Back Senior Finance and Budget Assistant

Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the Payroll and Accounts Payable Section (PAPS) in the Division of Administration (DA), Department of Operational Support (DOS). The Department of Operational Support was established to provide operational advisory services to operating entities across the Secretariat, including other departments, Offices Away from Headquarters, field missions, and regional commissions. The Payroll and Accounts Payable Section processes global payroll and payments, provides policy advice and operational guidance, testing, and implementation of enhancements. The incumbent will report to the Chief of the Payroll and Accounts Payable Section. ResponsibilitiesWithin limits of delegated authority, the Senior Finance & Budget Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

Budget:

• Acts as Certifying Officer on behalf of and in the absence of programme managers at offices outside Headquarters.
• Undertakes reviews, analyses and preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions.
• Reviews, analyses and assists in the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates.
• Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Undertakes research and provides support to higher-level Finance & Budget Officers with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
• Provides input into the preparation of allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Monitors budget implementation/expenditures and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure, (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, and (b) availability of funds.
• Monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions.
• Assists in the finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Monitors integrity of various financial databases.
• Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued.
• Coordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.

Claims:

• Reviews, analyses and processes payments to third parties, commercial entities, individuals, and troop-contributing countries, with respect to settlement of certified death and disability, contingent-owned equipment, stores, pay and allowances, and letters of assist claims.

Finance:

• Analyses complex and/or unusual accounting transactions and difficult claims for travel, tax, invoices, entitlements, etc. Makes recommendations to the Chief of the Unit/Section on appropriate follow-up procedures.
• Reviews and reconciles various clearing accounts to ensure appropriate balances. Investigates erroneous/invalid entries and takes appropriate corrective accounting action.
• Audits various accounting transactions, e.g., payroll, vendor payments, final payments, income tax returns, travel claims, etc., to ensure correctness of disbursement computations and adherence to relevant staff rules, financial regulations, ST/AI issuances or practices.
• Reviews completeness of reports and consolidates the accounts of overseas offices on a periodic basis.
• Prepares worksheets and analyzes accounts. Assists in the preparation of financial statements for various funds, e.g., general, peacekeeping, technical co-operation, trust fund, revenue, and other special accounts.
• Approves payment and journal vouchers for various claims/payments, e.g., travel reimbursement, staff entitlements, salary advances, etc., ensuring compliance with relevant rules and control procedures.
• Provides guidance and training (including the preparation of training materials) to staff at Headquarters and in the field on transaction processing and the use of various systems, such as the United Nations ERP System (UMOJA).
• Supervises other general service staff when required.

OnePayroll:

• Supports global payroll transition activities, including tracking the transition plan, monitoring deadlines, and coordinating inputs from various payroll offices to ensure tasks are completed on schedule.
• Facilitates communication and coordination among stakeholders; assists with training activities; documents processes and meetings; supports data collection and analysis related to staffing, cost recovery models, and payroll volumes to support decision-making and reporting; and assists with the implementation of the cost recovery framework for the consolidated payroll team.

General:

• Keeps up to date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts or prepares correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant financial and budget matters.
• Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision-making.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned. Competencies

Professionalism:

Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the United Nations environment. Knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyze and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions, including processing of payroll, payments, and claims. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and operational problems. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

Planning and Organizing:

Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation:

Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view. Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect. Identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions. Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems. Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects. Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. EducationHigh school diploma or equivalent is required. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten (10) years of experience in finance, accounting, payroll, human resources, or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to eight (8) years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. At least five (5) of the years of experience should be focused on transactional-based payroll activities, or the administering of staff benefits and entitlements, including auditing staff earnings, deductions and separations, is required. Experience in the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, such as Umoja, SAP, People Soft, or similar ERP systems is required. Experience working with the United Nations or a large global organization's systems and procedures is required. Experience with disbursements and adherence to relevant Staff Regulations and Rules, including entitlements, and Financial Regulations, Rules, and procedures of the United Nations or similar international organization is desirable. Experience with auditing historical payroll/staff data and entitlements is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details). 📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐 ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!