Profile Finance Officer

Finance Officer Profile

Various Locations
Grade: Junior (P2), Mid (P3) and Senior (P4) Level Positions
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect and assist refugees and other persons of concern. The organization is constantly seeking talented, compassionate candidates with high integrity to strengthen its capacity to respond urgently to crises with the right skills. Given the nature of UNHCR¿s work, it is essential that its workforce has the right mix of skills and qualities to fulfil its mandate. The Finance Officer establishes and maintains efficient financial systems and control mechanisms to support the smooth running of the operations and ensure compliance with administrative, human resources and financial rules and procedures.

Duties and responsibilities include:
¿ Oversee and guide integrated financial management and reporting for the area of responsibility (AoR).
¿ Assess, review, and ensure application of finance-related policies, instructions, procedures, etc.
¿ Provide advice to management regarding the application of financial policies and procedures and, when necessary, coordinate with the Regional Controller or Office of the Controller, as applicable, regarding the interpretation of such policies and procedures.
¿ Ensure accounting records are correct and reliable, including¿and not limited to¿timely bank reconciliations, maintenance of open items, timely processing of travel financial transactions, clearance of residual requisitions and purchase order balance.
¿ In close coordination with the Accounts and Financial Services (AFS), support the preparation and review of donor financial reports, and endorse such reports before submission to donors.
¿ Ensure monthly and yearly closing and other periodic accounting-related processes within his/her scope of responsibilities are executed in a timely and accurate manner.
¿ Ensure the maintenance and on-going validity of the Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP).
¿ Ensure that payments made are timely and accurate, and applicable month-end and year-end cut-off processes are implemented in line with relevant guidance.
¿ Supervise the preparation of financial performance reports, monitoring expenditures with respect to approved budgets and work plans.
¿ Ensure that local bank account administration and associated cash management functions are performed in adherence to financial guidelines.
¿ Perform financial management and control related to Cash-Based Interventions in adherence to financial guidelines.
¿ Review and certify vouchers, including Administrative Budget and Obligation Document (ABOD) and project disbursements.
¿ Perform project control functions for both directly and indirectly implemented activities, in the absence of a dedicated project control position.
¿ Coordinate, review and endorse responses to audit queries from internal and external audits and ensure the implementation of accounting audit recommendations.
¿ Support implementation of strategies and initiatives relating to financial management, internal controls and strengthening of financial management capacity at UNHCR.
¿ Perform other relevant duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications and Professional Experience Required:
Years of Experience / Degree Level
¿ For P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
¿ For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
¿ For P4/NOD - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
For positions at the P2 level:

¿ Education: Accounting, Finance, Public or Business Administration, Economics or other relevant field.
¿ Job Experience: Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Good knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of 1 year of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Experience with financial modules of a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management.
¿ Language: Proficiency in English is required.


For positions at the P3 level:

¿ Education: Accounting; Finance; Public or Business Administration; Economics; or other relevant field.
¿ Job Experience: Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Excellent knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of two years of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Excellent understanding and/or experience of financial modules a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management. Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications, especially MS-excel. Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Experience of managing people in multinational/multicultural environments.
¿ Language: Proficiency in English is required.

For positions at the P4 level:

¿ Education: Accounting; Finance; Public or Business Administration; Economics; or other relevant field.
¿ Job Experience: Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Excellent knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of two years of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Excellent understanding and/or experience of financial modules a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management. Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications, especially MS-excel. Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Experience of managing people in multinational/multicultural environments.
¿ Language: Proficiency in English and knowledge of a second UN language (Arabic/Chinese/French/Russian/Spanish) at B2 is required.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.