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Under the overall direction of the Chief of the Capacity Development and Innovation Branch, the incumbent will provide leadership and management of activities within the Enabling Innovation Unit, as well as will develop, implement and evaluate programmes/projects. The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

•  Takes the lead to develop, implement and evaluate assigned programmes/projects including GEF and public-private sector-funded projects; directs subordinates in programme/project development, implementation, monitoring and assessment; directs review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and initiates follow-up actions.
•  Establishes and manages partnerships and collaborative efforts to further the implementation of programmes/projects.
•  Ensures implementation of gender mainstreaming guidelines by assessing the implications for men and women of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels.
•  Directs research and programme evaluation and presents information gathered from diverse sources.
•  Coordinates policy development; reviews the assessments of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or research activities and studies.
•  Guides design of data, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.
•  Supervises preparation of various written outputs, e.g., background papers, analysis, substantial sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
•  Directs substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparing documents and presentations, etc.
•  Manages outreach activities; designs and conducts training workshops, seminars, etc., makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
•  Leads field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.
•  Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and ensures preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).
•  Ensures effective utilization, supervision and development of staff; guides, evaluates and mentors staff.
•  Develops, implements and manages work on natural capital accounts at the national level in coordination with bureaus of statistics, economic, planning and finance ministries.
•  Takes the lead to carry out economic valuations at the national and regional levels, including with regional economic commisions.
•  Takes the lead to develop and maintain partnerships with financial institutions to work with UNEP on social impact investments in science-based solutions to environmental challenges.
•  Takes the lead to develop, implement and evaluate programmes and projects with regard to horizon-scanning and scientific assessments of innovative science-based solutions and related sustainable development finance, and to the scaling up and financing of green, innovative science-based solutions.
•  Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of environmental related issues or environmental economics and analysis in particular. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operation. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment. 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• VISION: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business, economics and financial modeling or a related field is required. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management in complex socio-economic settings is required.
Experience working in projects integrating economics at the science-policy interface is desirable

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is 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.

Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral or geographical move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral or geographical moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

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.

Internal Applicants – when completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you.

Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

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 Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The 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 according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

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Under the general supervision of the Director and Regional Representative, the incumbent is primarily responsible for the following:

Responsibilities

• Medium-term plan:
• Review, analyse and finalize the preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies.
• Provide substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their review of the medium-term plan and its revisions; secures approval from the General Assembly.
• Ensure legislative mandates are accurately translated into program budgets.
• Budget preparation and Administration:
• Manage and coordinate the collection of corporate budget data from the various units and offices in Africa office
• Enrichment, streamlining and consolidation of corporate budget data for submission to the Corporate budget office
• Engagement and collaboration with the Corporate budget office during the preparation phase and annual corporate budget monitoring cycle
• Prepare budget allocations for Africa office HQ units/sections and Field offices for consideration and approval by the Regional director
• Oversee the distribution of corporate budgets to field offices via UNON and UNDP processes
• Grants budgets: Guide and work together with programme officers on budget drafting/planning for consideration by donors for all grants in Africa office
• Periodical reporting of budget performance to the Africa office management to ensure effective and efficient budget consumption within the applicable corporate guidelines
• Lead in managing interactions through continuous meetings between the Budget/Fund Management Team with Programme staff to ensure a common approach for program delivery
• Undertake ad-hoc special reviews to enhance preparedness of the budget planning systems to meet the objectives of Results Based Management (RBM)
• Make suggestions to Corporate budget office for improvements in budget planning and execution in line with existing processes and systems to enhance performance where necessary
• Implement new budgeting processes that may be required to support Results Based Management interventions (IPSAS and Umoja) and contribute to their evaluation for efficiency, performance and enhancement
• Provide relevant budgeting advice, interpretation, adaptation and corrective actions in response to audits and other queries in adherence to UN Environment, UN-FRR, Staff Rules, Administrative Instructions, Accounting Instructions and Circulars.
• Continuous review and analysis of project budget allotments, expenditures and revisions
• Financial Management Functions:
• Oversee the execution of overall financial management function in Africa office with the objective of ensuring that the UNEP Executive Director’s compact with the Secretary General relating to sound financial management is achieved via the Regional director’s Delegation of Authority.
• Provide inputs in the preparation of project documents for PRC approval, sub-allotments and proposed budget revisions in accordance with procedures established by the Corporate Services Division:
• Review on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis all budget commitments to ensure that only valid commitments remain outstanding
• Regular monitoring of project accounts’ receivables to ensure that none are outstanding unjustifiably over 24 months
• Ensure accounts payable transactions are not outstanding unjustifiably over 90 days
• Review and certify travel commitments ensuring that they conform to the applicable rules and procedures
• Review and certify commitments ensuring that they conform to the relevant rules and procedures
• Review and analyze corporate budget plus grants expenditure status reports on a monthly, quarterly, half yearly, annual basis and take any corrective action as may be necessary
• Provide specific financial reports to donors, member states and senior management in collaboration with UNON/Accounts
• Prepare various internal financial reports for approval by the Chief-Financial Management Services
• Review periodic financial reports published by UNON/Accounts and ensure validity of data with regard to Africa Office funds/projects
• Collaborate with program officers on all aspects of projects’ fund management such as budget re-allocations, consumption reports, donor reports, audits and verifications.
• Review and certify due diligence submissions for proposed partners
• Review and certify standard legal instruments relating to the execution of program/project implementation.
• Record and monitor the use of legal agreements in the execution of program/project implementation
• Review Umoja workflows related to external partners to gain greater efficiencies over processes
• General:
• Provide advice and guidance, including training, to headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.
• Participate in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical survey missions on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues.
• Keep up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to program and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Draft reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence.
• Draft official documentation to troop contributing countries concerning reimbursements from the United Nations.
• Undertake research and analysis of budgetary policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.
• Act 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.
• Ensure the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them.
• Provide support with respect to representation of the Secretary-General in meetings of legislative organs.
• May plan, organize, manage and supervise the work of the Unit/Section assigned.
• Incumbent may be asked to perform other related duties.

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. 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.
• 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.
• 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. Professional qualification from a recognized accountancy body like: Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA) / Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) / Certified Public Accountants (CPA), is highly desirable. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, accounting, budget, business administration or related area is required.
• Experience and knowledge with Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) systems, specifically in the use of SAP/ERP will be highly desirable.
• Practical experience using Inspira application is an added advantage.
• Practical experience with Budget management, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Grants management will be highly desirable.

Knowledge and Experience with the IPSAS framework and preparation of Financial Statements is an asset.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the this position, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an added advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by 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.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. 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.

Internal Applicants – when completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you.

Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

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 email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. 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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

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.