Chief Budget and Financial Management Service at United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)

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.

The post is located in the Budget and Financial Management Service (BFMS) within the Division of Administrative Services (DAS), UNON. The incumbent reports to the Director of Administrative Services, UNON and will be responsible for the following:

Responsibilities

• Directing all the activities of the Budget and Financial Management Service which include:
  1. Provision of accounting, financial and treasury services to UNEP, UNHABITAT, UNON and, as required, to other UN agencies;
  2. Preparation and submission of the proposed programme budget of UNON, the statements of budget implications and the budget performance reports;
  3. Management and control of the UNON staffing table and the budgetary implications.
• Managing all the financial resources of UNON, including the UN regular budget allocations, and other extra-budgetary allocations by:
  1. Monitoring the receipt, flow and use of resources and advising the senior management on the possible level of resource allocation;
  2. Establishing clear budget goals and providing guidance on and supervision of budget preparatory process;
  3. Directing the financial planning, budgeting and implementation of the core operational budgets of UNON; issuing allotment advices; and reviewing and monitoring budget implementation;
  4. Providing sound financial advice and support to programme managers on programme budgeting to enhance transparency of and effectiveness in the use of resources;
• Managing the UNON Budget and Financial Management Service by:
  1. Providing leadership and guidance to a team of professional staff and general service staff jointly setting up objectives, strategies and standards, and facilitating team work and high producing environment;
  2. Directing, coordinating and supervising the work programme of the Budget and Financial Management Service; providing technical and policy guidance to staff and evaluating outputs;
  3. Identifying staff training needs and recommending required training;
  4. Fostering teamwork and communication among staff in the Branch/Service/Division and across organizational boundaries;
  5. Reviewing and assessing budgetary and accounting procedures and practices and introducing changes, where appropriate;
  6. Liaising with the internal and external auditors and coordinating responses to audit observations and queries relating to budgetary and Fund Management issues.
• Assisting the Director of DAS/UNON in:
  1. Formulating policy decision on budgetary, financial and accounting issues;
  2. Setting up budgetary, fund management and accounting procedures and guidelines;
  3. Preparing the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
  4. Performing other ad-hoc assignments and duties at the instructions of the Director and/or Director-General of UNON.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget management and financial administration of resources. Knowledge of general administration. Proven analytical skills and ability to provide technical advice in budget management to managers. Ability to formulate new strategies and approaches to budget and financial management issues. 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 situation:
• 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.
• 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 on-going 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.
• LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

• Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public/business administration and management or related field is required. Professional qualification in accounting is desirable. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in financial management, administration and planning is required.
• Experience in working on complex accounts, financial services and managing financial resources is required.
• Experience in managing regular budget and extra budgetary resources in the UN system or similar international organization is required.
• Experience within the UN system and/or international organizations in project financing, budgeting and management is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge another United Nations official language is desirable.

NOTE: “fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ” Knowledge of” equals a rating of ” confident” in two of the four areas.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is open for recruitment for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. 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.