Finance Assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy oriented research and analysis, normative support and technical assistance and capacity building, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region. This position is located in the Financial Operations Unit, Financial Management & Operational Support Section, in the Division of Administration. The incumbent reports to the Senior Finance Assistant, G-7.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Finance Assistant, and overall supervision of the Chief of Financial Operations Unit, the incumbent is required to perform the following functions:

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 Officer(s) in extracting information and generating expenditure reports from computerized information system databases; assists in preliminary analysis of the extracted information and the reports generated, and highlights areas of concern for the attention of the Finance/Budget Officer(s).
• Researches/compiles data and other information required by the Finance/Budget Officer(s) in the review and analysis of relevant proposals.
• Prepares pre-encumbrances and obligations in Umoja 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 from Umoja and monitoring reporting requirements by donors.
• Reviews draft reports, verifying overall accuracy, consistency and uniformity in the presentation, 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.

Claims:

• Verifies and prepares less complex payments to third parties, commercial entities, and individuals, with respect to settlement of invoices, pay and allowances.

Treasury:

• Reviews incoming payment instructions with regard to banking details and sources of funds.
• Prepares payments for final disbursement by Cashier.
• Dispatches payment instructions and cheques to banks.
• Notifies payees of status of payments.
• Assists staff members, Finance Officers and donors regarding queries on payment and deposit-related issues.
• Identifies and annotates bank account movements.
• Files and archives documentation as required.

General:

• Supports organization’s continued compliance with the IPSAS standards.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on financial matters in accordance with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts routine correspondence with respect to enquiries related to relevant financial, accounting 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. A first-level university degree may be accepted in lieu of two years of required experience.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance, or directly related field is required. Experience working with International Public Services Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is desirable. Experience working with Financial Accounting module of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, preferably SAP, particularly in the areas of Accounts Payable and Travel Finance is desirable. Experience in regional or global client/service management for payment processing is desirable. One year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. Experience in the United Nations Common System or international organizations is desirable.

Languages

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

Source:https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/236873?language=en