Senior Finance and Budget Assistant, G7

The Senior Finance and Budget Assistant supports the Budget, Finance and Operational Support Section in managing budget preparation, monitoring, and financial operations for UN-Habitat. The role involves budget analysis, financial reporting, cost recovery accounting, and providing guidance and training to staff on financial systems and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Acts as Certifying Officers on behalf of and in the absence of programme management officers at offices outside headquarters.
• Undertakes reviews, analyses and preparation of the programme plan and its revisions.
• Reviews, analyses and assists in the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with the programme plan and other legislative mandates.
• Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Undertakes research and provides support to higher level Finance and Budget Officers with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
• Provides input into the preparation of allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Monitors budget implementation/expenditures and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary including the regular review of commitments against budget.
• Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure correct objects of expenditure have been charged and confirms availability of funds.
• Monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans for cost recovery activities, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions.
• Assists in finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Monitors integrity of various financial databases.
• Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued.
• Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.
• Analyses complex and/or unusual cost recovery accounting transactions and difficult claims.
• Makes recommendations to Finance and Budget Officers on appropriate follow-up procedures.
• Assists with the processing of billing related to internal work/service orders, client support and external parties.
• Reviews and reconciles various clearing accounts to ensure appropriate balances.
• Investigates erroneous/invalid entries and takes appropriate corrective accounting action.
• Assists the Master Data Management Team and service providers to establish the cost of services and maintains cost accounting master data, allocation rules, allocation cycles and statistical key figures;
• Assists in the preparation of financial statements for various funds, e.g., general, technical co-operation, trust funds, revenue and other special accounts.
• Certifies and processes organization management (OM) adjustments ensuring compliance with relevant rules and control procedures.
• Assists with monitoring the level of income received from cost recovery and advises senior management on availability of funds and possible corrective measures.
• Provides guidance and training (including the preparation of training materials) to staff at Headquarters and in the field with respect to transaction processing and the use of various systems.
• Drafts/prepares memoranda and responds to queries by staff members, internal and external auditors and from their counterparts in offices away from Headquarters.
• Files and archives as required.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts or prepares correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant financial and budget matters.
• Assists with the coordination of post management functions for both core and project activities.
• Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility.
• Keeps up-to-date on current financial regulations/professional publications and accepted principles.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Requirements

• Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Supplemental training in accounting, finance and budget or related fields is desirable.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, budget, accounting or administrative services is required.
• The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced by two (2) years for candidates who possess a first level University degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in budgetary and financial operations, procedures and practices is required.
• Experience with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system such as Oracle or SAP in finance and budget modules is required.
• Experience with the UN Financial rules and regulations or similar international organization is desirable.
• Experience in post management is desirable.
• Experience working with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is desirable.
• One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
• English is required at UN Level II for reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Skills

• Budget Preparation
• Financial Reporting
• Budget Monitoring
• Financial Operations
• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Oracle ERP
• SAP-based ERP
• UN Financial Rules
• Budgetary Practices
• Accounting
• Finance
• Data Analytics
• International Public Sector Accounting Standards
• Post Management
• Cost Recovery

Languages

English