Budget 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 This position is located in the Budget Section (BS), Financial Resources Management Service (FRMS), Division for Management (DM), of the United Nations Office at Vienna and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNOV/UNODC), in Vienna. The Budget Assistant will report to the supervisor of a sub-unit.

for more information on UNOV or UNODC, please visit the website www.unov.org or www.unodc.org

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

• May act as Certifying Officer on behalf of and in the absence of programme managers.
• Provide support with respect to the review, analyses and preparation of the programme plan.
• Prepare supporting documents (narrative and supporting tables) with respect to finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements.
• Assist managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Undertake research and provide support to higher level Budget Officers with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
• Review and approve allotments, released budgets, redeployments or budget returns.
• Monitor expenditures and compare with approved budget; prepare adjustments as necessary.
• Review fund commitments to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, (b) availability of funds, and (c) close the final balances, if not required.
• Assist in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Review cost plans for cost recovery activities, approve related allotments, process position funding and staffing requests related to such activities.
• Assist programmes on service delivery related requirements, serve as local process expert on service delivery and maintain related service and activity type catalogues. Regularly review and update the standard service catalogue.
• Prepare files for billing of services provided as required
• Assist in the financial backstopping of trust funds, including monitoring the status of voluntary contributions, generating expenditure reports from Umoja and monitoring reporting requirements by donors
• Monitor integrity of financial data in Umoja.
• Verify accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued.
• Co-ordinate with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.
• May assist Senior Budget Assistant in charge of Post Management with Position Funding, upkeep of Certifying Officers Lists, and Organisational Management in Umoja.
• Keep up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to voluntary funded programmes and programme budget, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Draft or prepare correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant financial and budget matters.
• Maintain and keep up-to-date files.
• May be responsible for providing guidance, training and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility.
• Assist 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.
• Assist with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.

• Perform other work related duties, as assigned.

  Competencies - Professionalism: Has knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the United Nations environment. Has the ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. Has 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. Is able 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. 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.

• Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

• Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

  Education High school diploma or equivalent is required.

  Work Experience A minimum of seven years of work experience in budget, finance or other related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 5 for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher.

  Strong computer skills, including experience in financial management applications is required.

  Proficiency in spreadsheet and word processing applications is required.

  Experience in Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems is required.

  Experience with Umoja (SAP), and in particular fund management, grants and projects related modules, as well as business intelligence is desirable.

  Experience in working with service delivery to clients is desirable.

  Experience in working on technical cooperation projects is desirable.

  Experience with the United Nations system or similar international organization financial rules and regulations is desirable.

  Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

  Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.

  Special Notice 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. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

The movement of staff members from the General Service and related categories to the Professional category in the United Nations Secretariat is exclusively allowed through the Young Professionals Programme competitive examinations. Only a few staff members pass the competitive examinations. Passing the competitive examinations does not guarantee movement to the Professional category. For further information, please visit https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=GP

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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

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 follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.