Finance Assistant

BACKGROUND & JOB PURPOSE

The United Nations World Food Programme is a leading organization delivering food assistance and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience to natural disaster and climate change.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been in Bhutan since 1974. After decades of support to school meals in Bhutan, WFP, through the Country Strategic Plan (2019 – 2023) supports the Royal Government of Bhutan to strengthen nutrition to build futures, change lives by building resilience, prioritize urgent action including on climate, and prepare and respond to emergencies to save lives.

As part of the UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (2019 – 2023), WFP supports the Government in setting up national rapid post-disaster needs assessment capacity; transitioning of the national school feeding programme to a national school nutrition and feeding programme; and strengthening national capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters.

For nutrition, WFP is assisting the Government to develop a national Social Behaviour Change Strategy to promote healthy eating habits among school children (6-18 years). WFP is supporting the scale-up of the school nutrition and feeding programme with supply chain cost optimization, linking farmers to schools, and school infrastructure development. In agriculture, WFP is applying a system approach to agriculture value chain development. It begins from demand creation for local food, to support in production, marketing and mitigating post-harvest losses. WFP also supports policy and inter-agency coordination, including assistance on enhanced cost efficiency and knowledge management. For disaster risk management, WFP supports the Government in setting up national platforms to guide coordination, actions, and investments in disaster preparedness and response.

 KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Assist in providing the procedural and technical support to staff within the areas of finance and budget, to ensure compliance with WFP financial policies, rules and regulations.
• Monitor monthly expenditure forecasts and provide expenditure reports in order to facilitate informed decision-making.
• Monitor the sub-imprest bank and petty cash accounts regularly, to ensure that adequate funds are available and appropriately disbursed.
• Verify vendor claims, advances and other receivables to ensure that suppliers are paid in a timely manner and in conformance with WFP finance rules and regulations.
• Retrieve, format and validate information obtained from various financial information systems and bring any discrepancy or inaccuracy to the attention of the supervisor and follow up corrective actions.
• Maintain the web-based register for all invoices and payment transfers and record paperwork, to ensure that all documents are maintained and filed in compliance with WFP standards and guidelines.
• Monitor and record all expenses in line with the approved budget in order to ensure that correct expenditure costs are charged and payments to external suppliers, cash grants and other supplier invoices are processed in a timely manner.
• Performs other tasks as required by supervisor.

DELIVERABLES

• Funds are disbursed in accordance with authorizations and legitimate documentations.
• Payments to suppliers and staff entitlement are processed on timely manner and in compliance with WFP financial policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
• Expenses are recorded on timely and charged to the correct budget.
• Minimize open items (PRs, POs, trips, banks, payables and receivables).

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Qualifications:

• Completion of secondary school education. A post-secondary certificate in the related functional areas is desirable.

Experience required:

• Minimum five years of progressively responsible work experience in a related functional area.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office programmes and other related tools.
• Previous experience in WFP operational environment in related duties will be desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in both oral and written communication in English (Level C) and Dzongkha.

Source: https://career5.successfactors.eu//career?career_ns=job_listing&company=C0000168410P&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH&rcm_site_locale=en_GB&career_job_req_id=830057