance with WFP financial policies and procedures and best practices to support financial analysis and optimisation of resources.
2. Provide basic analysis on fund and grant balances and refer to the supervisor discrepancies, to support maximum fund utilization and decision-making process.
3. Contribute to pipeline management facilitating efficient monitoring to prevent and address pipeline breaks and maximise operational effectiveness.
4. Enter accurate data in the corporate systems within the established deadlines, to enable easy access to information and support planning and decision-making.
5. Compile data and provide basic analysis, maintain accurate records and files and prepare periodic and ad hoc reports for further reviews, to support accuracy and efficiency of information presented to internal and external stakeholders.
6. Maintain communication with a number of individuals regarding project funds management matters and related processes to clarify any discrepancies and optimise use of funds.
7. Provide guidance and on-the-job training to other staff in budget planning, fund management and operational planning, to support continued development and consistency in services delivered.
8. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices, to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.
9. Other as required.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

1. Assist in providing the procedural and technical support to staff and Cooperating Partners within the areas of finance and budget (for all stages of the project cycle), to ensure compliance with WFP financial policies, rules and regulations.
2. Monitor monthly expenditure forecasts and provide expenditure reports in order to facilitate informed decision-making.
3. Manage and maintain paper and electronic records within the area of responsibility in accordance with established procedures, to ensure swift and easy data access as required.
4. Verify Cooperating Partner (CP) reports, vendor claims, advances and other receivables and observe appropriate procurement procedures, to ensure that CPs/suppliers are paid in a timely manner and in conformance with WFP finance rules and regulations.
5. Compile information from various sources and prepare reports relating to budgets, accounting, finance, and statistics.
6. Retrieve, format and validate information obtained from various financial information systems and bring any discrepancy or inaccuracy to the attention of the supervisor and follow up corrective actions.
7. Monitor and record all expenses in line with the approved budget in order to ensure that correct expenditure costs are charged and payments to external suppliers, cash grants and other supplier invoices are processed in a timely manner.
8. Provide guidance and on-the-job training to CPs staff, other programme and support staff, to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards. Update reporting SOPs for CPs (when required), conduct and document lessons learnt with CPs to ensure continued improvement on financial reporting.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area is desirable.

WORK EXPERIENCE

At least five years of progressively responsible experience in budget and programming, finance, accounting, programme, project management or other related field

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• • Has assisted with the preparation of complex financial documents.
  • Has supported the performance of budget analyses.
  • Has contributed to the collection of pipeline data.

LANGUAGE

• Fluency (level C) in both oral and written communication in English and proficiency in the duty station’s language(s) (Russian or Kyrgyz, both considered an advantage).

All WFP Employees are expected to demonstrate the competencies and standards of behaviour aligned with our core values and defined in the WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK, namely:

Leading by example with integrity,

Driving results and delivering on commitments,

Fostering inclusive and collaborative teamwork,

Applying strategic thinking,

Building and maintaining sustainable partnerships.

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered, interested candidates are invited to apply via (https://www.wfp.org/careers/job-openings). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

Request for Disability related Reasonable Accommodations:

It is important to WFP to create an accessible and inclusive workplace for everyone. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the selection and hiring process, please direct your request and inquiries to the Diversity and Inclusion team on: [email protected]*, cc’ing* [email protected]*. A member of the reasonable accommodation team will contact you to confidentially discuss your needs.*

This email is only to be used for any disability related accessibility requirements, and not for sending the application itself. Due to volume of applications, any applications or CVs sent through this email address will not be considered as a formal application and will not receive a reply from WFP.

Please note that WFP may keep candidates who successfully passed recruitment tests and interviews, but were not the first-choice candidate selected for a position, on a roster for similar (or lower-level) upcoming positions or short-term opportunities for direct contracting. Successful candidates will be informed about their inclusion into the roster.

WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce. WFP has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority or discrimination. All selected candidates will, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.