Background
The 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.
Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Operations Manager, the Finance Support Consultant is responsible for supporting and supervising the execution of a wide range of financial services and administrative processes in the Country Office (CO), ensuring timeliness, efficiency and transparent use of financial resources and delivery of services in accordance with organizational financial rules, regulations, policies, procedures and approved allocations. The Finance Associate promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations, standard practices and guidelines.
The Finance Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations Team in the Regional Office as well as with the Operations and Programme teams in UN Women HQ for solving complex finance-related issues and information delivery.
Duties and Responsibilities
Provide effective support to Programme unit on Budget and Finance Management.
- Monitors the budget utilization and implementation, as per the work plan/spending projections and the signed agreement;
- Ensures that expenditure is in accordance with the project document and project work plans and that accounting records and supporting documents are properly kept;
- Provide advanced technical support and inputs in the preparation of programme work plans/spending projections, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements;
- Creates and oversees projects in UN Women ERP and Quantum, prepares budget revisions, revises project details and status; determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial management of projects from creation to closure;
- Monitors budget preparation and the budget execution of the Somalia Programmes;
- Follow ups on and/or consolidates performance indicators/success criteria, targets and milestones, preparation of financial reports;
- Provides technical guidance to projects/programmes and UN Women Responsible parties on routine implementation, delivery of projects and reporting of programme supported activities and finances; Analysis of the situation in programme, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions;
Provide advanced support to projects on partners and administration of budgets:
- Collect, verify and present thoroughly researched information and data for use in the planning of financial resources and the formulation of country program work plans, budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements and execution modalities;
- Monitor the preparation and modification/revision of budgets for UN Women programmes;
- Contribute technically to office budget planning and preparation;
- Provide information/guidance to the executing agencies on routine implementation of projects. Keep track of the appropriate and timely use of financial resources;
- Implement control mechanisms for development programmes through monitoring budgets preparations and revisions;
- Provide technical support to ensure project budgets are correctly and timely entered into Atlas;
- Prepare cost recovery documents for the services provided by UN Women to non-core programmes by core programme resources or prepare bills to services provided to other organizations for reimbursement, as required.
Ensure proper control of accounts:
- Provide advisory services on a wide range of finance related issues;
- Prepare verified payment vouchers based on proper supporting documents authorized by the budget owners and project managers;
- Ensure timely corrective actions are taken on un-posted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, and unapproved vouchers. Review vouchers before submission for approval;
- Prepare General Ledger journal entries (GLJEs) from proper supporting documents authorized by the budget owners and project managers;
- Prepare financial reports as needed;
- Review accounts receivables for UN Women projects and follow-up with project managers and Finance section at headquarters on contributions, deposits creation in Atlas and their application to accounts receivable and milestone pending items. Review on a weekly basis Unapplied deposits list on Finance Section intranet page to ensure all receipts for region are identified timely.
- Maintain up to date and accurate data in Quantum and take timely corrective actions on erroneous data;
- Maintain follow up of advances to implementing partners, review their financial reports (FACE form) and supporting documentation together with Project Managers and take the appropriate action;
- Liaise with Finance Section for requests for preparation of donor reports and review and comment on draft financial reports in conjunction with project managers;
- Ensure all supporting documents on financial transactions are secured and properly filed;
- Prepare timely VAT reimbursements with adequate documentation support, where applicable.
Ensure proper Country Programme cash management:
- Support petty cash in accordance with policy in POM;
- Support timely trouble shooting on irregularities in bank transfers and other forms of payment;
- Monitor for unusual financial activities or transactions, investigate anomalies and report to the Operations Manager and/or present recommendations for actions/decisions.
Facilitate of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the CO:
- Organize and conduct trainings for operations/ project staff on finance issues;
- Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in Finance;
- Design and/or introduce innovations in financial business operational practices and management, in line with approval from Operations Manager.
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Competencies
Core Values/Guiding Principles:
- Integrity
- Respect for Diversity
- Professionalism
Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity:
- Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
- Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
- Accountability
- Creative Problem Solving
- Effective Communication
- Inclusive Collaboration
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Leading by Example
Functional Competencies:
- Thorough knowledge of financial rules and regulations and accounting principles;
- Excellent knowledge and application skills of IT tools and management systems;
- Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems;
- Good analytical skills and results orientation;
- Client focused;
- Good interpersonal relations and written and spoken communication skills.
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Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- . Specialized national or international certification in accounting and finance would be an asset;
- University Degree in Business or Accounting is required
Experience:
- 3 years of progressively relevant finance work experience is required;
- Proficiency 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.
Language:
- Written and oral proficiency in English and National Language in duty station is required. Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
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.
