Finance and Budget Officer

Posting Title: Finance and Budget Officer, P4

Job Code Title: Finance and Budget Officer

Organization: United Nations Department of Global Communications

Duty Station: New York, United States of America

Posting Period: 15 August 2023 - 28 September 2023

Job Opening Number: 23-Finance-DGC-214939-R-New York (R)

Staffing Exercise: N/A

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

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Centres Operation Section (COS) of the Information Centres Service (ICS) in the Campaigns and Country Operations Division (CCOD) of the Department of Global Communications (DGC).

Under the overall lead of the Chief COS, provides finance, budget, and human resources management support to 59 field offices in the global network of UN information centres (UNICs). To learn more about the UNICs, visit https://unic.un.org. of the global network of United Nations information centres.

The incumbent reports directly to the Chief of Finance in the Executive Office and is under the overall supervision of the Chief of ICS.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Finance and Budget Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

BUDGET PREPARATION:
• Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from ICS/DGC headquarters and in the DGC field offices, including programmatic aspects.

BUDGET ADMINISTRATION:
• Authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Provides advice and guidance, including training, to headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.
• Manages and monitors budget implementation and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, preparation of draft correspondence between DGC and grant donors (Member States, public and private entities), including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures. Issues allotments based on the cost plans and takes redeployment action as and when required.
• Reviews and finalizes budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Prepares responses to audit observations in coordination with the Chief of Service, ICS and the Executive Office.

ASSET MANAGEMENT
• Reviews records on assets, property and real estate of the UNICs/DGC field offices.
• Reviews preparation of IPSAS/compliant financial information on assets.
• Reviews submissions for inventory of expendable and non-expendable assets in UNICs/DGC field offices.
• Review submissions for write-off of assets and submissions to the Property Survey Board.

SOURCE TO ACQUIRE
• Provides guidance for source to acquire requirements.
• Reviews Terms of Reference and ERP transactions related to source to acquire.
• Provides guidance and reviews on solicitation processes related to source to acquire.

FINANCE
• Maintains oversight on payments and transactions.
• Prepares IPSAS compliant financial information for submission to the Executive Office.
• Reviews audit responses related to the UNICs/DGC field offices.
• Provides guidance on the application of financial rules and regulations.

GENERAL
• Maintains regular interaction with DGC field offices on administrative, financial and budgetary matters.
• Acts as Certifying Officer within the delegated authority, to ensure that proposed obligations and expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and established regulations and rules.
• Represents ICS in inter and intra-departmental meetings.
• Plans, organizes and manages the work of the COS finance team.
• Incumbents may be asked to perform other related duties.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget development and financial administration of resources. Ability to develop budgetary policies, procedures and new programmes. Ability to formulate new strategies and technical approaches to budgetary matters. 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.

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.

PLANING AND ORGANIZNING: 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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two years qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required.

Experience in Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems such as Umoja, SAP or similar in budget formulation, grants management, asset management and source to acquire is required.

Experience in budget formulation, preparation and monitoring in an international organization is required.

Experience providing centralized administrative support at a headquarter level to multiple and diverse locations in the United Nations common system or a comparable international organization is required.

Experience in source to acquire for an international organization for offices away from headquarters 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 other UN official languages is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 June 2023, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

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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