Background
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Programme Finance provides cost effective and timely partnering services to the UNDP Zimbabwe Country Office (CO) to maintain the sound financial management of and responsible resource allocation for its development programme and projects. Programme Finance provides support to development project teams to ensure appropriate and adequate budgeting for projects, monitoring of budgets to identify gaps against allocations, and financial reporting to CO management to promote transparency and informed decision making.
Position Purpose
Under the overall guidance and direct supervision to the Deputy Resident Representative – Operations, the Programme Finance Analyst is responsible for effective delivery of programme finance services ensuring effective and transparent utilization of financial resources and integrity of financial services in the Country Office (CO) Programme Unit. The Programme Finance Analyst promotes a collaborative, client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations. UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
The Programme Finance Analyst supervises and leads the programme finance staff. With proper and accurate programme financing, the incumbent, supports the design, planning, and management of the country programme. In doing so, s/he works in close collaboration with Programme staff, other staff of the Unit, operations team, Programme and projects staff in the CO and UNDP HQs staff for resolving complex programme and operations-related issues, ensuring successful CO performance in Finance.
Duties and Responsibilities
Ensure effective programme financial planning, implementation and monitoring systems through:
- Prepare and monitor calendar of corporate requirements;
- Implement and maintain an effective planning and analysis capability that will provide management with appropriate analytical tools to establish goals and measure the financial performance of the CO;
- Routinely communicate each unit’s and CO consolidated financial and operational performance trends, historical and forecasted, using appropriate metrics. Suggest trends, resulting implications, key actions, and strategic implications. Coordinate the spending review process for the CO;
- Contribute to the CO’s audits exercises (CO, DIM and HACT);
- Prepare presentations in support of management meetings and various strategic meetings of the CO.
Ensures effective CO programme internal/ external capacity development functions focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Full compliance of financial activities, financial recording/reporting system and audit follow up with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, proper design and functioning of the financial resources management system;
- Continuous analysis and monitoring of the financial situation, presentation of forecasts for development and management projects;
- Implementation of cost saving and reduction strategies in consultation with office management;
- Routinely monitors financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigates anomalies or unusual transactions. Informs supervisors and other UNDP staff at Headquarters of the results of the investigation when satisfactory answers are not obtained;
- Propagates sound program finance and project management skills and expertise through a combination of formal training and ongoing guidance to CO staff. Takes a lead role in the effort to professionalize the CO staff in project finance management and by supporting capacity building efforts and certification of the CO staff;
- Spearheads capacity building through training and advice in terms of system, business processes, NIM processes, etc. to national implementing agents;
- Builds national capacity through design and conduct of specialized training for national counterparts’ administrative and financial staff on NIM guidelines and in the preparation of all the required financial reports;
- Trains Programme users in the overall operation of Quantum Results Management, Finance and Procurement tracks, particularly those concerning budget formulation and revision and purchase requisition and reporting and analysis tools to maximum effect;
- Provides support to capacity development for National Execution and Direct Execution of programmes/ projects;
- Keeps up-dated knowledge as to changes in UNDP programme and project budgeting and accounting;
- Identifies best practices in programme finance management and shares them through the practice networks;
- Elaboration of the framework and conditions of contributions within the CO resources mobilization efforts.
- Monitoring of cost-sharing contributions;
- Advice to Programme and Project Staff on different donor reporting requirements; monitoring of financial reports to be submitted to donors.
Ensures Implementation of Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfer (HACT) focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Plays key role in the roll out of HACT;
- Prepare annual plan and ensure conduct of periodic On-site Reviews of IP’s financial records for cash transfers (i.e., financial spot checks);
- Trains office and IP staff members as appropriate;
- Maintain awareness of IP’s financial management practices and internal controls;
- Determine if project funds are used for intended purposes;
- Check accuracy of IP’s reporting on use of funds, to ensure that the presented expenditures were true and fair;
- Scheduled Audits of internal controls for cash transfer to address specific weaknesses identified;
- Monitors CO delivery of core and non-core resources and alerts senior management to CO delivery levels;
- Monitors established results frameworks, performance indicators and targets to effectively measure CO capacity and performance using various dashboards, audit, evaluation and other corporate reports;
- Produces agreed-upon oversight reports, provides analysis and early warning based on corporate available data;
- Keeps records of CO performance as objective basis for annual performance assessment;
- Supports the planning and monitoring of various programme/project budgetary resources and ensuring quality control of budget revisions;
- Analyzes information related to current obligations and future programme/project budgetary implications in relation to formulation of the Resource Planning Framework (RPF);
- Reviews Programme delivery in accordance with Authorized Spending Limit (ASL) for TRAC and Trust fund resources and Cash Limit for cost sharing resources and suggests measures for adequate optional utilization of funds;
- Performs as UNDP Zimbabwe HACT focal point in close coordination with the DRRs;
- Supports the office input into the annual Country Programme review exercise.
Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, guidance to all stakeholders on financial matters focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Advice to Project staff on UNDP administrative and NIM reporting, in particular, on budgetary issues;
- Organization/ conduct of training for the Operations/ Project/ Programme Staff on financial management and RBM;
- Synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in programme and programme finance;
- Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
- Trains Programme users in the overall operation of Quantum Results Management, Finance and Procurement tracks, particularly those concerning budget formulation and revision and purchase requisition and reporting and analysis tools to maximum effect.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Competencies
Core Competencies
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work.
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking.
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning.
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process.
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously.
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build and/or /maintain coalitions/partnership.
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.
Functional/Technical competencies
Business Direction & Strategy
- System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.
Business Management
- Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.
Business Development
- Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
Finance
- Accounting (General): Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, regulations, policies and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.
Finance
- Budget Management: Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.
Finance
- Financial Reporting and Analysis: Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring.
Finance
- Audit: Ability to examine and verify accounts and records.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- A professional accounting qualification from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy, and/or Advanced (Masters) University Degree in Finance and/or Accounting is required. Candidates with professional accounting qualifications from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage;
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree;
- Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications, but with degrees that major in accountancy and/or finance must complete the Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited;
- Candidates satisfying the two above criteria are exempted from undertaking the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT);
- Candidates with MBA or master’s in finance with no accountancy qualification but with relevant experience must successfully undertake the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT) to be eligible for shortlisting.
Experience:
- Minimum 2 years (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in providing financial management services, and/or managing staff and operational systems;
- Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheets and web-based management systems such as ERP financials and database packages;
- Experience of working with project staff and IPs offering financial advisory services including reporting and budgetary issues is desired;
- Experience of conducting capacity building to staff and Implementing Partners on Programme/Project Financial Management is desired;
- Knowledge/experience of Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT);
- Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is required for external candidates.
Language:
- Fluency in the UN language of the duty station (English) is required.
- Fluency in the national language of the duty station Shona and/or Ndebele is required.
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Disclaimer
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