UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, results.

UNICEF’s Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) in Budapest, Hungary provides services to UNICEF offices globally in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, Payroll and Information Technology.

GSSC has won the 2019 Business Services Firm of the Year in Hungary, one of 26 regional awards announced at the Central and Eastern European Business Services Summit & Awards held in Warsaw, Poland.

How can you make a difference?

The HR Associate (Payroll) supports the processing of UNICEF payrolls and other entitlements globally. Under the guidance of the supervisor, the incumbent of the position assists in the processing of monthly payrolls and staff entitlements for internationally and locally recruited UNICEF staff members.

The incumbent reviews complex cases of financial and supporting documentation and responds to staff queries on payments and entitlement. The HR Associate (Payroll) also supports reviewing reports for accuracy of the entitlements.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Monthly payroll process activities

• Generate and review, analyze comparison reports, payroll simulations, net pay and bank record validation reports for assigned payroll areas.
• Review and validate variances appearing in the payroll reports.
• Review exceptions and follow up with HR administration to ensure that necessary corrective actions are taken on time.
• Verify consistency of salary data i.e., salary scales including dependency allowances, post adjustment, insurance rates, danger pay by comparing them to rates officially published by ICSC or the UN insurance.
• Review the funding analysis reports and liaise with country offices in resolving the funding issues.
• Provide advice on corrective actions following analytical review of the funding errors.

2. Manage incoming requests in the case tool

• Review and process salary advance requests.
• Assist in the reconciliation of all accounts related to payroll.
• Manage payroll inputs through the case tool.
• Review and process final entitlements for separating staff members.
• Monitor individual PAR accounts related to payroll to ensure timely recovery of advances and follow up as necessary.
• Ensure all related recovery information is processed.
• Review and respond to queries from staff and vendors on issues related to areas of responsibilities.
• Monitor and prioritize the workload for pending actions and escalate any difficulties ahead of time.
• Maintain liaison with the UN Insurance and Tax Unit and other third parties on issues related to UNICEF staff.

3. Other operational activities as guided by the senior staff.

• Perform estimate calculations for newly recruited, separating and retiring staff members, as required.
• Perform estimate calculations for special leave without pay (SLWOP) deferral cases.
• Participate in system testing for salary scales changes and other system related changes.
• Maintain referential integrity between case records and SAP records.
• Execute all required processing controls (e.g., eligibility, policy compliance, duplicate checking, transaction/employee/account status verification, other).
• Run analyses, simulations and data integrity reports to maintain accurate database for staff members.
• Maintain, record, and update payments for third party vendors and clients within UNICEF.
• Be nominated to participate in special projects, as required.

4. Perform ad hoc duties as required.

As an advocate for every child, you will receive

• A competitive salary which is exempted from paying national income taxes in Hungary on United Nations emoluments, with a net minimum monthly salary of approximately HUF 718,840.00
• Holidays and leave, including 30 days of annual leave per year
• Parental leave
• Dependency allowance
• United Nations sponsored medical insurance plan
• Pension plan
• Optional life insurance plan
• Access to professional development and learning programs, online learning and learning path
• Access to staff well-being support
• Access to career development support

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Completion of secondary education (i.e., high school diploma) is a minimum requirement.
• University level courses in finance, economics, business administration or related field are desirable.
• Minimum 6 years of relevant work experience in payroll or related field is required for candidates without university degree.
• Minimum 3 year of relevant work experience in finance, economics, business administration or related field is required for candidates with completed bachelor’s degree. A relevant master’s degree may replace an additional two years.
• Working knowledge of the Microsoft Suite of Products (including MS Word, MS Excel & MS PowerPoint) is required.
• Previous hands-on experience in planning, organizing and delivering administrative support services is required.
• Practical experience and knowledge of ERP SAP system is desirable.
• Work experience with a development organization is an asset.
• Knowledge of UN/UNICEF’S rules, regulations and procedures is considered an asset.
• Working knowledge of ServiceNow or similar CRM ticketing system is desirable.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required.
• Knowledge of an additional UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is an asset.

Applicants must be nationals of EU countries or in possession of a valid Hungarian work permit (not sponsored by the employer) already at the time of application. Please attach a copy of your work permit to your application submission.

General Service (GS) staff are locally recruited staff and therefore, candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements. UNICEF does not facilitate MFA accreditation for locally recruited staff.

Requirement for internal applicants  

Internal applicants from the GSSC must have their Learning Paths completed already at the time of application otherwise they cannot be considered. Additionally, they must attach a snapshot/copy of the completed path at their current grade to their applications.

Please visit the Learning and Development portal for more information.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://www.unicef.org/careers/get-prepared#Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process