Finance Associate – VGSC Financial donor reporting & Project closure

Contract

This is a GS-7 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about GS-7 contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security.

The Finance Associate position forms part of UN Women’s Virtual Global Service Centre (VGSC) for financial donor reporting and project closure under the responsibility of the Deputy Director of Financial Management.

Under the guidance and primary supervision of the Finance Specialist – Financial Reporting and VGSC Unit Head, the Finance Associate is responsible for the preparation of financial donor reports and financial project closure; while also providing additional capacity to the regional office for other finance-related duties under the daily secondary supervision of the Regional Office Finance Specialist. The Finance Associate will always promote a client-oriented approach and abide by UN Women’s financial regulations and rules.

The Finance Associate works in close collaboration with the staff of the Division of Management and Administration, Programme Division, Regional Office, and Country Offices, as well as other UN entities in HQS and COs for resolving complex finance-related issues and information delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Administer focus on timely preparation of financial donor reporting and other management reports:

• Prepare financial reports for donors for UN Women offices timely and submit them to VGSC Finance Specialists;
• Monitor outstanding donor reports to donors and initiate follow-up actions with Country Offices;
• Follow up on errors in chart fields or over expenditures and ensure proper adjustments are made;
• Assist in the maintenance of General Ledger, analyzing and reconciling accounts with supporting modules;
• Respond to requests to resolve financial data issues;
• Prepare other regular finance indicators or management reports as requested;
• File and archive supporting work papers and documents;
• Regularly communicate with VGSC Finance Specialists;
• Provide budget setup support to permit accurate reports in formats required by Donor (E.g. EU report);
• Provide project staff with training on budget formats for donor-specific reporting requirements.

Administer and implement financial procedures focusing on the timely closure of projects:

• Perform and provide advice for financial project closure of projects for UN Women (UNW) offices;
• Monitor, reconcile, and follow up with Country Offices (COs) on the status of closed projects not yet financially closed;
• Prepare various reports on project closure status and initiate follow-up actions;
• Ensure proper control of the supporting documents for refunds to donors and general ledger journals;
• Follow up on errors in chart fields or over expenditures and ensure proper adjustments are made;
• Assist in the maintenance of General Ledger, analyzing and reconciling accounts with supporting modules;
• Respond to requests to resolve financial data issues;
• File and archive supporting work papers and documents;
• Regularly communicate with VGSC Finance Specialists.

Provide accounting and administrative support to the RO Finance Specialist focusing on the achievement of the following results for the Regional Office:

• Verification of Invoices as backfill support for the RO Finance Associate as per the UN Women standard payments process;
• Approvals of donor agreements in DAMS Level 1 for the Arab States Region and ensure that all signed cost-sharing and trust fund agreements are authorized and uploaded to DAMS in a timely manner;
• Suppliers’ Approval.

Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Build and strengthen the capacity of UNW offices in the areas of financial donor reporting and project closure, including conducting training in your region;
• Assist and provide input to training materials for the operations/project staff on financial donor reporting and project closure or other related finance items;
• Actively participate in knowledge sharing and changes of duties with other staff in the Finance team, as requested by RO Finance Specialist, to ensure that all duties have backup staff assigned and trained;
• Ensure full compliance with amendments to International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Inform other UNW Finance Users to ensure IPSAS compliance and currency;
• Ensure full compliance with all UNW Financial Regulations and Rules, Operations manuals, Internal Control policies and procedures, Standard operating procedures, Finance manuals, and Delegations of Authority to ensure consistency across UNW and harmonization with other UN Agencies. Provide recommendations to the Unit head for proposed amendments.

Perform other relevant duties from time to time as requested by the Finance Specialist.

Key Performance Indicators:

The key results have an impact on the overall efficiency of financial resources management and success in the implementation of operational strategies. Accurate analysis and presentation of financial information enhance UN Women's credibility in the use of financial resources and proper financial process management. The information provided facilitates management decision-making.

• Timely and accurate financial donor reports and other management financial reports;
• Timely and accurate financial project closure;
• Timely response to requests to resolve financial data issues;
• Timely, completed, and accurate financial transactions/activities and documentation;
• Timely and accurate advice on UN Women financial rules and regulations;
• Proper control of supporting documents.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Strong accounting skills;
• Knowledge of financial rules and regulations, and accounting;
• Strong IT skills and proficiency;
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, and implementation of new systems;
• Ability to administer and execute financial and accounting processes and transactions;
• Results and client-oriented approach to work;
• Strong communication and relationship management skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Completion of High School (Secondary Education) is required;
• University Degree in Accounting or Finance is an advantage;
• Completion of UN Women Accountancy & Finance Test is required (to be conducted during the recruitment process).

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively relevant finance work experience is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and knowledge of database packages, working experience in web-based ERP financial systems (i.e. SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, etc).
• Knowledge of IPSAS and/or IFRS is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in developing complex financial reports required.
• Experience in developing reports for donors within an international organizational context is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and {please insert preference}. Knowledge of any other UN language is an advantage.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.