Finance and Budget Officer (TJO)

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about P-4 contracts and their salaries.

Org. Setting and Reporting This post is located in the Budget and Finance Section (BFS), Executive Office (EO) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate humanitarian suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.

The Finance and Budget Officer is based in Geneva and reports directly to the Chief of the BFS, EO, who is based in New York.

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

Cash management and financial reporting: - Manages cash processes including monitoring and maintaining operational cash and contingency account. - Reviews and accepts donor agreements. - Reviews grants-out agreements. - Manages processes in relation to field petty cash. - Reviews inter-entity service charges. - Prepares and reviews financial reports. - Acts as audit focal point.

Budget preparation and administration: - Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from regular budget and extra-budgetary resources from (a) OCHA’s offices at headquarters and in the field, including programmatic aspects; and (b) ensure compliance with other legislative mandates. - Provides detailed input with respect to resource requirements for budget submissions. - Reviews, analyzes and finalizes program budget/financial implications of GA resolutions in light of additional mandates. - Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review. - Within the delegation of authority prepares allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures. - Manages and monitors budget implementation and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary. - Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels. - Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of donor funding agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures. - Prepares budget performance submissions. - Reviews and finalizes budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. - Provides substantive support to donors’ meetings. - Review, analyse and finalize extra-budgetary requirements for OCHA’s annual funding document and utilization of extra-budgetary resources for OCHA’s annual reports to donors’ budget administration.

General - Provides advice and guidance to Headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting. - Participates in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical survey missions on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues. - Keeps up-to-date on documents, reports and guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to program budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures. - Undertakes research and analysis of budgetary and financial policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications to adapt to OCHA’s emergency requirements. - Acts as Approving Officer in accordance with the United Nations regulations and rules. - Represents OCHA Executive Office in inter and intra-departmental meetings.

Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget development and financial administration of resources. Ability to develop budgetary and financial policies, procedures and new programmes. Ability to formulate new strategies and technical approaches to budgetary and financial matters. 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.

ACCOUNTABILITY: -Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. -Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. -Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. -Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. -Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

TEAMWORK: - Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. - Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise. - Is willing to learn from others. - Places team agenda before personal agenda. - Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. - Shares credit of team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, finance, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required. Experience in budget preparation and administration is required. Experience in budget preparation and administration is required. Experience in preparing reports for intergovernmental bodies or expert bodies is required. Experience in working with trust funds, including reviewing funding agreements, is required. Experience in cash management is required. Experience working with financial functions of an ERP is required. Experience in managing teams in an international environment is desirable. Experience working with budgetary policies and practices for funding from regular budget, extra-budgetary and programme support costs sources and all related financial rules and regulations is desirable. Experience in using Umoja is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

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

Special Notice The appointment/assignment is for an initial duration of three months, with the possibility of extension subject to availability of funds and mandate extension. The selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible. Please note that due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 and the travel restrictions imposed by national authorities, selected candidate may be requested to start the appointment/assignment remotely, in agreement with the hiring manager, and until further notice.

A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further "stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…" Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified. - Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat. - 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. - Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. - 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. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions. - The expression "Internal candidates", shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15. - Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. - For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. - The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English - 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. - Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. IMPORTANT: Candidates found suitable and not selected for the announced duty station, may be selected for deployment to other duty stations. The selection will be for similar functions with similar requirements at the same level.

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.

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.