Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Finance Management (FM), Capacity Development Programme Management Office (CDPMO) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). CDPMO provides full financial and administrative support with respect to the management of DESA’s capacity development programmes and projects, including the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation, the Development Account and all extra-budgetary funding. CDPMO also provides financial and administrative support to the Junior Professional Officers Programme of the UN Secretariat. The incumbent reports directly to the Senior Finance Officer under the overall guidance and supervision of the Head, Capacity Development Programme Management Office.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Associate Finance Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Medium-term plan • Reviews, analyses and finalizes the preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies. • Provides advice and support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their review of the medium-term plan and its revisions; assists in securing approval from the General Assembly. • Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into programme budgets. Budget preparation • Reviews, analyses and assists in the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from (a) Departments/offices at Headquarters and in the field, including programmatic aspects; (b) smaller-sized peacekeeping operations; ensure compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates. • Reviews and analyses programme budget/financial implications to the Security Council statements in light of additional mandates. • Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions. • Provides support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; assists in securing approval from the General Assembly. Budget administration • Prepares allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures. • Monitors budget implementation and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary. • Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels. • Reviews requisitions generated by the Reality system for goods and services to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, and (b)availability of funds. • Administers and 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. • Reviews and assists in finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Assists in providing substantive support to intergovernmental and expert bodies. General • Assists in providing financial management for the Associate Experts and Junior Professional Officers Programme including analysis of agency financial statements, coordination with donors on fund balance and maintenance of appropriate cash levels, fill and preparation of financial statements to the donors; • Contributes to the collection and analysis of data as well as identification of trends or patterns and provides draft insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. • 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; • Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability to identify and resolve budgetary problems and identify sources for data collection. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, finance, accounting or related field is required. A first-level university degree in any of these fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. No experience is required for candidates who have passed the United Nations Young Professionals Programme Examination (YPP), United Nations National Competitive Recruitment Examination (NCRE) or the General Service to Professional Examination (G to P). Certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent is desirable.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance, budget, administration or related area is required. Experience in the administration of extrabudgetary trust fund projects in the context of development cooperation, including review and clearance of contribution agreements and preparation of financial reports to donors is required. Experience working with an enterprise resource planning system, such as SAP, is desirable. Experience in the application of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) or comparable is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include written assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview or informal interview.

Special Notice

This is an Extrabudgetary-funded position. This position is temporarily available for 364 days. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. The appointment or assignment and renewal therefore are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval, or extension of the mandate. While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position. Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.