Organizational Setting

FAO’s Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing, and implementing agreed strategies for addressing regional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organization (REIOs). It assists the FAO representations in the subregion with addressing food security, agriculture and rural development issues at country level. The Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands is a subsidiary of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP).

The post is located in SAP and based in Apia, Samoa.

Main Purpose

The Finance Associate undertakes high-level and specialized finance-related support activities. He/she leads and coordinates the financial support work of the unit, ensuring quality, transparency and consistency of processes. The job role requires in-depth knowledge and interpretation of financial policies, procedures and practices. The incumbent provides procedural guidance to managers and staff in the Organization and guides other finance support staff.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Finance Associate reports to the Administrative Officer in SAP. Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative, judgment, and liability. Supervision received is focused on facilitating service delivery and on meeting client requirements. The incumbent effectively organizes and supervises other finance support staff and provides relevant guidance and training.

Working Relationships

The incumbent maintains a wide range of contacts with managers and staff throughout the Organization as well as with colleagues within the team, providing experienced coordination and delivery of the entire range of finance support processes and services.

Key Functions/Results

•    Analyse, control and maintain relevant general ledger accounts, including scrutinizing source documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of charges.
•    Review and liquidate obligations; investigate erroneous charges and take corrective accounting actions; reconcile and review suspense accounts and ensure proper clearance procedures.
•    Extract details of income, expenditures, assets and liability from the accounting system in order to analyse and verify accuracy and validity.
•    Consolidate data into financial statements and assist in monitoring expenditures to ensure they remain within authorized levels.
•    Prepare worksheets and assist in preparation of financial statements by compiling and consolidating data from various sources; prepare and checks trial balance.
•    Prepare draft cost estimates and budget proposals and participate in budget analysis and projections.
•    Provide support with respect to the review, analyses and preparation of the medium-term plan.
•    Draft and prepare correspondence and respond to queries.
•    Evaluate ongoing financial support requirements, adapt service provision to meet changing needs and solve operational problems as required.
•    Provide procedural guidance to managers and staff; supervise, guide and train other finance support staff.
•    Perform other duties as required.

Impact of Work

The incumbent’s work impacts directly on the efficiency, effectiveness, accuracy and timeliness of the services provided by the team. He/she plays a pro-active role in the successful achievement of the work unit’s mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education.
Experience: Five years of relevant experience in finance, accounting and budget-related support work.
Languages: Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English.
IT Skills: Very good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment.
Residency: General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application. “Commuting distance” means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.

Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Team Work
•    Communication
•    Building effective relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical Skills

•    Thorough knowledge of financial rules and regulations, accounting policies and practices.
•    Thorough knowledge of corporate financial systems.
•    Thorough knowledge of the communication and documentation standards.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

•    Thorough knowledge of the essential elements of finance activities and transactions, including FAO’s corporate policies, rules and procedures.
•    Experience in Finance in the UN, including relevant corporate human resources policies and procedures.