Finance And Budget Assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Financial Analysis and Reporting Section, (FARS), Financial Reporting and Contributions Service (FRCS), Finance Division (FD), Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget (OPPFB), Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC). The Finance and Budget Assistant usually reports to the Head of the Unit or to a Finance and Budget Officer. The Financial Reporting and Contributions Service is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements for all funding sources in compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) and ensures that the financial statements are prepared in accordance with the United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules (FRR). The service is responsible for the analysis of financial data and influencing financial policy and training content based on the lessons learned from the analysis. The service provides coordination and global support to the financial accounting related activities to ensure strong enterprise system and works on projects as needed by the Controller’s office.

Responsibilities

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

Finance:

• Records and reconciles more complex accounting transactions.
• Examines and records financial transactions and prepares remittances for disbursement.
• Reconciles more complex bank accounts in various currencies.
• Assists in the processing of payments to governments and vendors for good and services. This includes, amongst other things, calculating, inputting, and checking payments for correctness and communicating discrepancies to supervisors.
• Drafts/prepares memoranda and/or faxes to various offices, departments and overseas offices.
• Responds to queries from staff members and third parties.

Budget:

• Assists in the preparation of supporting documents (narrative and supporting tables) with respect to finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements.
• Supports the Finance/Budget Officers(s) in extracting information and generating expenditure reports from computerized information system databases; assists in preliminary analyses of the extracted information and the reports generated, and highlights areas of concern for the attention of the Finance/Budget Officer(s).
• Assists in the development of resource requirements for budget submissions and in the preparation of budget performance submissions.
• Researches/compiles data and other information required by the Finance Budget Officer(s) in the review and analysis of relevant proposals.
• Consolidates data and provides support to Finance/Budget Officer(s) with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists the Finance/Budget Officer(s) in the preparation/finalization of budget performance reports, performing preliminary analysis of variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Prepares pre-encumbrances and obligations in SAP and review them to ensure that funds are available and the correct account has been used.
• Assists in the financial backstopping of trust funds, including monitoring the status of voluntary contributions, generating expenditure reports and monitoring reporting requirements by donors.
• Reviews draft reports, verifying overall accuracy, consistency and uniformity in the presentation, and ensuring comprehensiveness and compliance with the format prescribed by the Editorial and Documents control of DGACM; cross-checks consistency of figures in tables with the text of the reports, and verifies references to other reports and documents, bringing errors to the attention of the Finance/Budget Officers(s) concerned; ensures that all necessary corrections are incorporated in the reports; co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.

General:

• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts routine correspondence with respect to enquiries related to relevant financial and budget matters.
• Maintains and keep up-to-date files.
• Provides administrative support to the Head of the organizational unit and/or Finance/Budget Officer(s), as required.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years experience in finance, budget, accounting or related field is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 3 for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience using an ERP Financial Accounting Module is required. Experience using Microsoft Excel and Excel related formulas is required. Experience posting General Ledger adjustments and vouchers is desirable. One year or more of experience in data analytics or related area 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/248770?language=en