Director, Corporate Finance Division, D2

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking to fill the position of Director, Corporate Finance Division, D-2, based at our Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

WFP is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. It is one of the largest programmes in the United Nations common system, both by number of employees (over 20,000) and by revenue (USD 8.9 billion). WFP is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The Corporate Finance Division has over 100 employees at Headquarters and more than 800 in a larger community of practice in the field. It is a critical team in the Resource Management (RM) Department, which is overseen by the Chief Financial Officer & Assistant Executive Director (CFO & AED). The department is charged with ensuring effective stewardship and maximizing the impact of WFP resources: beyond corporate finance, the RM Department has a diverse portfolio that also includes budget & planning; performance and enterprise risk management; engineering, environmental, and fleet management; and information and telecommunications technology.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the general supervision and guidance of the CFO & AED, the overall responsibility of the Director is to provide direction for, lead, and manage the Corporate Finance Division in providing the following functions for WFP:

• general accounts; • donor financial reporting and contribution accounting; • financial systems and process support; • finance transformation and field support; • accounts payable; • corporate payroll; • treasury; and • financial management for cash-based transfers.

In carrying out his or her role, the Director, Corporate Finance Division, will be expected to:

• Provide direction for, lead, and manage the financial functions of WFP, including financial reporting, accounting, financial management of contributions, accounts payable and corporate payroll, as well as oversight of treasury and financial risk management. • Ensure transparency and accountability of the organisation’s accounts and financial disbursements. • Ensure that WFP’s financial policies are complied with and kept up-to-date, and that new policies are developed and issued when required. • Set and implement policies and strategies for mitigating and controlling financial risks. • Implement and sustain efficient mechanisms to provide the appropriate level of support to managers in financial matters, including continuous training for staff on financial and accounting • Provide functional oversight for Regional Finance Officers to ensure compliance with established financial policies and procedures in field offices. • Drive the digitization of financial processes to ensure an efficient delivery of high-quality financial services. • Drive institutional change initiatives in financial management to maximize performance and contribute to the overall success of WFP. • Identify and build productive relationships with a broad range of internal and external partners at the global level to promote WFP corporate strategies, transfer of knowledge and expertise, technological advancement to attract support for WFP activities. • Represent WFP in governance fora and at interagency meetings and conferences to ensure delivery of the broader UN mandate and effective WFP leadership in areas of specialization • Hold accountability for transparent and efficient people management and ensure the best use of resources for the achievement of set objectives. • Provide effective leadership to the Division to ensure continued development and coaching of a cohesive and high-performing team. • Perform other related duties as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education:

• Advanced degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field. • Certification from a recognized institute such as CA, ACCA, or CPA is preferred.

Experience:

• At least fifteen years (of which six international) of progressively responsible professional experience in financial management, including leadership experience in large international organizations. • Prior experience in a financial management leadership role at a large international organization is desired. • Extensive knowledge of financial governance, management, treasury, and financial policy development. • Demonstrated success in implementing major corporate change management programs. • Experience in an operations-based organization is preferred.

Technical Skills & Knowledge:

• Knowledge of international accounting standards (e.g. IPSAS). • Outstanding finance and budgeting skills. • Good understanding of trends in the financial sector and ability to drive innovation. • Ability to assimilate and analyze complex issues to develop strategies and policies. • Broad knowledge of diverse humanitarian assistance and development practices with a particular area of leading technical expertise is preferred. • Detailed understanding of business principles and processes and the ability to quickly assimilate UN- and WFP-specific processes and systems. • Good knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations and procedures is highly desirable.

Competencies: • Outstanding leadership, strategic visioning, management, communication and negotiating skills demonstrated in overseeing a large and diverse organization. • Excellent interpersonal, networking and partnership skills to work in harmony with multiple cultures, government officials, heads of other UN agencies and multilateral institutions. • Demonstrated ability to deliver changes and results in politically and operationally sensitive contexts. • Demonstrated political awareness and sound judgement in resolving issues/ problems.

Language: • Fluency in oral and written English • Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit our website for more information on working with WFP: http://www.wfp.org (click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations; and “Who we are” and “Governance and leadership” to learn more about the CFO & AED).

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Monday, 29 March

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

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.