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

This post is located in the office of Budget and Financial Management Services (BFMS), Division of Administrative Services (DAS). Under the direct supervision of the Section or Unit Chief, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

• BUDGETING:
• Assist in the collection of data for preparation of cost estimates and budget proposals in terms of staff and non-staff requirements for regular budget and extra-budgetary resources under UNON Administration;
• Assists with the data extract for and preparation of various reports to management;
• Assist in monitoring budget implementation and performance; 
• Assists with ensuring that requisitions for goods and services are in line with authorized budgets, the priorities of the organisation and the UN financial rules and regulations;
• ACCOUNTING:
• Processing of financial documents in line with the financial rules and regulations;
• Assist in the review and analysis of various accounting data; 
• Scrutinize supporting documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of requests in line with applicable policies, procedure, rules and regulations;
• Assists in the analysis of open item managed accounts (OIM) in the ERP system (Umoja) and initiate corrective action;
• GENERAL:
• Receive and distribute various documents received in the unit/section
• Respond to queries and draft correspondence to clients and other stakeholders in a timely and effective manner;
• Assists in ensuring that accurate and complete accounting and internal control systems are functioning and that all relevant records are maintained;
• Assist with data extraction and analysis and preparation of regular and ad hoc reports;
• Perform duties as backup for other team members when required;
• Supervise junior member of staff and interns;
• Performs other related duties as required by Section, Unit Chief or Team leaders.
• 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; 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; Remains calm in stressful situations
• CLIENT ORIENTATION:
• Considers all those to whom services are provided as “clients’ and seeks to see things for their point of view;
• Identifies clients’ needs and matches appropriate solutions; Keeps client informed of progress or setbacks.
  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 if such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• ACCOUNTABILITY:
• Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments;
• Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within the prescribed time, cost and quality standards;
• Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required. Additional qualification in finance, administration, project management would be an added advantage. Knowledge of Excel, Access and other analytical tools would be an asset. Must have passed the United Nations Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally administered test at Offices Away from Headquarters.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of experience in finance, budget or related area is required. Working experience with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and finance system such as Oracle or Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) and experience with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations, for this post fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of a second UN language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is funded for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Appointment against this post is on a local basis. External candidates will be considered only when no suitable candidate from the duty station is identified. The candidate is responsible for any travel expenses incurred in order to take up the appointment. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on “The Application Process” and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.