Senior Finance Officer / Head of Unit

The Financial Policy and Compliance Section (FPC), in the Bureau of Financial Management (BFM) contributes to strengthening the internal control framework of the Organization and financial risk management through contributions towards policy direction/formulation/application, guidance and training and regular management and financial indicators preparation based on established monitoring mechanism.

The policy development and audit coordination functions of this post are part of the Organization's overall internal control and accountability framework.  Under the overall authority of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and direct supervision from the Chief of Section, the incumbent will be responsible for the following key functions\:

• Act as a Senior Finance Officer/Head of Unit for UNESCO’s financial policies and processes; be responsible for elaborating policy, guidance, training and technical assistance in areas under his/her purview, namely all financial management processes, excluding procurement.
• Coordinate and review BFM responses to internal audits, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) or related audits and reviews, as well as lead the donor accreditation processes; oversee responses to external audit recommendations, ensuring that these are complete and coherent.
• Follow up on outcomes of audit/verification recommendations as well as requests from Governing Bodies; identify financial risk levels and prepare remedial action plans which include training, policy and guidance material development, as well as process simplification or re-design; follow up on the implementation.
• Define “standard financial management training needs” and coordinate the development of standard financial management training packages.
• Contribute to the knowledge sharing in areas under his/her purview, namely in areas of financial management and promote “best practices” internally and externally where required.
• Supervise and monitor the work of the administrative Manual Secretariat
• Act as UNESCO representative in related inter-agency networks and working groups and multi-agency business seminars as and when necessary.

EDUCATION

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent degree) in finance, business administration or accounting or related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Professional certification from an internationally recognized accounting body or Membership of a recognized professional accounting body.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible, relevant professional experience in the field of financial management, financial policy making, programme and budget management or accounting, of which at least 3 years acquired at international level.
• Experience in formulating policies and processes, in coordinating outcomes and elaborating trainings.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Ability to communicate and provide advice on technical issues to a non-specialist audience.
• Proven ability to analyze processes in the context of quality and risk management and identify opportunities for system and structural improvement, as well as to improve current practices and policies. 
• Good knowledge of contracting procedures and framework.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with proven ability to produce high quality, clear and concise documents and reports in English and/or French.
• Ability to manage multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated organizational, coordination and interpersonal skills, with ability to take initiative, establish plans and priorities and implement them effectively.
• Ability to deal effectively and engage with various internal/external partners.
• Ability to manage heavy work load, to work under pressure and to meet tight deadlines, paying close attention to details and quality of work.
• Excellent IT skills.

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English and/or French and good knowledge of the other.

EDUCATION

• Knowledge of financial accounting as applied to International Public Organizations.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Professional experience in an international organization/institution or in the UN System.
• Experience within an audit service or finance department in the UN System.

LANGUAGES

• Good knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).