Accounting Assistant

This position is located in the Payroll and Accounts Payable Section, Division of Administration, Department of Operational Support (DOS). The Department of Operational Support was established to provide operational advisory services to operating entities across the Secretariat, including other departments, offices away from headquarters, field missions, and regional commissions. The Payroll and Accounts Payable Section processes global payroll and payments, provides policy advice and operational guidance, testing and implementation of enhancements. The incumbent will report to the Chief of the Section.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Scrutinizes source documents for completeness, accuracy, and validity of charges.
• Investigates erroneous charges and takes appropriate corrective accounting actions.
• Records and reconciles more complex accounting transactions.
• Audits various accounting transactions, e.g., payroll, final payments, income tax returns, travel claims, etc., to ensure correctness of disbursements and adherence to relevant staff rules, financial regulations and rules, ST/AI issuances or practices.
• Extracts details of income, expenditure, assets, and liability from accounting system in order to analyze and verify accuracy and validity.
• Assists with the compliance data transmission to and from the US tax authorities.
• Examines the validity of requests for increases in imprest levels; prepares disbursement vouchers to replenish imprest accounts.
• Communicates with field offices regarding missing documentation or any other issues related to discrepancies between their accounts and those maintained at Headquarters.
• Reconciles and reviews suspense accounts and ensure proper clearance procedures have been followed.
• Serves as Approving Officer for disbursements up to an authorized level.
• Coordinates between business areas as necessary.
• Responsible for human resources transactions, as well as the recruitment of general service and professional staff in the Section.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to finance, budget and staffing, ensuring compliance with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Provides guidance and training to colleagues as required.
• Supervises other General Service staff as required and in relation to a) the client service activities of the Income Tax Unit; b) the filing requirements of income tax files.
• Drafts/prepares memoranda to various offices, departments, and overseas offices.
• Responds to queries from staff members and third parties.
• Performs other duties as may be required. General:
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme, 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.
• Maintain and keep up-to-date files.
• May be responsible for providing guidance, training, and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven years of experience in finance, budget, accounting, human resources, administrative services or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience working with the United Nations or a large global organization’s systems and procedures, Staff Rules and Regulations including entitlements and Financial Regulations, Rules, and procedures is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/233197?language=en