Finance Officer SC 8 - Beirut, Lebanon

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WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

This Vacancy Announcement will close on 23 January 2019 at 11:59 PM, Rome Time

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

- This position is open to qualified Lebanese candidates. Female candidates in particular, are encouraged to apply.

- Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

The Syrian crisis has displaced more than one million refugees into Lebanon.  The country, which has been hosting the highest population of refugees per capita in the world for more than five years now, is grappling with multiple challenges. The combination of refugee influx and decreased economic activity with Syria has impacted the economic and fiscal performance and affected public finances, employment, trade flows and other key economic indicators. Economic growth has stagnated after years of strong performance, limiting the capacity of the government to invest in infrastructure improvements and to respond to the increased demand for social services.

To know more about WFP’s mission, please check the below video:

https://www.facebook.com/WorldFoodProgramme/videos/10154930622760178/

JOB PURPOSE

To support the stewardship of WFP’s resources, monitoring budgets, forecasting, reporting on key data and providing basic administrative functions that enable effective management of funds, and ensure assistance to beneficiaries is undertaken in the most efficient and effective way possible.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Finance, the Finance Officer will perform the following responsibilities:

1. Maintain awareness of corporate finance and resource management strategies and major ongoing programmatic initiatives, participating where appropriate using finance and resource management expertise.

2. Contribute towards the development of country specific plans and processes, aligned with Regional and wider WFP strategy, policies and processes to meet the food assistance needs of beneficiaries within the Country.

3. Perform daily financial transactions, overall cash management, bank reconciliations, Cash Based Transfer (CBT) reconciliations, and monthly financial closures on a regular basis in accordance with corporate requirements.

4. Report on key data for financial status and outcomes of projects in accordance with corporate governance requirements, ensuring accuracy, deadlines, and accounting processes are complied with.

5. Monitor budgets, identify appropriate funding source and carry out forecasting for new and ongoing projects according to established corporate procedures and requirements.

6. Represent unit/Country Office in meetings with Financial Service Providers, internal/external meetings and events with other UN agencies or other partners and entities as required.

7. Collate data and contribute to preparation of accurate and timely reporting, providing financial, staffing and resource usage information to enable to make informed decisions.

8. Track and collate data to support others to improve policies, systems and procedures in order to minimise financial risks, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations, and ensure services are aligned with business objectives.

9. Contribute to the delivery of financial controls and insight into WFP performance, supporting periodic risk and internal control assessments to identify areas which may present potential audit, compliance or financial risks.

10. Arrange a periodical budget, finance and support service related meetings and prepare a note of the meetings.

11. Act as an Assurance Committee focal point to call periodic meetings and support relevant units in the Country Office, which includes but not limited to, undertake timely follow up of the implementation of oversight/review recommendations, annual performance planning and reviews, maintain Country Office risk registers and mitigation actions, internal control assessment, assurance statement, and letter of representation.

12. Where necessary, deliver core administrative services, working with contractors and following standard processes to provide cost-effective, quality and timely services to WFP staff.

13. Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.

14. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy food and needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

15. Perform other duties as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

      Education: Advanced University degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, Audit or related fields, or First University degree in the same subject(s) with additional years of related work experience.

Experience: At least five years of professional experience in Finance, Accounting, Audit or relevant fields, with great independence, decision making authority, supervision of staff and managing complex funding situation.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Arabic languages.

Additional desired skills:

• In-depth knowledge of financial management and reporting procedures
• Professional experience in IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards), IFRS or any other international accounting standards.
• Knowledge of internal/external audit and oversights
• Good knowledge of SAP or ERP software
• Excellent team management skills with experience in supervising a team
• General knowledge of UN system policies, rules and regulations
• Experience in post-conflict/ fragile environments and hardship
• Has experience assessing financial health and stability of Cash-based transfers projects and other programming initiatives to verify compliance with in-country local laws.
• Has experience working with auditors and other third-party vendors.

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.