Finance Assistant

As a Finance Assistant at UNICEF's Global Shared Services Centre in Budapest, you will support UNICEF offices worldwide in finance areas such as Payments, General Accounting, Invoice Processing, and Master Data Management. The role involves processing and verifying financial data, ensuring compliance with policies, resolving discrepancies, and supporting various finance initiatives to maintain high standards of financial accountability.

Responsibilities

• Ensure accurate and timely processing of financial transactions and resolution of cases in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Validate financial data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with relevant policies.
• Proper handling and protection of sensitive and confidential information in line with data privacy rules and internal controls.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders in a timely manner to facilitate effective issue resolution.
• Contribute to efficient daily operation of assigned finance workstreams, ensuring high-quality service and timely communication.
• Proactively identify recurring processing issues and flag potential risks or inconsistencies.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for queries and understand when to escalate complex cases as needed.
• Stay informed on relevant updates, guidance and communications from management.
• Maintain and update knowledge materials and support the interpretation, such as step-by-step guides and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Participate in knowledge-sharing activities, promote a culture of continuous learning, and support process improvements.
• Collaborate with other units and relevant stakeholders to ensure smooth end-to-end transaction flows and effective issue resolution.
• Maintain flexibility to rotate and support different finance streams and processes as required, adapting quickly to evolving priorities.
• Assist the management with ad hoc tasks, reports, project support as required.
• Contribute to cross-functional coordination and process optimization initiatives.

Requirements

• Completion of secondary education (i.e., high school diploma) is a minimum requirement.
• University level courses in finance, accounting or business is desirable.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience in finance and administration or other relevant field of work is required.
• A completed BA degree from an accredited institution qualifies as 3 years experience and will be counted towards the minimum work experience requirement.
• Minimum two (2) years of relevant experience is required for candidates holding bachelor’s degree in relevant fields.
• Master`s degree will be considered additional two years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in a shared service center or at an international organization are considered as an asset, especially in the fields of Accounts Payable, Master Data, General Accounting, Financial Controlling, Treasury, Fraud Prevention, Transaction Level Monitoring and Corporate Card Administration.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Suite Products (MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint) is required.
• Knowledge of Contracting services/procurement is desirable.
• Experience in planning, organizing and delivering administrative support services is desirable.
• Strong focus on accuracy and process consistency is required.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and reporting skills are required.
• Proven ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information tailoring communications is required.
• Applicants must be nationals of EU countries or in possession of a valid long-term Hungarian work permit not sponsored by any employer already at the time of application.
• Applicants are required to attach copies of their valid Hungarian permits which allow them to work full-time to their applications.

Skills

• Accounts payable
• Master Data Management
• General accounting
• Financial Control
• Treasury
• Fraud Prevention
• Transaction Level Monitoring
• Corporate Card Administration
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS PowerPoint
• Contracting Services
• Procurement
• Administrative Support
• Financial Reporting
• Data Verification
• Policy Compliance
• Confidential Information Handling
• Analytical Skills
• Problem Solving

Languages

English