Finance Officer

Finance & Economy

Overview

Support stewardship of WFP’s resources and monitor financial data effectively.

You have:

• Advanced University degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or related fields, or First University degree in the same subject(s) with additional years of related work experience plus membership in a professional accountancy body.
• At least one year of professional experience at professional level in a related field.
• Fluency in French language (level C).
• Intermediate knowledge in English (level B).

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

29 September 2025-23:59-GMT Greenwich Mean Time (Nouakchott)WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

Job title : Finance Officer

Contract type: NOA

Duration: 12 months

Division/Unit: Finance

Duty Station (City, Country): Nouakchott

Reporting line: Head of Finance unit

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

This position is based in Nouakchott, Mauritania. The job holder typically reports to head of unit and operates as part of the finance team within the Country Office, providing general financial, budgetary, and administrative support.

The role encompasses a broad range of responsibilities or focus more specifically on finance-related functions. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the head of unit, receiving regular guidance and feedback.

The job holder is expected to contribute to the collation, maintenance, analysis, and reporting of financial data to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of financial services and ensure compliance with WFP standards and procedures.

JOB PURPOSE

To support the stewardship of WFP’s resources, monitoring budgets, forecasting, reporting on key data and providing basic administrative and human resource functions that enable effective management of funds, and ensure assistance to beneficiaries is undertaken in the most efficient and effective way possible.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Maintain awareness of corporate finance and resource management strategies and major ongoing programmatic initiatives, participating where appropriate using finance and resource management expertise.

2. Contribute towards the development of country specific plans and processes, aligned with Regional and wider WFP strategy, policies and processes to meet the food assistance needs of beneficiaries within the Country.

3. Report on key data for financial status and outcomes of projects in accordance with corporate governance requirements, ensuring accuracy, deadlines, and accounting processes are complied with.

4. Monitor budgets, and carry out forecasting for new and ongoing projects according to established corporate procedures and requirements.

5. Perform bank reconciliations, disbursements, clearance of receivables, overall cash management and monthly financial closures on a regular basis in accordance with corporate requirements.

6. Where necessary, deliver core administrative services, working with contractors and following standard processes to provide cost-effective, quality and timely services to WFP staff.

7. Where necessary, undertake basic human resource functions related to staff benefits, recruitment of local staff, and training.

8. Collate data and contribute to preparation of accurate and timely reporting, providing management with financial, staffing and resource usage information to enable them to make informed decisions.

9. Track and collate data to support others to improve policies, systems and procedures in order to minimise financial risks, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations, and ensure services are aligned with business objectives.

10. Contribute to the delivery of financial controls and insight into WFP performance, supporting periodic risk and internal control assessments to identify areas which may present potential audit, compliance or financial risks.

11. Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.

12. Represent unit/CO at internal meetings, external meetings and events with other UN agencies, banks and other financial institutions, or other partners and entities as required.

13. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy food and needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

14. Other as required.

Qualifications & experience required

Education:

Advanced University degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or related fields, or First University degree in the same subject(s) with additional years of related work experience plus membership in an international recognized professional accountancy body such as Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Certified Public Accounts (ICPA) or equivalent.

Experience:

• Has at least one year of professional experience at professional level in a related field.

• Has provided input into policy discussions and decisions.

• Has performed basic financial analyses at a national and/or operational level. • Has experience managing financial transactions.

Language:

Fluency (level C) in French language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) in English.

NB : Kindly note that this VA is for a NOA position level and could also serve to fill similar role under SC8, SSA8 or lower grades.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: [email protected]

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 8 months ago - Updated 8 months ago - Source: wfp.org