Finance and Budget Assistant (Multiple) at United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)

Responsibilities

BUDGETING:

• Assist in the collection of data and preparation of cost estimates and budget proposals in terms of staff and on-staff requirements for regular budget and extra-budgetary resources under UNON Administration;
• Support the monitoring of budget implementation and performance and recommendations for reallocation of funds as necessary;
• Ensure that requisitions for goods and services are in line with authorized budgets, the priorities of the organization and the UN financial rules and regulations;
• Assist in reviewing requests for creation and extension of positions as well as requests for recruitment;
• Assist in the execution of cost recovery in line with established agreements and policies and support on the collection of associated receivables;
• Perform certifying functions of financial transactions as per delegation.

ACCOUNTING:

• Process financial documents in line with the financial rules and regulations;
• Review and analysis of various accounting data and assist in the review and analysis of financial statements;
• Scrutinize supporting documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of requests in line with applicable policies, procedure, rules and regulations;
• Verify accuracy of postings and process corrections as appropriate;
• Analyse open item managed accounts (OIM) in the ERP system (Umoja) and initiate corrective action;
• Perform approval functions of financial transactions as per delegation.

PAYROLL AND BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION:

• Perform Payroll comparison and data validation of simulation runs (in HANA Payroll Analysis Tool);
• Prepare Payroll data for monthly mass upload files (direct payroll deductions/payments);
• Audit various accounting transactions, e.g., payroll, education grants, final payments, income tax returns, etc. to ensure correctness of disbursement and adherence to relevant staff rules, financial regulations and rules, ST/AI issuances or practices;
• Provide information to Pension Fund participants and beneficiaries on participation entitlements and benefits and prepares year end pension schedules for financial statement reporting;
• Monitor all insurance transactions including those involving participants on non-Headquarter payroll but covered under Headquarters insurance plans.

GENERAL:

• Prepare and analyse reports with a view to identify anomalies and unusual trends and recommend corrective action as appropriate;
• Perform data extraction and prepare various reports for management review;
• Respond to queries and draft correspondence to clients and other stakeholders in a timely and effective manner;
• Ensure that accurate and complete accounting, reporting and internal control systems are in place and functioning;
• Ensure that all relevant records and audit trails are maintained;
• Act as deputy to team leader and back up for other team members;
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making;
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures;
• Perform other related duties, as assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM:

• Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment; Knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyze and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions;
• 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.
• Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments;
• Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards;
• Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules;
• Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments;
• Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Education

• Completion of high school diploma or secondary school is required.
• Supplemental courses/ training in finance, administration, project management or related field is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

• A recognized accountancy qualification (e.g. Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (CIPFA) is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven years (7) of experience in finance, budget or related area is required.
• The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five (5) years for candidates who possess a first level University degree.
• Experience with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and finance system such as Oracle or SAP is desirable.
• Experience with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is desirable.
• Knowledge and experience with processes of Financial Management is desirable.
• Experience with integrated business processes, analytics and reporting is desirable.