Finance Specialist

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Description

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• Under the general supervision of the Director, Financial Resources Management (FRM) and the direct supervision of the Advisor, Staff Benefits (FRM/ST), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the Payroll, Pension and Taxes Unit; plan, establish, supervise and oversee work assignments and objectives, and ensure the proper application of the related rules, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Coordinate and provide support to ensure that scheduled due dates for regular salary, overtime, retroactive adjustments, and non-scheduled terminal entitlements are met as required;
• Ensure that all payments processed by the Unit are done in accordance with established internal procedures and financial guidelines and in agreement with the Staff Rules, the PAHO/WHO e-Manual and other governing rules and regulations;
• Coordinate internally and cross-functionally to facilitate and monitor the implementation of payroll-related changes with HRM,ITS, and PBE to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing;
• Supervise and review the computation and payment of terminal entitlements and the reconciliation of pension contribution data for staff members separating from the Organization;
• Review and post manual journal entries, ad-hoc payments, on-demand payments, and replacement payments processed by the Unit and perform monthly reviews of accounts receivable and outstanding balances in clearance accounts, recording accounting transactions as required;
• Maintain current knowledge of financial rules and regulations, IPSAS standards, PAHO/WHO e-Manual provisions, FRM policies and accounting procedures applicable to the payment of salaries and benefits; maintain current knowledge of policies, procedures, and reporting requirements and regulations of the U.N. Joint Staff Pension Fund and determine applicability of same to specific cases;
• Advise the Unit’s staff with respect to policies and procedures listed above and in the use of PMIS for payroll, data extraction, earnings reporting for tax purposes, pension reporting, and general use of computer systems and PC software;
• Ensure the accuracy of the Organization’s costs for staff payroll through a thorough examination of comparative payroll change reports generated throughout the payroll cycle, coordinating with PBE to ensure accurate advance setup of costing allocations for both post and non-post staff; issue final approval for completing the payroll cycle and generate transactions through the payroll journal;
• Monitor staff payment elections to be used for payroll payments ensuring proper application of currency-of-payment rules and compliance with the Organization’s banking facilities; coordinate with Treasury and staff the resolution of rejected payments, invalid currency distributions, and other factors impeding timely payment of salaries and allowances;
• Prepare monthly reports on the status of payroll costs and contributions, overtime utilization, and other related financial information and statistics as may be requested;
• Coordinate the production of annual earnings reports for use by national tax authorities to serve as the basis for income tax assessments for those subject to tax on PAHO income (applicable to US citizens, US permanent residents, certain citizens of Canada, and citizens of Venezuela) and for use by staff for compliance purposes in countries that exempt PAHO income from taxation; review for accuracy earnings data submitted to the UN Tax Unit for use in reporting earnings under US IRS protocols for Form 1099-NEC;
• Conduct briefings on salary, benefits, pension, and taxes on a regular basis for new and existing staff;
• Supervise the computation and preparation of payment and adjustment transactions for reimbursement to entitled staff of national and local income taxes for eligible staff of Canada and Venezuela; provide guidance to US citizens and US permanent residents on obtaining services through the UN Tax Unit and assist staff in ensuring tax law compliance, maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of the rules and regulations governing income tax on PAHO income;
• Conduct periodic reviews and maintain up-to-date all Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs), Job Aids, and policy documents pertaining to payroll processing, employee self-service, pension reporting, tax administration and other guidance needed by staff to facilitate access to compensation and benefits, as well as instruct in the proper use of automated services;
• Apply the regulations and administrative procedures of the UNJSPF Administrative Manual; supervise the maintenance of records of all pension data for PAHO/WHO staff participants; prepare standard and special pension reports, including the Annual Pension Fund Report required under the Regulations and Rules of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund; supervise the periodic reconciliation of individual pension accounts, particularly for those staff separating from the Organization and coordinating corrective adjustments as required;
• Develop and maintain an ongoing review of payroll, pension and tax reimbursements as needed, making effective use of computer applications used in the analysis of data extracted from PMIS, and assisting in the development of new computer systems;
• Maintain liaison with pension and tax officials at the United Nations, New York, WHO counterparts, and other international organizations;
• Perform other related duties, as assigned.

• Essential: A bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance, or any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized university.
• Desirable: Certification as a Certified Public Accountant or Chartered Accountant would be an asset.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.  WHO, only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

• Essential: Five years of combined national and international experience in accounting or financial management in the private or public sector with at least three years in employee benefits administration and including two years in payroll operations with supervisory experience. A working knowledge of U.S. federal and state income tax preparation requirements.

• Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of finance, accounting, and management sciences and the ability to apply such disciplines to complex and evolving employee salary and benefit programs that include entitlements for national and internationally recruited staff; post and non-post staff, benefits such as group life, accident and medical insurance programs, pension, and income tax reimbursement programs, and programs for paid and unpaid time off.
• Ability to analyze and interpret contractual arrangements and assess the accuracy of compensation and benefits generated through automated processes, assessing the accuracy of accounting transactions, the proper recording and allocation of costs, and produce financial reports for control, testing, and management purposes, as needed.
• Proven analytical skills, complemented by excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to coordinate the work of subordinates, and collaborate cross-functionally, combined with the ability to write, speak, and present in a clear and concise, diplomatic, tactful, and courteous manner.

• Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and management information systems.
• Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential, particularly with regard to financial, accounting, and/or administrative operations.

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