Org. Setting and Reporting
The position is located in the Finance Section in the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). The Finance Assistant perform the duties under the direct and overall supervision of the Chief Finance Officer. Within delegated authority, the Finance Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of Chief Finance Officer (CFO), the incumbent will perform the following duties and responsibilities: o Review and prepare payments to staff and vendors for goods and services, including checking payments for accuracy and correcting any discrepancies. o Processing of payments of purchase orders (POs), low vale acquisitions (LVAs), fund commitments (FCs), and direct disbursements. o Ensure that all necessary approvals, supporting documentation, and authorization are included. o Verify that funds are available in the appropriate budget lines to cover the expenses related to the invoice. o Review the entered data for accuracy and completeness with regard to service entry sheet (SES) and/or receipt and inspection (R&Is). o Perform various accounting adjustments by selecting appropriate document type, payment method, and accounting clerk. o Reconcile vendor accounts and payment records regularly to ensure accuracy and integrity of financial data. o Review purchase orders (POs) and fund commitments (FCs) prior to initiate the payment. o Review the computation of staff members regarding their entitlements, including travel claims, daily subsistence allowance (DSAs), mission subsistence allowance (MSAs), and any other allowances, and prepare payment vouchers. o Communicate with staff members and vendors regarding payment status, inquiries, discrepancies, or any other issues related to invoices or payments. o Process the petty cashes and imprest for field stations. o Ensure that all the petty cash expenditures occurred must have a receipt/bill or other supporting documentation. o Ensure that each receipt/bill should including the date, amount, purpose, and recipient. o Process petty cash replenishment requests received from the UN field stations and UNHQs using fund commitments (FCs) and record expenses with the appropriate GLs accounts. o Reconciliation of petty cash journals for UN field stations and ensure that the total amount disbursed from the petty cash fund is reconciled with the remaining cash on hand. Any discrepancies are investigated and resolved promptly to ensure accuracy and accountability. o Prepare documentation to dispatch pouches to the UN field stations. o Perform cash counts on a quarterly basis and prepare all cash count statements at the year-end. o Communicate with the UN field stations and UNHQs regarding the status of petty cash replenishment, inquiries, discrepancies, or any other issues related to petty cash and imprest. o Review incoming payment instructions with regard to banking details & sources of funds, and release payments from House Bank in ERP/SAP system and prepare & disburse payments/cheques. o Dispatch payment instructions and cheques to banks and prepare receipts and deposit slips for all incoming funds and notify payees of status of payments. o Identify and annotate bank account movements and monitors bank balances of the mission’s accounts, and assist in cash management, including preparing cash flow forecasts, and assist to make sure cash in vault are accounted for on a daily basis. o Prepare and review various ERP/SAP accounting transactions, e.g., air ticket billing, shipment payments, payroll adjustments, payment of staff entitlements, final payments, travel claims, vendor invoices, down-payments, expense reports, DSA calculations, adjustments, etc. o Ensure conformity adherence to relevant staff rules, financial regulations and rules. o Draft minutes or prepare correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to financial matters. o Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Finance Officer.
Competencies
COMPETENCIES: Professionalism: Knowledge of Finance related processing requirements; plans, manages and resolves conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required. Technical or vocational certificate in accounting, finance, budget or related fields is desirable.
Job – Specific Qualification
Working experience of MS-Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint) is required. Experience in the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is desirable.
Work Experience
At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience within the United Nations system or in the private sector at the national or international level in accounting, finance, or budgeting is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 3 years for candidates who possess a First-level university degree or higher.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
Special Notice
This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. UN Secretariat provides equal opportunity to all qualified female & male including the physically challenged candidates. UN is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UN does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo reference and background checks.”
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.