Senior Regional Finance Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Senior Regional Finance Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Senior Regional Finance Officer is part of the Senior Management of a Regional Office, Regional Hub or Regional Service Centre. He/she will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UNHCR and UN administrative, human resources and financial rules and procedures.

In operations that do not have a Project Control Officer and are not covered by a Regional Project Control Officer, the Senior Regional Finance Officer must also perform oversight responsibilities with regard to the execution of projects.

Frequent external contacts with counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments may occur 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's financial rules and regulations, policies and procedures are adhered to in the region.
- UNHCR's cash is safeguarded in the regional office.
- Monthly accounts are correct and approved.
- The Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP) is up-to-date and reflects the necessary segregation of duties in the region.
- Risks are identified, and a mitigation plan is implemented.
- Senior management is promptly informed of major variances in the execution of projects (budgets, finance, implementation or timeframe).

Responsibility
- Perform financial planning, reporting and analysis of resources within the region;
- Prepare administrative budgets, supervise the submissions of the requirements from country offices ensuring that these remain within the limits of the Budget Committee, and monitor and control administrative budgets (ABOD) expenditure.
- Analyze expenditure variances against approved budgets.
- Review and certify vouchers, including ABOD and project disbursements.
- Establish monthly cash requirements for the region
- Review and make recommendations for the streamlining of financial systems and accounting procedures.
-  Make proposals for the continuous improvement of financial monitoring and control mechanisms;
- Perform oversight responsibilities, when applicable, with regard to the execution of projects, including (1) monitoring all financial aspects of project management as well as operational risks at the regional level; (2) analyzing project expenditures levels and patterns in relation to the operations plan and signed agreements with partners and implementation rates (3) monitoring that IPs meet UNHCR¿s administrative, financial and procurement requirements in the execution of the project.
- Identify potential risks in relation to financial management in the region, including effective internal controls, and propose mitigating action to senior management, when applicable.
- Perform project control functions, in the absence of a dedicated project control position.
- Ensure timely submission of financial reports to Headquarters;
- Ensure that monthly accounts are correct, and ensure timely monthly bank reconciliations, including open items, review and clearance of unwanted requisitions and PO balances.
- Ensure that payments are made within the month-end and year-end cut-off periods.
- Implement year-end instructions for the closure of accounts.
- Review regularly and update the Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP).
- Coordinate responses to audit queries from internal and external audits and the implementation of audit recommendations.
- Compile and submit information required for the preparation of UNHCR's statutory accounts.
- Interpret financial policies and procedures and provide advice to staff in the region on their practical application.
- Act as the focal point for UNHCR global initiatives that impact financial management and control. and
- Identify and provide training on financial matters, and recommend or develop training modules, when necessary.

Authority
- Ensure regional compliance with applicable financial rules, policies and procedures.
- Propose recommendations for the streamlining of financial systems and accounting procedures, or improvements of financial monitoring and control mechanisms.
- Certify regional financial expenditure reports.
- Approve and certify regional bank reconciliation and petty cash accounts.
- Verify and certify submitted IP financial and operational reports, when applicable.
- Have unlimited access to financial and operational records relating to projects, when needed to perform oversight responsibilities.
- Correct deficiencies, identified through audits, in the region¿s financial management.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Graduate degree (equivalent of Master's) in Accounting, Finance, Public or Business Administration, Economics or related field, OR undergraduate degree (equivalent of BA/BS) in another field combined with a professional qualification in accounting or finance (CPA/CIA or equivalent) plus 8 years of previous job experience in the field of accounting or finance, of which at least five years in an intergovernmental organization (United Nations or similar). Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) plus 9 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 7 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS).
- Good understanding of the workflows of PeopleSoft/Oracle Financial modules.
- Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Professional qualification in accounting or finance (CPA/CIA or equivalent).
- Knowledge of international auditing standards.
- Excellent knowledge of United Nations financial rules and procedures.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR Senior Regional Finance Officer positions. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates. 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
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
X004L3 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3 <p>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.</p>
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
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For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage them – before deciding to apply- to read the country specific security and welfare country profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services - Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care.

Staff after having applied to High Risk Duty Stations will have access to country specific information webinars with Field Safety Section (FSS) and Staff Welfare Section (SWS) colleagues and provided with a tool to test their psychological preparedness for serving in High Risk Duty Stations. Applicants who applied for a position in a High Risk country will receive, after the deadline for applications has expired, a joint invitation from the Staff Welfare Section (SWS) and the Field Safety Section (FSS) to participate in these webinars. During the Webinars, latest updates on security and well-being will be provided, and FSS and SWS will address questions raised by participants. Applicants are highly encouraged to benefit, when applicable, from all measures as they provide most up-to-date security and well-being information helpful to assess staff’s readiness to serve in a High Risk Duty Station. A Staff Welfare Officer will also be available, if and when required, to discuss with interested applicants the results of the psychological preparedness tool as well as readiness for assignment in High Risk Duty Stations.

The Senior Regional Finance Officer is supervised by the Assistant Regional Representative - Administration (ARRA) and will assist to coordinate, supervise and manage all financial and general administration for the Regional Office (RO) Dakar as well as for countries under its Area of Budgetary Control (Togo, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau and The Gambia). The Senior Regional Finance coordination role is also extended to the whole West Africa Region operation. The incumbent will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN financial and administrative rules and procedures. The incumbent will have frequent external contacts with counterparts within the UN forum to deliberate on common issues confronting the agencies in Senegal as well as within the West Africa Region. The incumbent must be skilled and able to manage all administrative and financial related matters. It is essential for the incumbent to possess superior knowledge and experience to act as an adviser to the ARRA. It is also critical that the incumbent possesses strong leadership skills to ensure a proper supervisory role. The incumbent will ensure continuous liaison and coordination with the country operations in West Africa including as required field and monitoring missions. The position calls for flexibility with high degree of accountability and pro-activeness in anticipating and managing administrative and financial situations. The incumbent should promote team-spirit, functional collaboration and diversity in a multicultural environment. The incumbent should be familiar with UNHCR financial management tools such as MSRP and FOCUS. West Africa has experienced successive conflicts over the past decades, with a recent rise in terrorist activities and attacks which have a serious impact on the stability and security of the region. UNHCR continues to respond to the humanitarian crises in the Lake Chad Basin and Mali, which have also caused the displacement of a huge number of IDPs. At the same time, there are several long standing refugee situations with which the Regional Representation continues to deal, seeking long-lasting solutions search as naturalization or long term residency.  UNHCR estimates that there are around 1 million stateless persons in West Africa, and many more at risk of statelessness. Estimates easily reach 60 million individuals as people in the region are grossly undocumented.

Since September 1 2017, the Regional Representation for West Africa (RRWA) covers all the 15 ECOWAS Member States. In addition the Regional Representative is the Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation.  Mixed Migration is also a new domain that the Regional Office has been dealing with since the second part of 2017.

UNHCR has more than 1000 staff in the 15 countries under the Regional Office. In Dakar alone there are more than 100 staff, made up of generalists and experts in their domains, namely, protection, programme, admin, finance, statelessness, registration, public health, environment, livelihoods, CBI and project control. While the asylum practice in the West Africa are rather generous, it is self-evident that the operational and political environments in the region present unique challenges (in terms of security, governance  and socio-economic outlooks) to the UN in general, and UNHCR in particular.  The Region houses a variety of political and UN coordination mechanisms that demand a significant amount of time to ensure that UNHCR remains relevant and exercises its partnerships relationships. Notable among these structures are United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, headed by an SRSG, the Regional UNDG, and Regional offices for WFP, UNICEF, OCHA, UNWOMEN, FAO, etc. Donors also have regional platforms in West Africa. In the Lake Chad Basin, the Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria that spread into Cameroon, Chad and Niger has caused the displacement of over 2.5 million people, composed of 2.35 million IDPs, (of whom 1.9 million are inside Nigeria) and around 205,000 Nigerian refugees.  Despite important military advances in 2016, ongoing threats from Boko Haram in all affected countries as well as the absence of basic services continue to pose acute humanitarian and protection risks for those impacted by the crisis.

With regards to the Mali situation, a total of 144,206 Malian refugees are hosted in neighbouring Niger (60,154), Mauritania (50,966) and Burkina Faso (33,056); and 58,985 persons are internally displaced within Mali. As the crisis enters its sixth year since the outbreak of the conflict in northern Mali in late 2011, a resolution is not yet in sight. The security situation has deteriorated over the past two years, spreading also to Mali¿s central region. New displacement continues as well as refugee and IDP returns, and conditions remain unfavourable for a large scale repatriation of Malian refugees in security and dignity

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2018 Compendium is Thursday 18 October  2018 (midnight Geneva time).