Finance and Budget Officer

Posting Title: Finance and Budget Officer, FS6

Job Code Title: Finance and Budget Officer

Organization: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

Duty Station: Naqoura, Lebanon

Posting Period: 11 August 2023 - 09 September 2023

Job Opening Number: 23-Finance-UNIFIL-215705-F-Naqoura (M)

Staffing Exercise: N/A

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Finance and Budget Section, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Naqoura. The incumbent would be reporting to the Deputy Chief of Finance and Budget and Chief Finance and Budget Officer.

Responsibilities

Budget:
Prepare cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of mission's resourcing requirements such as staff and non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects.
Analyze and revise data with justification for resource requirements for budget submissions in coordination with relevant Sections/Offices on related issues during preparation of the budget proposals as well as Result Based Budgeting inputs.
Monitors budget implementation/expenditures and assists with the reallocation and re-deployment of funds as necessary.
Administer and monitor extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
Provide support to programme/fund center managers (Substantive and Support Section) with respect to the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submission.
Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued; process fund distributions received from HQ and input allotment advice in ECC.
Prepare budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures, compile responses to the questions from FOFD, ACABQ, and 5th Committee.
Reviews pre-commitments for goods and services to ensure (a) correct commitment item have been charged, and (b) availability of funds.
Ensure efficient and effective use of budgetary resources through robust monitoring of budget utilization to the approved budget and timely provision of information to Mission management for decision making. Provide support and guidance to fund centre/programme managers on budget implementation and corrective actions where necessary. Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.

Accounting:
Performs monthly and yearly closing of accounts procedures in Enterprise Resource Programme (Umoja).
Analyzes complex/unusual accounting transactions and all open items in the accounting system ERP (Umoja) for corrective actions.
Reviews and reconciles various clearing accounts and investigates erroneous/invalid entries to take appropriate corrective accounting action.
Processes incoming/outgoing interoffice vouchers (IOVs), interoffice billings (IOBs) and intermission billings (IMBs) from/to HQs, agencies, funds, programs and other field missions.
Ensures compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in all financial transactions.
Reviews current budget period commitments to ensure their validity to carry them forward and follow up on cancelation of outstanding commitments were not valid.
Prepare bank reconciliation for the Mission house bank.
Undertakes research and provides support to higher level with respect to IPSAS, accounts and policy analysis.

Account Payable and Receivable:
Review and verifies that relevant supporting documents have been provided, confirming that goods and services have been received in accordance with the contract, agreement, purchase order or other form of undertaking by which they were ordered and that they have been certified by a duly designated certifying officer before vouchers are processed and/or submitted for approval.
Reviews relevant banking details including amendments of banking details in the Business Partner (BP) for wire transfer payments, to ensure that payments are made only to those to whom the organization legitimately owes funds for goods and services received.
Prepare year-end report for the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) on all pension contributions made by national staff.
Act as an Approving Officer under Financial Rule 105.4 in adherence with the UN Regulations and Rules.
Advice and ensure that only valid year-end budget commitments confirming with established criteria are valid for carrying forward.
Provides guidance, training and support to colleagues including briefings to the military staff.
Process payment for the daily/leave allowance and other entitlements for the military staff.
Prepare staff member’s entitlements including daily subsistence allowance, travel claims, vendor invoices, agencies, etc., to ensure conformity and adherence to applicable United Nations policies e.g., applicable staff rules, financial regulations and rules, ST/AI issuances or practices, International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) policy framework etc.

Treasury:
Supervise the disbursement of payments and monitor house bank account balances and transactions.
Identifies and annotates bank account movements and monitors bank balances of the mission's accounts.
Manage cash flow requirements of the Mission, verify imprest documentation and prepare imprest statement.
Make sure cash in vault is replenished timely to avoid shortage of cash.

General Duties:
Keeps up to date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme and/or peacekeeping budgets, accounts and cash management, ensures 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 financial and budget matters.
Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment. Ability to maintain accurate records, review and interpret a wide variety of data. Ability to 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.

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.

Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

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 gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solution; 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

High School Diploma or equivalent is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

A technical or vocational certificate in accounting, finance, budget or related fields is required.

Work Experience

At least (10) years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, budgeting and financial management or related field is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 5 years of experience for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher.

Experience with Enterprise Resource Programme (ERP) system especially System Applications and Products (SAP) is desirable.

Experience in UN internal applications, IPSAS accounting system, UMOJA, are desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Assessment

Previously rostered candidates are not subject to any further assessment and as such, will not be invited for such an assessment.

Special Notice

This "Recruit from Roster" job opening is only open to roster applicants who are already placed on pre-approved rosters, following a review by a United Nations Central Review Body. Only roster applicants who were placed on rosters with similar functions at the same level are considered to be eligible candidates. Eligible applicants receive an email inviting them to apply. Rostered applicants are encouraged to apply only if they are interested and available to take up the position at the duty station/s specified in the Job Opening. Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position

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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.

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