Finance Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The overall objective of the United Nations Environment - Ecosystems Division is to encourage deci-sion makers in government, local authorities and industry to develop and adopt policies, strategies and practices and technologies that promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production, make efficient use of natural resources, ensure safe management of chemicals and contribute to mak-ing trade and environment policies mutually supportive. It promotes the development, use and trans-fer of policies, technologies, economic instruments, managerial practices and other tools that assist in environmentally sound decision making and then building of corresponding activities. The position is located in the Ecosystems Division of UNEP.

Under the direct supervision of the Fund Management Officer, Climate Finance Unit, the nation-al UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide support with regard to the review, analysis and preparation of the project budgets and the revisions (periodic, completion and closure). • update project funding status on a regular basis. • Prepare supporting documents (narrative and supporting tables) with respect to Project submissions and UNEP Programme of Work budgets. • Assist in preparing contractual documents for partners including memos, small scale funding agreements, etc. • Monitor expenditures and compare with approved budgets; prepare adjustments as necessary. • Assist in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analyze variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Assist in the preparation of travel requests for meeting participants. • Verify accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data. • Use UN ERP system to prepare periodic reconciliation of project accounts reports. • Review incoming expenditure reports and upon certification by the programme officer, record expenditure in the UN ERP system, prepare payment request. • Notify payees on status of payments. • Assist fund management officers regarding queries on budget, payment and deposit related issues and draft related correspondence. • Maintain updated files and archives/databases as required. • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Results/Expected Output: • Accurate project finance data maintained. • Provision of and liaison between financial and substantive transactions in support of the Climate Finance Unit portfolio and all related partners.

Communication professionalism integrity working in team

finance, budget, business administration or related area is required.

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethi-opia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical cli-mate.