Programme Associate, GS-6, Fixed Term, #122929, Islamabad, Pakistan

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Commitment!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilisers, communities and families, and of course the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives — being in good health, immunized, protected from polio and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. 

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website www.unicef.org/pakistan and videos on YouTube and Vimeo

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision and guidance of Budget and Finance Specialist, the Programme Associate (Budget) supports the budget team in Partnerships and Resource Mobilization section by carrying out a variety of specialized tasks to support the planning and budgeting processes as well as specialized tasks of the analysis, preparation, monitoring, guidance and control of the budget, involving several different sources of funds for the Country Office. 

The Programme Associate (Budget) works in close collaboration with a range of staff in the CO, external partners and agency counterparts in support of budget planning and monitoring. Provides regular feedback on the status of financial management implementation through monitoring milestones and advises on improvements to keep activities on track.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Financial Management

• Regularly monitor budgets and financial expenditures of the section by employing applicable tools, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, and keeping supervisor informed and advised on actions for decision and/or follow up.

• Support the section in strengthening budget management for the Country Office through timely and quality support in the allocation, recording, analysis and monitoring of budget-related transactions in accordance with relevant policy and guidance.

• Collect information mainly from records and reports, interpret and analyze data and prepare periodic and ad hoc financial planning and utilization reports to help in the improvement of overall contributions management systems, workflows and processes

• Provide periodic analysis of funding trends in the Country Office (funding source, donor wise etc), extract data from various sources and collect information to prepare periodic/ad-hoc reports on programme budget, to be used as background information for use in discussions with governments and donors/partners.

• Maintain financial record and trackers, as required, to ensure they are up to date.

• Check grant expenditure reports regularly to ensure that charges are properly allocated, and allotments area not exceeded.  Request clarifications on over/under expenditures from the relevant sections and alert supervisor timely for corrective actions to be taken.

• Coordinate with sections to prepare adjustments, when necessary, to correct inaccurate entries, transfer funds between accounts, and to liquidate obligations no longer required.

• Support capacity development activities related to budget management by supporting with logistics, preparing training materials and participating in exercises.

• Record the minutes of the section meetings and follow-up on the actions.

Other Tasks;

• Provide administrative and logistical arrangements support to the section in setting up meetings, events, trainings, travel and other.
• Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval and, thereafter for their processing in VISION.
• As and when required, provide support to the program sections in conduct regular spot checks of programmes and/or partner’s projects to assess their financial record-keeping, expenditure controls and reporting systems.
• Any other task as assigned by the supervisor.

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university studies in Accounting, Business Administration, Public Policy or other relevant field. Higher education and/or courses related to the budget/accounting/audit will be an asset.
• Work Experience: A minimum of six years of financial management and analysis work experience is required.
• Skills: In-depth knowledge of the budget and financial management which underpins UNICEF country office programme/project operations, including contributions management and monitoring processes.
• Strong financial and contributions management, planning, analytical and monitoring skills and abilities.
• Proficient in using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, power BI and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint. Excellent use of SAP system will be an asset
• High sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.
• Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds and to work both individually as well as part of a team.
• Strong office management skills.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively manage the section’s material resources and monitor its budget.
• Excellent analytical and presentation skills.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. 

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

• Prior experience in budget, contributions and financial management support functions is an asset.
• Knowledge of a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The 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.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

• As per 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.
• UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.
• Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 
• UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
• All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
• Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.