Internship – Finance Branch [Temporary]

Org. Setting and Reporting

The Finance Branch (FIN) is one of ICAO’s supporting administrative functions. The responsibilities of the Finance Branch are the development and application of budgetary, accounting and financial policies and procedures; the efficient financial management of the approved budget in accordance with the Financial Rules and Regulations; and execution of the Assembly and Council directives. Assembly and Council directives includes, but is not limited to, the development of budget estimates for Council and Assembly consideration; the scale of assessment of the Member States’ contributions and, the issuance and control of allotments. The Finance Branch centrally manages the banking and investment activities of the Organization’s funds, and administers the payroll of all Headquarters and Regional Offices for both Professional and General Service staff. The Finance Branch is headed by Chief, Finance Branch (C/FIN) who serves as Secretary of the Finance Committee (FIC). As Principal Financial Officer of the Organization certifies all ICAO financial statements.

Under the guidance of Chief, Finance Branch, the Accounting Services Section (ASV) of the Finance Branch is responsible for the development of accounting systems, formulation of accounting policies and procedures, maintenance of the accounts of various funds; maintenance of accounts for the Technical Co-operation Programme (TCP), consisting of projects under United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Trust Funds, multiple agreements under the ICAO Civil Aviation Purchasing Service (CAPS), Management Service Agreements (MSAs) and related funds; the preparation of periodic and year-end financial statements for all accounts; the calculation of scales of assessment on Contracting States; the recording of payments and monitoring of status of assessments from Contracting States, including regional civil aviation bodies; the preparation of working papers for the Finance Committee (FIC), Council and Assembly; Treasury functions including investments, payments, banking and the preparation of cash and income projections; the processing of invoices, travel claims, fellowships and other payables, including the review and approval of duly certified invoices and other forms of payments of expenses of the Regular Programme and TCP; the maintenance of accounts for income from sales of publications, reimbursement from regional civil aviation bodies and other collections; and the processing of cash reports from Regional Offices and TC Projects.

The intern will mainly assist the Accounting Services Section within the Finance Branch with various financial tasks and transactions as outlined below.

Responsibilities

Under the general guidance of the Chief, Accounting Services Section and direct supervision of the head of the unit, the intern will perform one or more of the following functions as per the request:

1) Supports the General Ledger Unit, including the Treasury Office, by performing operational activities such as:

a) Prepare bank and other balance sheet account reconciliations.
b) Record cash book transactions
c) Validate and verify the accuracy of banking and other payment-related information.

2) Supports the Accounts Payable Unit by performing operational activities such as:
a) Invoice processing
b) Prepare account reconciliations and analyses
c) Review and cross-check payment batches

3) Supports the Accounts Receivable Unit by performing operational activities such as:
a) Record cash receipts and issuance of invoices
b) Prepare accounts reconciliations and analyses
d) Dispatch customer statement of accounts

4) Supports the Travel Claims Unit by performing tasks such as:

a) Process payments for travel authorizations and claims
b) Reconcile balance sheet accounts related to the Travel Unit
c) Review ASRs (Agency service request to UNDP)

Competencies

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style, and format to match the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Education

At the time of application, candidates are required to have completed or be enrolled in a graduate degree programme (second-level university degree or higher) in a field of study related to Finance and/or Accounting.
Applicants pursuing studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages should have completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree.

Work Experience

No professional work experience for this internship is required.

Languages

Essential requirements: Fluent reading, writing and speaking abilities in English.

Desirable requirements: A working knowledge of a second language of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish).

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Interns are not paid. All costs related to travel, insurance, accommodation, and living expenses must be borne by the intern.
The duration of the internship is between four to six months. The intern is expected to work five days a week, on a full-time basis.
Interns shall not be eligible to be engaged in any other form of employment within ICAO during the period of internship and shall not be eligible to apply for or be appointed to any post in the Secretariat or be contracted for any other remunerated employment with ICAO for the six months immediately following the end of their internship.

You may need a work permit to work in Canada as an intern. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/intern.asp

United Nations Considerations

In accordance with ICAO Staff Regulations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible and ensuring equal gender representation. Subject to the foregoing, selection of staff members shall be made without distinction as to race, sex or religion, nor shall there be any discrimination on account of any disability of a candidate who meets the qualifications required to perform the tasks. Unless otherwise permitted under the ICAO Staff Regulations, appointment and promotion of staff members shall be made on a competitive basis.

Candidates will not be considered for employment with ICAO 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.

Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, Inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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 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 in Inspira will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

ICAO does NOT charge any fees or request money from candidates at any stage of the recruitment process, nor does it concern itself with bank account details of applicants. Requests of this nature allegedly made on behalf of ICAO are fraudulent and should be disregarded.