Finance Assistant

Organizational Setting

FAO assists governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to address hunger and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to respond to cries. FAO in collaboration with the Government of Malawi and with support of multiple development partners is implementing a wide range of activities to improve livelihoods of small-scale farmers as well as assisting a more inclusive and sustainable development in the country. FAO Malawi is currently supporting the Government to strengthen community-based resilience in vulnerable rural areas, facilitate a more sustainable management of natural resources and supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Likewise, FAO provides and mobilizes technical assistance required by the country in areas related with agriculture production, agriculture economics and other areas relevant.

Reporting Lines

The Finance Assistant will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR-Administration and the day to day supervision of the Section Head-Finance

Technical Focus:

The Finance Assistant will interact with a wide variety of colleagues within and outside the work unit and with immediate clients within and outside the Organisation by providing routine finance support services.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will work more specifically:

• Reviewing the Payment Status Report for transactions created by the local office or the Headquarters requiring further investigation prior to making payments, raise and resolve transactions with status Not Validated or Not Approved or both to facilitate payments of vendors
• Reviewing all creditors reconciliations prior to approval by the AFAOR-Administration
• Clearing transactions posted to the miscellaneous income account on monthly basis
• Assisting with performance of spot checks on utilization of funds by Service Providers holding Letters of Agreements with the organization, provide suggestions to the AFAOR-Administration of how management of FAO funds advanced to Service Providers could be improved
• Timely reviewing of expense reports related to Advances and submission for approval of the AFAOR-Administration
• Reviewing and following up of outstanding advances with respective employees, resolving any queries staff may raise.
• Extracting and sharing of Advances status report reflecting the status of Advances for all employees with uncleared advances on weekly basis.
• Assisting the running of payments in GRMS, consolidating and submitting the processed payment to the AFAOR-Administration for approval
• Preparing VAT schedules for reimbursement by Government
• Performing other related duties as required and assigned

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Accounting or Business Administration/Management
• Working knowledge (level C) in English and any local language of the duty station
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in finance and administration
• National of Malawi.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Very good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment
• Ability to work under pressure with minimum or no supervision
• Be able to work in a multi-cultural environment
• A team player who demonstrates patience, flexibility and honesty
• Ability to work and relate well with FAO stakeholders
• Excellent analytical and numerical skills
• Be willing and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines and including working long hours when required.
• Ability to travel and work in field conditions when required
• Good time management skills, able to plan work and meet strict deadlines.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.