Finance and Budget Assistant (Multiple)

Job Description

United Nations and regional organizations; provides administrative and other support services to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); provides joint and common services to other organizations of the United Nations system in Kenya, as applicable; and manages and implements the programmes of administration, conference services and public information and provides security and safety services for United Nations staff and facilities in the United Nations Office at Nairobi.

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.

Requirements

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.