Programme Budget Officer, at National Professional (NOB) level on Fixed Term Appointment, Dushanbe, Tajikistan (for Tajik nationals only)

Under the general guidance of the Operations Manager, the Programme Budget Officer analyses programme and budget proposals for completeness, correctness and conformity with the programme and budget guidelines; advises programme managers and partners on the programme and budget processes, from planning to implementation and reporting, providing guidance for an effective and efficient management of financial resources during the implementation of the budget; and prepares HACT related reports.

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Post Title: Programme Budget Officer, at National Professional (NOB) level on Fixed Term Appointment (for Tajik nationals only)

Duty Station: UNICEF, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Closing date: 20 February 2018

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

 The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nation.

During 2017, the Tajikistan CO managed USD 7.7 mio, out of which appr. 1 mio is DCT and the rest comprises of program supplies and operational costs. During 2017, UNICET Tajikistan managed micro-assessment of 10 implementing partners, government and CSOs. There were 5 spot-checks and 35 program visits. 

 PURPOSE OF THE JOB

 The Programme Budget Officer will support the country program in effectively and efficiently developing, monitoring and reporting on grant specific budgets in line with program, UNICEF and donor requirements while also providing overall support to the management and monitoring of UNICEF’s partnerships Program Cooperation Agreements (PCAs) and Small Scale Funding Agreements (SSFA) in line with HACT Procedure. The Programme Budget Officer is the focal point for all grants, PCAs and SSFA and assists in the development of budgets and technical reports when necessary. The Programme Budget Officer also provides key support to the office in programmatic and budgetary monitoring, capacity building of implementing partners, compliance with donor and internal UNICEF rules and regulations and other key functions as required.

Under the general guidance of the Operations Manager, the Programme Budget Officer analyses programme and budget proposals for completeness, correctness and conformity with the programme and budget guidelines; advises programme managers and partners on the programme and budget processes, from planning to implementation and reporting, providing guidance for an effective and efficient management of financial resources during the implementation of the budget; and prepares HACT related report

KEY FUNCTION, ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RELATED DUTIES/TASKS

    1. Contribution management (budget planning allocation, monitoring)

• Ensure timely allocation of new grants to respective programmes in line with approved budget breakdown and donor conditions.
• Work in collaboration with the Operations Manager and Budget Owners to ensure the overall compliance with donor and grants conditions when allocating and re-phasing funds.
• Monitor grants expiry dates with the objective of ensuring that all funds are fully utilized prior to grant expiry dates.
• Monitor the utilization of regular Resources and Other Resources and produces regular updates for the Country Office Management.
• Support the capacity development of programme staff to improve the description of expenditures that appear in financial reports.
• Enable an institutional memory within the office through development and maintenance of record keeping of OR allocations forms and emails related to RR allocation; ensure the filing of and access to all the financial and budget related files on proposals, donor reports and all other financial documents.
• Provide reports on budget utilization during reviews (Mid-year, annual and mid-term reviews).

2. HACT Quality Assurance activities

• Serve as focal person on HACT implementation in the office.
• Facilitate the execution of HACT activities undertaken by external service providers through scheduling, arranging briefings and related administrative needs to ensure service providers have appropriate and comprehensive information for effective and efficient completion of assignments.
• Conduct and/or coordinate spot checks of implementing partners in collaboration with other CO staff.
• Support the preparation of HACT implementation status report in InSight through collation of implementation information from relevant CO colleagues.
• Contribute to development and monitoring of implementation of CO HACT related SOPs and internal procedures, including for escalation of issues identified through assurance activities.
• Support the recording and updating of risk ratings of implementing partners in VISION through review of the Vendor Master and provision of relevant information to appropriate colleagues in the CO.
• Establish a central repository for HACT decisions, documentation and reports to provide timely and current information to facilitate implementation of HACT in the CO.
• Review assessments and programme assurance reports to identify areas of weaknesses related to the implementation of HACT and keep supervisor/partners informed of findings for timely action and/or intervention.
• Provide technical information and operational support to implementing partners, UN system partners and other stakeholders in the CO on the implementation of HACT to reinforce UN agencies harmonization and coordination.
• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of HACT information and knowledge to facilitate/build their capacity for implementing HACT.
• Participate in appropriate inter-agency meetings/events to facilitate and promote sharing of information, knowledge, experiences and best practice and enhance coordination of activities in line with the UNICEF HACT Procedure.
• Interact regularly with other country offices and the Regional Office on HACT related activities.

    3. Support to programme coordination

• Conduct ad hoc complex analyses to inform management decision making and carry out any special studies and analysis requested by management with respect to the increased programme, budget, and partnerships and make appropriate recommendations on the application of the results. Participates in the preparation of all programme reports for management, donors, budget reviews, programme analysis, and annual reports as required
• Serve as the focal person for country offices’ management performance indicators; ensure all reporting requirements are fully met for the office; prepare weekly and monthly contribution management reports, taking into consideration the increased demand of complex, analytical reports in country office. Ensure quality information management through regular maintenance of contribution related information in VISION and e-filing on the office shared drive.

    4. Knowledge management and capacity building

• Contribute to capacity building of country office staff and partners and build budget management capacity of CO staff by facilitating training, following the growth in the staffing structure and partners, providing one on one follow up support and knowledge sharing.
• Identify, synthesize and share lessons learned from HACT and its implementation for integration into broader knowledge development planning and management efforts.
• Identify, synthesize and share lessons learned and best practice in the implementation of HACT.

• Contribute to design and implementation of capacity development strategy/initiatives for implementing partners which can be supported by UNICEF through identification of common weaknesses in financial and procurement management from review of micro assessment and assurance activity reports of high and significant risk partners.
• Contribute to design and implementation of capacity development strategy/initiatives for CO staff to ensure that staff has knowledge and skills to fulfill their responsibilities under HACT.

IMPACT OF RESULTS

 The effective support provided by the Programme Budget Officer, NOB to the careful planning and effective implementation of the HACT activities directly impacts on programme execution and delivery of sustainable results and promote national ownership and accountability for programme resources.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A University Degree in Development Studies, International Development, Programme/Project Management, Business Administration, Financial Management, Economics, and Auditing or other relevant field is required.

Experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in programme/project development and management or financial planning, management and oversight or related field at the international and/or in a developing country is required. Relevant experience in program/project financial monitoring and evaluation in a UN system agency or organization is an asset.

Language requirements: Fluency in English, Tajik and Russian is required.

Competencies

Communication (II); · Working with people (II); ·  Drive for results (II); · Analyzing (II); · Applying technical expertise (II); · Planning and organizing (II); ·  Formulating strategies and concepts (I); ·  Learning and researching (II);

Core Values

Commitment · Diversity and inclusion · Integrity

APPLICATION

The link to review detailed Generic Job Profile would be available at the following links: www.untj.org/jobs, www.unicef.org/tajikistan/resources, www.facebook.com/uniceftajikistan.

The candidates, who are interested to apply for the position, should follow the electronic application's instructions at: http://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/510606?lApplicationSubSourceID= . It requires the applicant to upload the detailed CV and academic degrees/diplomas. UN candidates should upload at least two latest performance evaluation reports.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.