Budget Specialist (Learning and Skills Development Budget)

Result of Service A report with proposed measures to strengthen coordination, monitoring and evaluation, accountability and reporting of the learning budget, and with options for funding learning activities from different sources across the UN Secretariat. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on planning and management of learning budget at the UN Secretariat. Guidelines on presenting the learning budget to internal and external audiences and reporting tools.

Work Location Remote work

Expected duration 4 months (from 1 October 2022 to 31 January 2023).

Duties and Responsibilities Background:

Under the leadership of the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, the Office of Human Resources (OHR), and in consultation with the Capacity Development and Operational Training Service (CDOTS), the Consultant will conduct the review of the current process of developing annual learning budget, its management throughout the year, monitoring & evaluation, and reporting. Based on the results of the review, the Consultant will provide recommendations for bridging the identified gaps, strategizing the development of the learning budget, systematizing the annual cycle of the management of the learning budget, strengthening coordination among relevant departments and offices, reinforcing the monitoring and accountability system, and reporting on budget expenditures in line with the 2021-2025 UN Secretariat Learning Strategy.

Scope of Work, Responsibilities & Deliverables:

OHR is seeking a Consultant to support the development of annual learning budget and its management in the following capacities:

1. Conduct the comprehensive review of the current process of developing annual learning budget, its day-to-day management and reporting. Analyze the data gathered to identify gaps and areas for improvement. 2. Review the new strategic documents of the United Nations such as “Our Common Agenda”, “Data Strategy of the Secretary-General”, “2021-2025 Learning Strategy”, “Values and Behaviours Framework”, etc. and ensure that the learning budget is fully aligned with the organizational priorities. 3. Assess the current monitoring and evaluation arrangements in regard to the learning budget and provide recommendations for strengthening its accountability system. 4. Evaluate the existing mechanism of financial and narrative reporting provided by various recipients of learning funds. 5. Review the existing coordination mechanisms established with various departments, offices and entities for soliciting proposals, monitoring & evaluation, and reporting on project implementation and financial expenditures. 6. Develop an internal OHR Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on planning, management and reporting of learning budget at the UN Secretariat aligned with the 2021-2025 Learning Strategy (including relevant templates and forms, e.g. project proposal form, project progress report – financial and narrative, reporting tool, etc.). 7. Provide guidelines (including templates) on presenting the learning budget to internal and external audiences. 8. Develop robust reporting tools for reporting the budget expenditures, providing budget analysis and forecasts and issuing weekly and monthly updates on budget implementation to various stakeholders. 9. Train OHR staff members working on the learning budget on the revised procedures and processes of the learning budget development, coordination, management and implementation.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, finance, budget, training or in a related area is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience: - A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required.

• Experience in the use of information technology tools for financial analysis and monitoring of budgets is required

• Experience in budget development and budget management is required.

• Experience in the use of information technology tools for financial analysis and monitoring of budgets is required.

• Experience in using Business Intelligence software to analyse data is required.

• Experience with drafting formal documents is required.

• Advanced experience in using MS Office software such as Excel, Word, SharePoint and PowerPoint, is desirable. Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both written and oral) is required.

  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.