Finance and Administrative Assistant

Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.

In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.

The following are eligible to apply:

• ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the Staff Regulations.
• External candidates*

*The recruitment process for General Service positions is subject to specific local recruitment criteria.

The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.

Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given.Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.

*Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade.

Introduction

Social Protection in Pakistan is fragmented. Provinces have the authority to design and implement programmes, and many programmes coexist across different institutions.Since 2013, with ILO support funded by the Japanese Government and the Italian Technical Cooperation Agency, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) designed a social protection policy and began implementing the Integrated Management Information System (MIS) to coordinate the social protection programmes, most of which are tailored to poverty alleviation. The MIS consolidates administrative records and social registries; it has helped improve the provincial government’s understanding of the distribution of vulnerabilities and beneficiaries across the life cycle. MIS data has been used by KP.

Interoperability is an important roadblock for programmes that allow beneficiaries to graduate into contributory social security schemes. The province has requested ILO support to address this roadblock in coordination with GIZ and pilot an initiative that improves coordination across contributory and non-contributory schemes. This pilot would inform other interested provinces (e.g. Sindh) and national registries and programmes (e.g. the National Socioeconomic Registry, BISP), seeking to improve the coordination of contributory and non-contributory schemes.

The project is part of the Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI), a joint effort by USP2030 members, governments, development partners, civil society organisations and private companies to create integrated and interoperable social protection information systems. Launched in 2021, the Initiative aims to build a global consensus on technical standards and guidelines for digital systems which enable the smooth exchange of data between programmes and institutions which are integral to the delivery of social protection. It believes that harmonised data sharing can improve the efficiency of social protection programmes and ultimately enhance social protection outcomes. The DCI is an open, transparent and virtual community which welcomes contributions from diverse stakeholders.

In Pakistan, the project will develop and implement an interoperability strategy to enhance social protection coverage in KP. It will focus on facilitating access to social protection for workers in the informal economy by building on the existing integrated MIS in KP and expanding its coverage to the contributory schemes. This would allow beneficiaries from non-contributory schemes to transition to contributory schemes by facilitating access to information and simplifying the enrolment processes for informal economy workers through user-friendly digital interfaces within the MIS. It involves integrating relevant data sources and systems to enable information sharing and coordination between different schemes.

Reporting Line

The Finance and Administrative Assistant will work under the overall supervision of Country Director and directly reporting to National Project Coordinator and in close cooperation and coordination with ILO Sr Operations Officer of the Country Office.

Description of Duties

1. Maintain project financial records and monitoring systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for daily transactions and reports.

2. Process contracts for financial clearance and payment. Ensure the correctness and appropriateness of types of contracts used with each activity, and ensure all necessary supporting documents are attached.

3. Prepare correspondence on own initiative to verify data, address and answer queries and follow-up as necessary with National Project Coordinator, ILO staff, consultants and counterparts. Draw the attention of the National Project Coordinator and, where necessary the Senior Programme Officer, to matters requiring immediate attention.

4. Review and request additional information on the financial reports of project implementing partners and consultants, ensuring compliance with ILO rules, before submitting to the Finance Unit.

5. Classify and assign budget codes, verify and process claims for payment, and check payment vouchers, prices and claims invoices.

6. Provide administrative and financial backstopping and guidance for project staff and consultants, with respect to payments, entitlements, travel claims, and other requirements relating to accounts and finance.

7. Consult with Finance Unit and the project donor on rules, regulations and procedures, and inform project staff, partners, consultants, interns of new or revised procedures and practices.

8. Prepare recurring reports as scheduled and special reports as required for donor reporting, for budget preparation, audits or other reasons.

9. Calculate and compile cost estimates and participate in budget analysis and projections as required by the NPC and SPO.

10. Prepare and process IRIS transactions, including contracts, travel authorizations, purchase orders, and external payment requests.

11. Maintain the official travel plan of the project staff, consultants and other stakeholders. Make travel and accommodation arrangements, coordinate visa and security requirements, and process administrative transactions.

12. Laise with concerned ILO constituents, implementing agencies and donor as appropriate for follow-up on activities and other clearances. Maintain up-to-date directories.

13. Coordinate and provide a range of administrative and financial support for meetings, workshops and other events. Take notes and/or minutes at meetings.

14. Provide support to communication and visibility of the project, the ILO and donor.

15. Provide informal interpretation and translation.

16. Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Required qualifications

Education

Completion of secondary school education with formal training in accounting and/or finance and administrative field.

Experience

Six years of progressively responsible financial and administrative work, and some training in an administrative field. Proven experience of supporting implementation of technical cooperation projects and working effectively with government bodies at the provincial and federal levels, employers and workers organizations and with development partners would be an advantage.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of the working language of the duty station and a good knowledge of English.

Competencies

• Knowledge and understanding of a complex body of financial and administrative rules, guidelines and procedures
• Knowledge of in-house procedures for the preparation of documents and administrative forms, and for the creation and maintenance of filing systems.
• Good analytical skills. Ability to reason and make sound judgements.
• Ability to maintain financial records and prepare clerical accounting reports and statements.
• Must demonstrate responsible behaviour and attention to detail.
• Ability to deal with confidential matters with discretion.
• Must display high standards of ethical conduct.
• Proficient in basic computer software (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe Reader) and ability to use other software packages required by the office.
• Ability to elevate correspondence and inquires for best course of action.
• Ability to respond to work related inquiries in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to obtain services from other work units inside or outside the office for completion of tasks.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work on own initiatives as well as a member of the team.
• Organizational skills
• Ability to clarify information.
• Ability to deal with people with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes

Recruitment process

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. To apply, please visit the ILO Jobs website. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.

Fraud warning

The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account – @ilo.org – should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.

Source : https://jobs.ilo.org/job/Islamabad-Finance-and-Administrative-Assistant/1189195501/