CHIEF, BUDGET AND PROJECT FINANCE SECTION

This position is located in the Resource Management Service (RMS), in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva. The incumbent reports directly to the Chief of RMS.

Within delegated authority, the Section Chief, Budget and Project Finance Section will be responsible for the following duties:

• Plans, organizes and manages the preparation of the strategic framework and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies.
• Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into programme budgets.
• Supervise preparation and defense of regular budget submissions, including programmatic aspects, in close coordination with program managers and Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts (OPPBA) with a view to obtaining approval by the General Assembly.
• Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from UNCTAD offices, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with the strategic framework and other legislative mandates.
• Reviews, analyses and finalizes programme budget/financial implications to OPPBA in light of revised or additional mandates.
• Provides substantive support to OPPBA and relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; secures approval from the General Assembly.
• Manages/issues allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Exercises delegated authority for extra-budgetary resources: administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review and clearance of agreements and cost plans, accepts contributions; issues allotments, allocations and grants; manages special account for programme support costs; clears host country agreements and manages related special accounts; clears NRL agreements ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Oversees the review and finalization of budget performance reports; monitors variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Provides substantive advice and support to UNCTAD management, intergovernmental and expert bodies in review of budget performance reports; secure approval from the General Assembly.
• Provides advice and guidance to UNCTAD staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.
• Participates in inter-departmental meetings on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Prepares/finalizes reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence, including guidelines, instructions.
• Ensures effective and efficient monitoring and control of budgetary resources and the use of posts, review and analyse expenditures, maintains budget discipline.
• Identifies trends and problems, develops and undertakes corrective measures.
• Reviews and analyses budgetary policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.
• Acts as Certifying Officer under Financial Rule 105.5 to ensure that proposed obligations and expenditures are in accordance with budgets and established regulations and rules.
• Serves on UNCTAD's Grants Committee.
• Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them.
• Prepares replies to audit observations, ensure follow-up and implementation of recommendations.
• Coordinates workflow and procedures with substantive divisions of UNCTAD, administrative services at UNOG and UNHQ, and UNDP.
• Represents UNCTAD in meetings of legislative and expert organs as required, including the Fifth Committee and Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
• Acts as IPSAS and ERP focal point at UNCTAD, coordinates Umoja implementation activities.
• Represents UNCTAD in inter and intra-departmental meetings.
• Plans, organizes and manages staff and work programme; plans and discusses individual work programmes with staff and evaluates their performance.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

•Professionalism: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget management and financial administration of resources. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines. Knowledge of IPSAS and ERP systems, such as Umoja. Excellent computer skills and knowledge of office applications, such as Excel, Powerpoint, etc. Proven analytical skills and ability to provide technical advice to managers on budget formulation and management, including as it relates to regular budget, projects or the establishment of operations in the field. Ability to formulate new strategies and approaches to budget and financial management issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

•Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

•Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

•Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

•Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, public administration, accounting, finance or related field is required. A first-level university degree in any of these fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Professional accounting qualification (CPA, CMA, CA) is desirable.

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in budget, finance, accounting, business administration or related area is required.

Out of these, five years of experience in the budget and financial management of large programmes, including programmes of technical assistance nature and in an international organization is desirable.

A minimum of three years of experience leading a budget/finance team is desirable.

Experience with ERP systems, such as UMOJA, is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required; knowledge of French is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 31 August 2021, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, China, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.