Admin/Finance Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the IOM-FOM issued for this Compendium / Fast Track exercise, as well as the  Revised Policy and Procedures on Assignments (UNHCR/HCP/2015/2 refers). Administrative/ Finance Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Admin/Finance Officer is part of the Senior Management of an office. He/she will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN Financial, Administrative and Staff rules and procedures.

Frequent external contacts with counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments on issues of importance to Organization¿s programmes. He/she acts as adviser or representative of the Organization with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.

The incumbent directly supervises professional and general service staff.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

- UNHCR premises for the country operation are managed in an efficient and cost-effective manner, and provide a healthy, safe and respectful working environment.
- UNHCR¿s financial rules and regulations, policies and procedures are adhered to by the country operation.
- UNHCR¿s resources are allocated efficiently and transparently to meet the country operation¿s objectives and priorities.
- The Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP) is up-to-date and reflects the necessary segregation of duties in the office.
- The country operation complies with UN security standards.

Responsibility

General Administration

- Manage the day-to-day personnel and administrative operations of the office.
- Serve as a member of the Local Contracts Committee (LCC).
- Advise the Head of Office and other staff on personnel and administrative policies and procedures.
- Participate in the physical verification of UNHCR property plant and equipment.
- Formulate, implement staff safety and security measures and ensure MOSS/MORSS compliance, in consultation with the Head of Office and Field Safety Advisers (FSAs)

Human Resources

- Oversee recruitment, appointments and administrative formalities concerning local General Service staff.
- Prepare operational context for all international posts in the office.
- Serve ex-officio in the APPC.
- Review and approve the settlement of employee entitlements including DSA, local salaries and the Medical Insurance Plan (MIP).
- Coordinate training and capacity-building activities to staff in administrative related areas.

Finance/Budget

- Ensure compliance with UNHCR¿s internal control framework, financial rules, policies and procedures requesting guidance and support from headquarters as necessary.
- Identify potential risks in relation to the financial management of the office, and propose mitigating action to senior management, when applicable.
- Ensure timely and accurate monthly and year-end closure of accounts, including bank reconciliation, and submit reports to headquarters as per prescribed deadlines.
- Prepare a consolidated budget for the country operation (Branch/Sub/Field Offices) for approval by Regional Office or Headquarters.
- Manage the FOCUS token for the country as a Focus Planning Coordinator.
- Ensure timely and effective follow-up to audit observations and recommendations.
- Provide training on financial matters.

Authority

- Select and negotiate with local service providers, within the established financial parameters.
- Ensure local compliance with UNHCR¿s administrative, human resources and financial policies and procedures.
- Approve vouchers, including ABOD and project disbursements;
- Approve and certify local bank reconciliation and petty cash accounts.
- Certify country-level financial expenditure reports submitted to the regional office or Headquarters.
- Settle amounts due, or recover travel payments, from country operation staff.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- University Degree in Accounting, Finance, Public or Business Administration, Economics or related field, OR university degree in another field combined with a professional qualification in accounting or finance (CPA/CIA or equivalent).
- Minimum eight years of previous job experience in the field of accounting or finance, of which at least two years in an intergovernmental organization (United Nations or similar).
- Working experience with PeopleSoft/Oracle Financial and/or HR modules.
- Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications
- Excellent communication skills.
- Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.

(In offices where the working language is not English, excellent knowledge of UN working language of duty station and working knowledge of English.)

***For National Officer positions, very good knowledge of local language and local institutions is essentials.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES.
- Professional qualification in accounting or finance (CPA/CIA or equivalent).
- Excellent knowledge of United Nations administrative, human resources and financial rules and procedures. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3 The incumbent is expected to fulfil the functional duties, which include efficient administrative control mechanisms to comply with UN financial/staff rules and is expected to assure the administrative support to 1 field office and 2 field units.

The primary role of an incumbent is to act as a custodian of the administrative rules and regulations, provide guidance on policies and procedures and reinforce internal controls. It is equally important to oversee office daily activities and maintain contact with other UN Agencies on matters concerning the mutual areas of responsibilities.

In order to fulfil these responsibilities, the Admin/Finance Officer should have previous experience in big operations and be prepared to function in the remote field locations and at Sub Office level.

Proven managerial skills and sound competences in administration/finance/human resources, with very good knowledge and working experience of the MSRP HR, Finance and FOCUS applications are the crucial requisites in order to provide support to Eastern DRC operation successfully. The incumbent is expected to be a motivated team leader, possess a good level of maturity to be able to lead complex discussions with colleagues from various UN agencies and NGOs on issues of mutual interests in the management of security/staff well-being issues, have strong negotiation skills and ability to grasp and reformulate complex problems, representing UNHCR in a strong and effective manner.

Fluency in French is essential. Good working knowledge in English is also required as more and more reports, internal as well as external, are requested in English. The Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is characterized by ongoing conflict, poor or non-existent infrastructure and highly challenging logistics, all of which make access to refugees and other populations of concern quite difficult.
In 2016-2017, conflicts between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and armed groups led to the constant displacement of populations in the North Kivu, including Rwandan refugees who were displaced several times.  Clashes resulting from the above dominate the humanitarian working environment in East DRC. The general context of ethnic conflicts linked with attempts to control access to mineral resources and land, the presence of various national and international armed groups, the uncontrolled circulation of arms and widespread impunity due to the weakness and/ or absence of state and judicial systems contribute to the serious security and political challenges as well as human rights violations due to the country¿s fragile administration.
IDPs are caught in a cycle of violence caused by recurrent sporadic clashes between various local and foreign armed groups operating in the East. They total more than half a million who are internally displaced in North Kivu, of whom the majority stay with host families. Their living conditions remain precarious despite the humanitarian response to provide protection and assistance.
Rwandan refugees, the majority of whom arrived in the 90`s, are still scattered in Eastern provinces, where local populations believe that they support the armed group called Front Democratique pour la Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR). Due to hostility against the refugees, who live side by side with IDPs, there are many challenges for UNHCR and its partners to intervene and provide humanitarian assistance.  The non-conductive atmosphere makes it difficult to have a smooth implementation of a comprehensive solutions strategy. In South Kivu, a Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) was launched in May 2015 and was subsequently revised because the situation in Burundi remains very volatile despite the conclusion of the electoral process with the re-election of President Nkurunziza.  However, the outflow of refugees continues to neighbouring countries in the sub-region.  Since April 2015, some 27,276 individuals are sheltered at Lusenda site. Today, weekly arrival rates have reached up to 800 refugees in DRC. 
Under the direct supervision of the Head of Sub-Office, the Admin/Finance Officer will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN Financial, Administrative and Staff rules and procedures in the North Kivu and South Kivu Operations. 
Given the stressful nature of North Kivu security situation, fluid and unpredictable, as well as high operational demands, the incumbent will need to fit easily into a complex and highly dynamic team of various cultural backgrounds. The tasks to enforce compliance with the UN/UNHCR staff rules and regulations, to assure efficient application of the performance appraisal and management system as well as representation of UNHCR in the working groups/task forces within Goma UN inter-agency mechanism on coordination of staff safety and welfare issues will require demonstrable and highly proven managerial skills and functional professionalism. Goma Office oversees 1 field office and 2 field units, with a big workforce comprising various categories, which include international professional staff, JPO, International and National UNVs, National professional and general service staff.
The administration section is the backbone of any office to ensure that its resources in terms of funds, assets, staff etc, are well utilized to achieve optimum output. Goma is the capital of North Kivu province, bordering Rwanda.  It has an estimated population of some 1 million.  Despite the fact that Goma is an important gateway to eastern DR Congo, it remains isolated from other DRC cities due to bad road infrastructure.  Boat transport is used extensively to commute with other towns bordering the Kivu lake (e.g. Bukavu)

Staff reside in commercial accommodation available in town. 

There are limited medical facilities in Goma that are equipped to deal with moderate medical cases.  Evacuation opportunities are limited.  However, air ambulance evacuation can be organized for life threatening emergencies during day time.  Candidates with conditions requiring regular treatment or medical supervision should be appropriately advised. 

The climate is classified as tropical wet and dry. 

There are banking facilities at Goma. There is an acceptable access to communication means, such as internet, telephone sim cards etc. Goma is a security level 3 duty station.

Despite all the security measures, UN staff remains at risk due to rampant and persistent criminality fuelled by economic hardship, ill-paid police and military personnel and presence of armed groups. Staff members are exposed to house break-ins, ambushed, car-jacking, and violent criminals. Strict adherence to security measures will be advised to all staffs in order to preserve them from being victims of serious security incident and enable a smooth and secure conduct of UN operations. The presence of a live volcano (Nyiragongo) is another factor that impact the life in Goma due to the emanation of gaz (CO and sulfur).
Goma is affected by earthquake. Last earthquake was in August 2015 with a level of 5.7 on Richter scale.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add. 3 to March 2017 Compendium is Thursday, 3 August 2017 (midnight Geneva time).