Budget Officer

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Accounts and Finance Management Unit (AFM) provides budget and finance management services to WHO programmes and administration, as well as provide support to the management of fixed assets of the Organizationin the African Region. The scope of work includes award management, labour distribution planning and control, imprest and other accounts management, treasury, expenditures management and staff health insurance.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Unit Head, Accounts and Finance Management (AFM), the incumbent will perform the following functions in support of Programme Budget management in the Region:

• Analyze budget, expenditure and variances.
• Conduct periodic reviews of HR plans, standard and actual costs and provide reports to and work closely with, Budget Centers to update the costing information in management systems.
• Analyze HR planned costs to identify any variances and take necessary corrective actions with budget centers.
• Manage the GMC cluster workplans from operational planning through implementation, analyze projected needs in consultation with Unit chiefs, and ensure all awards fully distributed.
• Build capacity and consolidate use of standard costing variance analysis in the Region to progressively improve the quality of budget and planned costs in Budget Centers.
• Respond to audit queries and recommendations on financial aspects of programme management.
• Provide critical analysis on current policies and procedures in the context of continuous business improvement; propose changes to, or additional standard operating procedures (SOP) to facilitate improved finance management in Budget Centers.
• Keep abreast of all developments in WHO rules, regulations, policies, procedures and systems related to the areas of work. Ensure that relevant changes are disseminated to appropriate stakeholders.
• Support the continuous improvement of rules and regulations around areas of work through identification of current and emerging issues and make recommendations on the development and enhancement of policies, procedures, guidelines, tools to manage issues.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Essential: University degree in Accounting Management sciences, Business or Public Administration or Finance. For WHO staff only, equivalent professional training or self-study/work experience.
• Desirable: An advanced university degree (Masters level or above) in business administration, finance, accounting, public administration, or related field. Professional qualification or licensure in Accounting/Accountancy, certification as CPA or Chartered Accountant will be an advantage.

Experience

• Essential: Five (5) years professional experience at national or international level in finance, programme planning and/or budget/accounting activities. Demonstrated experience in accounting and consolidation of financial data using ERP systems or similar packages.
• Desirable: Experience in WHO, other UN agencies, international or multinational organizations.

Skills

• Ability to plan, organize, coordinate and implement inputs from several sources; to express ideas clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Create synthetized reports and monitor trends in account balances and the ledger at the highest level.
• To interpret financial rules and regulations and develop standard operating procedures.
• To establish and maintain effective working relationship with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds; have supervisory skills to coach and mentor team members.
• Thorough knowledge of accounting and budgetary principles and their application.
• Excellent understanding of accounting practices and procedures, including the application of IPSAS in the country office setting.
• Advanced knowledge of relevant financial computer applications preferably Oracle Enterprise resource planning (ERP) or similar packages.
• Strong analytical, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of WHO rules, regulations, policies and practices would be an asset.

Use of Language Skills

• Essential: Intermediate knowledge of English. Expert knowledge of French.
• Desirable: The above language requirements are interchangeable.

Source: https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2407540