Associate Finance Officer

Grade

PR2

Professional

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

H (no hardship)

Family<p></p><p></p>

No

2023-05-01

2024-04-29

May 2, 2023

Standard Job Description

Associate Finance Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Regional Controller or Senior Finance Officer and in functional coordination with DFAM¿s Accounts and Financial Service (AFS). In the Country or Multi-Country Offices, the incumbent may be supervised by a Senior Finance Officer, Assistant Representative (Admin), Head of Sub-Office, or other senior positions as delegated by the Representative. The incumbent is responsible for co-ordinating, guiding, monitoring, advising on, and supporting the financial operations in the area of responsibility (AoR). With the objective to safeguard and optimize the utilization of UNHCR¿s monetary and physical resources, the incumbent contributes to the establishment of efficient and reliable mechanisms and processes to ensure compliance with UN financial regulations and UNHCR¿s rules, policies and procedures including, and not limited to, accounts payable and treasury processes, accounting, and implementation of internal control mechanisms, including support to oversight and audit functions. The incumbent may support the supervisor with the identification and management of risks under their responsibility in close coordination with the Risk Management and Compliance Advisor. In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent supports the work of the Regional Controller with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority. The incumbent may directly supervise national professional and general service staff. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties - Contribute to the assessment of budgetary needs for administrative budgets (ABOD); monitor and control ABOD expenditure. - Analyse, evaluate and control disbursements/receipts, as well as expenditure variances against approved budgets; - Review and approve vouchers, including ABOD and project disbursements. - Propose monthly cash requirements for the Office, and ensure adequate and timely replenishments of funds. - Contribute to the preparation and processing of monthly accounts. - Provide financial status reports to supervisors. - Analyse and evaluate all financial reports produced on a regular basis. - Maintain effective business relationships with local banks. - Assist in ensuring compliance with UNHCR and UN Financial Regulations and Rules, policies and procedures. - Ensure that payments are effectuated by the monthly deadline. - Ensure that monthly accounts are correct and approved, and ensure timely monthly bank reconciliations, including open items, review and clearance of unwanted requisitions and PO balances. - Conduct regular checks of petty cash and cash accounts. - Perform project control functions, in the absence of a dedicated project control position. - Participate in the physical verification of UNHCR¿s local property, plant and equipment (PPE) and inventories. - Verify that all financial transactions are correct and in accordance with UNHCR rules and procedures. - In the absence of a senior finance position, ensure compliance with applicable financial rules, policies and procedures. - In the absence of a senior finance position, certify country-level financial expenditure reports submitted to the regional office or Headquarters. Regional financial services applicable to positions in the Regional Bureau only - In coordination with relevant services in HQ, and to improve cost-effectiveness and process efficiency for operations, assist with the implementation and management of regional finance-related services such as: vendor and other related master data management and maintenance, invoice posting, travel claim processing, payments, bank reconciliations, accounting housekeeping and period cut-off activities, donor financial reporting, etc. - Make proposals for the continuous improvement of financial monitoring and control mechanisms, including the streamlining of financial systems and procedures. - In coordination with DFAM¿s Change Management and Field Support Section and the Global Learning and Development Centre, identify and provide training on accounting matters, and recommend or develop training modules as necessary, aiming at the development of financial management skills. - In close liaison with DFAM¿s System Administration Section and other divisions as necessary, assist the provision and planning of activities for rollout of new processes or systems; assist the Regional Controller in monitoring the implementing internal control mechanisms and compliance with UNHCR's financial policies and procedures in the region. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Accounting, Finance, Public or Business Administration, Economics or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Professional accounting, auditing or financial management designation (CPA/ACCA/CIA/CMA or equivalent). (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential: Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Good knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of 1 year of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Experience with financial modules of a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management. Desirable: Good knowledge of UNHCR systems (such as Focus and MSRP). Excellent knowledge of United Nations financial rules and procedures. Functional Skills FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other) FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc) PM-Project Monitoring DM-Data Collection and Analysis EL-Monitoring and Evaluation FI-Financial Accounting - Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. 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.

The Finance Payments Lead is a critical role in UNHCR’s financial operations and is responsible for the performance, development, and continuous improvement of the payment operations function, in compliance with UN financial regulations and UNHCR’s rules, policies and procedures. The incumbent reports to the Head of Global Accounts Payable Lead and is the focal point managing payment processes in UNHCR’s ERP System. S/he closely collaborates with Treasury and the Invoice processing team(s), and may directly supervise others.

Functional Responsibilities:

- Organizes and plans the work of the global payments team in DFAM including managing staff, setting priorities and ensuring the accuracy of work. Actively monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) for compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) and operational performance;

- Supervises and manages a team responsible for payment processing and post-payment reconciliations, including management of returned payments;

- Establishes, monitors and schedules payment process requests and determines the appropriate level of automation;

- Configures, creates, and maintains process request templates and batch settings for payments from UNHCR’s global and local bank accounts;

- Manages the payment validation process, including maintenance of payment validation rules and addressing validation failures while ensuring compliance with UNHCR’s rules, policies and procedures, as well as with banking regulations and schedules;

- Establishes effective internal controls, monitors payment exceptions, investigates unusual activities, and duly alerts the concerned parties;

- Works with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve any payment-related issues and improve payment processes while developing and maintaining strong relationships with relevant stakeholders;

- Reviews payment results and approves daily batch payments;

- Assists with the monthly and year-end closure of the accounts payable (AP) sub-ledger;

- Assists with gathering, compilation and analysis of financial data needed to perform the assigned year-end closure activities and supports internal/external audits;

- Monitors HQ and Field user compliance with the relevant financial rules and procedures, and proposes improvements to policies and procedures for more effective operations;

- Provides ad-hoc support and guidance to HQ and field offices on payment process related matters.

- Prepares and maintains relevant standard operating procedures, guidance documents, and training materials;

- Proactively proposes and implements agreed improvements to achieve more efficient and effective use of modern technologies and tools such as Share Point, Service Now, UiPath, etc.;

- Performs other duties as required.

Work Experience/Education

CPA or Advanced Degree or equivalent in Business Management, Finance, Business Administration, or related fields is required.

Minimum of 3 years in providing financial management services in an international environment with emphasis on AP and Payments and /or banking/Treasury activities.

Experience with Cloud ERP Systems (SAP or Oracle Cloud preferable) is desirable.

Experience in large-scale ERP system implementations is desirable.

Experience using RPA or Service Now technology in AP/Payments Area is desirable.

This position requires Functional Clearance

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Skills

DM-Data Collection and Analysis, EL-Monitoring and Evaluation, FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other), FI-Financial Accounting - Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards, FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc), PM-Project Monitoring

Education

BA: Accounting (Required), BA: Business Administration (Required), BA: Economics (Required), BA: Finance (Required), BA: Public Professions (Required)

Certifications

Accounting - Other, Auditing - Other, Financial Management - Other

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