Job Openings 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

go to method of application »

This post is located in the Corporate Services Division, Budget Office at the Nairobi duty station. The Senior Finance and Budget Assistant will report to the head of the Budget Unit and will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

• Acts as alternate Certifying Officer on behalf of and in the absence of programme managers at offices outside headquarters.
• Undertakes reviews, analyses and preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions.
• Reviews, analyses, and assists in the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates.
• Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Undertakes research and provides support to higher level Finance & Budget Officers with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
• Provides input into the preparation of allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Monitors budget implementation/expenditures and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, and (b) availability of funds.
• Monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Reviews approved staffing tables for Corporate Services Division, Executive Office, and Evaluation Office.
• Drafts monthly post incumbency reports and updates the positions' cost distribution in Umoja Organization Management to ensure correct coding blocks are charged.
• Drafts periodic and ad-hoc reports including monthly budget dashboard reports to senior management, Programme Performance Reports (PPR) to UNEP Senior Management as well as to the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR).
• Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions.
• Assists in finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Monitors integrity of various financial databases.
• Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued.
• Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.
• Assists staff members, Fund Management Officers and donors regarding queries on payment and deposit-related issues.
• Reviews inter and intra-unit processes aiming to optimize workflow and customer orientation.
• Follows-up on audit recommendations.
• Files and archives as required.
• Keeps up to date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts or prepares correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant financial and budget matters.
• Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility.
• 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.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment. Knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyse and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions, including programme development and database management, claims and treasury operations. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and operational problems. Ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.
• 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 audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours 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

• High school diploma or equivalent is required. Supplementary training in administration, finance, budget, accounting or related fields is required.
• Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Successful passing of the Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) in English at the United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.
• The GGST is administered to applicants when required before the administration of a written assessment and/or interview.

Work Experience

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible work experience in administration, budgetary and financial operations, procedures and practices is required.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) such as Umoja or similar in finance and budget modules is required.
• Demonstrated experience and training in ERP Systems reporting tool such as Umoja Business Intelligence (BI) reporting is required.
• Work experience in designing PowerPoint presentations is desirable.
• Experience with Excel is desirable.
• Work experience in preparing financial and management reports is desirable.
• One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Closing: 20 December 2022