Finance & Budget Officer

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Strategic Planning, Budget and Finance Section (SPBFS), Executive Office (EO) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York. OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions. This position-specific job opening is being advertised for the position of Finance and Budget Officer in New York, UNHQ. Under the overall supervision of the Executive Officer, the incumbent reports to the Chief, Strategic Planning, Budget and Finance Section (SPBFS).

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Finance & Budget Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

Medium-term plan:

• Reviews, analyses and finalizes the preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized inter-governmental bodies.
• Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their review of the medium-term plan and its revisions; assists in securing approval from the General Assembly.
• Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into programme budgets.

Budget preparation:

• Reviews and analyses data with respect to the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from (a) Departments/offices at Headquarters and in the field, including programmatic aspects. Provides support to managers with respect to the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Reviews, analyses and provides input into finalization of programme budget/financial implications to the Security Council statements in light of additional mandates.
• Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; assists in securing approval from the General Assembly.

Budget administration:

• Issues allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Monitors budget implementation and determines/recommends reallocation of funds when necessary.
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Prepares relevant documentation with respect to budget performance submissions.
• Reviews and makes appropriate recommendations with respect to the finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Provides substantive support to intergovernmental and legislative bodies.

General:

• Uses information systems and analytical tools such as Excel/Access to prepare and monitor budget plans and undertake financial transactions.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines related to Umoja, participates in development and liaises with the technical team
• Review project documents and budgets ensuring compliance with United Nations policies and procedures;
• Acts as a certifying officer to approve the reports submitted by implementing partner and UN agencies.
• Monitors and supervises the work of subordinate staff as required
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required. A minimum of two (2) years of experience in development, review and monitoring of budget implementation of complex budget proposals is required.
• Experience in working with complex Excel spreadsheets is desirable. Experience in independently conducting research and analysis, formulating options and presenting written conclusions and recommendations, interpreting and implementing complex legislative financial rules and regulations is desirable.
• Experience with the operations of inter-governmental or other legislative machinery and advising senior management on budget related matters is desirable. Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, including project management tools, integrated planning, management and reporting functionalities, business planning and consolidation processes, and grant management modules, or similar systems, is desirable.
• Two (2) years in the last five (5) years of international field experience in budget and finance, particularly in the context of complex and/or natural disaster preparedness and response, 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 official UN language is desirable.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/248895?language=en