Finance Officer, NOA

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🚩 Vacancy Announcement n°: 171354

📢 Job Title: Finance Officer, NOA

📌Type of Contract: National Officer, 12 months (renewable)

➡️ Unit / Division: Finance 

📍   Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal

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1. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

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.

This position is with WFP’s Regional Bureau for Western Africa, based in Dakar, Senegal. The Regional Bureau (RBD) provides policy guidance, oversight, and technical assistance to 19 Country Offices in the region.

The job holder participates in WFP’s effective resource management, including reporting to donors and other stakeholders, technical assistance, and innovative solutions to country offices to advance the work of WFP in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Zero Hunger. The position reports to the Regional Finance Officer and operates across the assigned area as described below, using technical knowledge and experiences. In particular, this position provides policy guidance as well as operational and technical support to the 19 Country Offices in the region while also leading the management of the regional bureau budget portfolio.

2. JOB PURPOSE:

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

3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under direct supervision of the Regional Finance Officer, the Finance Officer will have the following responsibilities: 

• Report on key data for financial status and outcomes of the Regional Bureau PSA (Programme and Administrative Support) and Trust Funds in accordance with corporate governance requirements, ensuring accuracy, deadlines, and accounting processes are complied with
• Monitor budgets and carry out forecasting for new and ongoing projects according to established corporate procedures and requirements. Conduct monthly variance analysis of staff budget and highlight those positions that are being backfilled and share the information with the supervisor 
• Collate data and contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting, providing management with financial, staffing, and resource usage information to enable them to make informed decisions
• Contribute to the delivery of financial controls and insight into WFP performance, supporting periodic risk and internal control assessments to identify areas that may present potential audit, compliance, or financial risks
• Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analyses and queries
• Extract the monthly data from WINGS and perform the validation against the spending plan of PSA and Trust Funds to ensure the correct budget is charged and take the remedial actions accordingly
• Push down funds based on the spending plans of the Trust Fund managers, create Fund Reservations and monitor their balances
• Critically review the monthly reporting packages of the Country Offices and seek clarifications on the non-compliance  
• Prepare and update the monthly staff list with the budget codes in consultation with HR 
• Support RBD Country Offices in their finance function as needed
• Perform other duties, as required

4. DELIVERABLES:

• Budget monitoring reports are timely drafted and shared with the supervisor  
• Data validation exercise is performed each month and submitted to management  
• Timely sub-allocation of funds is done based on the budget spending plans
• Back-fill positions are highlighted on the monthly basis 
• Timely follow-ups are done with Country Offices on the Monthly Financial Reporting package  
• Timely support is provided to CERFAM on the budgetary and financial matters 
• Purchase Requests are approved per the agreed budgets  
• Staff list with budget codes is prepared and shared with the supervisor 

5. SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Experience:

At least one (1) year of experience budgeting and budgetary controls and managing financial transactions

Knowledge & Skills:

• Knowledge and awareness of financial management, including budgeting and budgetary controls
• Excellent oral, facilitation, and written communication skills, able to effectively synthesize information to reach diverse audiences and build consensus
• Ability to work at a fast pace and under tight deadlines
• Ability to think creatively, proactively, strategically, and problem-solve with flexibility and adaptability
• Ability to manage and coordinate projects involving a broad range of stakeholders
• Ability to be self-guided and work effectively and comfortably with sensitivity across barriers such as language, culture, and distance
• High capacity for organization and coordination
• Excellent drafting skills
• Sound interpersonal skills
• Good computer skills in MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Education:

Master’s degree in finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or related fields. Membership in an internationally recognized professional accountancy body such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Certified Public Accounts (ICPA), or equivalent will be an added advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in French and proficiency in English (written and oral) 
• Intermediate knowledge of any other official UN language is a plus

Deadline for application: 30 August 2022

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organisational 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 UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Join 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.