Finance and Budget Officer, P4 at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

This post is located in UNEP’s Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Advisory Unit, Corporate Services Division at the Nairobi duty station. Under the supervision of the Head of the MEAs Unit, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

Strategic Documents developed for Member States supporting MEAs:

• Reviews, analyses and finalizes the preparation of the programme and budget strategy documents developed by UNEP administered MEAs, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies.
• Provides substantive support to relevant strategy documents and related revisions; secures approval from the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) or Meetings of the Conference of Parties (COPs).
• Ensure UN legislative mandates, budget, and financial policies are accurately translated into program budgets.

Budget preparation:

• Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Secretariats including programmatic aspects.
• Provides detailed input with respect to resource requirements for budget submissions ensuring coherence and lignement with UNEP budget and financial strategies.
• Reviews, analyzes and finalizes program budget/financial implications to UNEA resolutions and/or Conference of the Parties (COPs) of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Conventions.
• Engage with relevant MEA teams to provide substantive advice and strategic analysis to enable well prepared documents and to respond to various queries of the parties.
• Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; assists in securing approval from the UNEA or COPs.

Budget administration:

• Issues allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Manages and monitors budget implementation and recommends reallocation of funds as 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 budget performance submissions.
• Reviews and finalizes budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.

General

• Support the Head of Unit in the development and implementation of unit workplans. Ensure a consultative process is utilized with MEA Secretariats to inform workplan priorities as well as alignment with Divisional priorities.
• Support network development within MEAs on a range of administrative needs coordinating with other units within Corporate Services as necessary.
• Ensure a knowledge management system is developed to facilitate information sharing across MEAs and improve preparations for meetings and consistency in the application of approaches.
• Provides advice and guidance, including training, to staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.
• Participates in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical survey missions on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to MEAs Secretariats budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on administrative and budgetary issues, and correspondence.
• Undertakes research and analysis of budgetary policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.
• Supports oversight of Over Head Trust (OTA) accounts of MEAs and provides recommendations to the Head of Unit as needed.
• Acts as Certifying Officer under Financial Rule 110.4 to ensure that proposed obligations and expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and established regulations and rules.
• Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them.
• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget development and financial administration of resources. Ability to develop budgetary policies, procedures and new programmes. Ability to formulate new strategies and technical approaches to budgetary matters. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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.
• 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.
• PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• 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.

Education

• 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 two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required.
• Three (3) years experience with the United Nations or similar international organization is required.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is required.
• Experience in the application of United Nations Financial Rules and Regulations or in similar international organization is desirable.
• Two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Closing: 27 January 2023