FINANCE AND BUDGET ASSISTANT

Contract

This is a FS-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Field Service. It usually requires 8 years of experience, depending on education. More about FS-5 contracts and their salaries.

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located within the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Finance and Budget Assistant will be based in Kabul. The Finance and Budget Assistant reports to the Chief of Unit, Finance and Budget.

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

BUDGET: - Review, analyze and prepare cost sharing/recovery budget proposals regarding staff and non-staff requirements. - Assist managers in the justification of resource requirements for budget submissions; co-ordinate with other finance and budget staff on related issues during the preparation of the budget reports. - Monitor cost sharing/recovery budget implementation/expenditures and assist with the reallocation of funds as necessary. - Assist in preparing cost sharing/recovery budget performance submissions and finalizing budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. - Verify the accuracy of input data, ensuring data consistency in previous allotments to new allotments issued. - Provide inputs into the preparation of allotments and prepare redeployment requests. - Review the expenditures relating to cost sharing/recovery activities for accuracy and completeness. ACCOUNTS: - Perform the monthly and yearly closing procedures in Umoja ERP for cost sharing/recovery activities - Analyze complex/unusual accounting transactions and difficult claims for travel, invoices and entitlement matters, etc. and make recommendations to the Team Leader or Service Line Manager on appropriate follow-up procedures. - Review and reconcile all open-item-managed (OIM) accounts and investigate erroneous/invalid entries to take appropriate corrective accounting action. - Assist in the preparation of the bank reconciliation on a monthly basis. - Review prior and current budget period commitments for review, recommitment and cancellation of outstanding commitments. - Issue cost recovery invoices to agencies through Service Delivery Module and generate periodic reports to review the agencies balances. - Prepare quarterly expenditure analysis report and annual performance report for cost sharing/recovery activities with respective Technical Units for validation. - Follow up with UNCTs on outstanding receivable report for cost sharing/recovery activities. TREASURY/CASHIER: - Review incoming payment instructions regarding banking details and sources of funds. - Prepare and disburse payments/cheques. - Dispatch payment instructions and cheques to banks. - Prepare receipts and deposit slips for all incoming funds. - Notify payees of the status of payments. - Identify and annotate bank account movements and monitors bank balances of the mission's accounts. - Assist in cash management, including preparing cash flow forecasts. - Make cash disbursements from the Cashier's Unit. - Assist to make sure cash in the vault is accounted for daily. - Monitors cheque stock and cash receipt vouchers and requests for new stock as required. - Monitor/review methods used to remit payments. - In the absence of a Chief Cashier, oversee the daily operation of the Cashier's Unit, including the transmittal of payments. - Co-ordinate filing and archiving as required. GENERAL: - Keep up to date on guidelines that have bearing on matters related to program/peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with United Nations policies and procedures. - Draft or prepare correspondence to respond to inquiries in respect to financial and budget matters. - Provide guidance and training (including preparation of training materials) to junior staff concerning transaction processing and the use of various systems such as UMOJA. - Perform other related duties as required.

Competencies Professionalism: 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; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; Adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently. 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. A technical or vocational certificate in accounting, finance, budget, or related fields is required. Knowledge of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards is desirable.

Work Experience At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience within the United Nations system or in the private sector at the national or international level in accounting, budgeting, or financial management are required.

Hands-on experience in financial ERP systems i.e. Umoja) is desirable.

Experience with budget module or SAP/Umoja or another ERP is desirable.

Experience in supporting preparation of staffing and operational budgets in an international organization is desirable.

Experience with cost sharing and cost recovery procedures in the UN is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice - This position is temporarily available until 31 December 2022. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

  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.

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.

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.