Budget & Programming Associate| G6 | Manila 1

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.

VA DETAILS

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, working in more than 80 countries. WFP is well known for its ability to deliver food assistance rapidly to people in need. The United Nations World Food Programme has also been awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

The World Food Programme’s engagement in the Philippines is constantly evolving. Initially commencing operations in the 1960s, WFP officially re-established its presence in 2006 to support the peace process in Mindanao, to provide life-saving food assistance in emergencies and to develop programmes that seek to improve nutrition and the overall quality of life of vulnerable people.

Since 1 July 2018, WFP has been implementing a five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2018-2023) to support the Government of the Philippines to address food insecurity, reduce malnutrition and build the resilience of vulnerable populations. In its strategic plan, WFP identified four outcomes and five main activities:

• Strategic outcome 1: Crisis-affected people in the Philippines are able to meet their food and nutrition needs during and immediately after an emergency.
• Strategic outcome 2: Women, boys and girls in provinces prioritized by the Government have adequate and healthy diets to reduce malnutrition by 2022 in line with government targets.
• Strategic outcome 3: Vulnerable communities in Mindanao have improved food security and nutrition by 2022 in line with government targets.
• Strategic outcome 4: National and local government agencies have enhanced capabilities to reduce vulnerability to shocks by 2022.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Resource Management Unit in WFP Philippines office is responsible for aligning resources with project requirements, managing project budgetary, providing pipeline projection, monitoring project performance and providing in-depth analysis to the management.

The Budget and Programming Associate reports directly to the Resource Management Officer or designate, with overall supervision of the Deputy Country Director.

JOB PURPOSE

To provide a range of specialised support for efficient planning, monitoring and analysis of project financial performance to enhance optimal use of financial resources.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Within the assigned unit and delegated authority, the Budget and Programming Associate will be responsible for the following duties:
1. Review budget plans, monitor and analyze project financial performance and make recommendations in compliance with WFP financial policies and procedures and best practices, to support financial analysis and optimization of resources.
2. Provide comprehensive analysis on fund and grant balances identifying surpluses and deficits, and suggest corrective measures, to support maximum fund utilization and decision-making process.
3. Support pipeline management ensuring efficient monitoring, to prevent and address pipeline breaks and maximize operational effectiveness.
4. Contribute to the improvement of internal processes, enhancement of corporate systems and design of tools, to facilitate the overall planning, expenditure forecasting, and budget management and monitoring of resource utilization.
5. Enter project budget plans and revisions in the corporate systems, to ensure data is timely and accurately captured enabling easy access to information and supporting planning and decision-making.
6. Review, compile and analyse data, maintain accurate records and files and prepare periodic and ad hoc reports, to support accuracy and efficiency of information presented to internal and external stakeholders.
7. Maintain communication with a number of stakeholders regarding project funds management matters and related processes, to clarify any discrepancies and optimize use of funds.
8. Provide guidance to other support staff and contribute to their learning and development in budget planning, fund management and operational planning, to facilitate continued development and consistency in services delivered.
9. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices, to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.
10. Perform other related duties as required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has supported the preparation and management of budgets
• Has assisted the monitoring of the budget and resource plans/pipeline/supply chains
• Has assisted with budget/allotment related issues within the WFP or UN Agencies budget system
• Has coordinated closely with various Units on funding proposals
• Has assisted in donor reporting and other year-end exercises

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: First University degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Economics or other relevant field with at least 5 years of related work experience and/or training/courses; Advanced University degree an advantage.
Experience: At least five years of progressively responsible support or work experience in Budget, Finance, Supply Chain, Project Management or other related field. At least one year at G5 level or equivalent.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written English communication. 

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
•  Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
•  Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
•  Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
•  Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
•  Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
•  Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
•  Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
•  Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
•  Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
•  Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
•  Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
•  Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfill the needs of internal and external partners.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for applications is on 19 January 2022, 11:59 PM. Qualified candidates are required to complete an online candidate profile in  UN WFP Careers Website (https://www.wfp.org/careers). Only applications received from this website are considered valid and will be processed and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

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All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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.