UN WOMEN: FINANCE ASSOCIATE

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment. Internally advertised General Service (GS) fixed-term appointment (FTA) positions located in Headquarters are open to GS staff members currently serving in New York/Washington D.C. who hold a UNDP permanent or FTA who are either US Permanent Residents, US citizens or holders of a valid G4 visa at the time of their application and whose G4 visa has been acquired on account of their employment in the UN Systems based in New York or Washington, DC. Externally advertised GS fixed-term appointment and temporary appointment (TA) positions located in New York/Washington D.C. are open to candidates who are either US Permanent Residents, US Citizens or holders of a valid G4 visa at the time of their application and whose G4 visa has been acquired on account of their employment in the UN Systems based in New York or Washington, DC. Current UNDP GS staff serving outside of HQ must meet the eligibility criteria stated above prior to their application. Selected candidates who meet the above mentioned eligibility criteria are responsible for their own travel and/or relocation costs. Selection to GS fixed-term appointment positions at Headquarters requires passing a UN administered clerical test (ASAT). Applicants under serious consideration for short-listing of posts requiring accountancy and finance skills, must take the UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (UNDP AFT) prior to short-listing.

Background

The Fund for Gender Equality is a $68 million, multi-donor initiative designed to advance innovative, high-impact programmes that focus on women’s economic and political empowerment at local and national levels, in line with national development plans and priorities. Launched in December 2008 with an initial contribution of EUR 50 million (US$65 million) from the Government of Spain, and subsequently joined by the government of Norway, the Fund for Gender Equality provides grants on a competitive basis to civil society and governmental partners in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Arab States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Fund is unique in its focus on supporting partners to turn local and national laws and policies into tangible gains for women’s rights. The Fund for Gender Equality is managed by UN WOMEN, and is guided by a Steering Committee composed of donor, UN and other multilateral agencies and civil society organizations’ representatives. A Technical Committee, composed of experts in women’s economic and political empowerment from every region of the world, reviews proposals and makes recommendations for funding to the Steering Committee. Knowledge management, communication, monitoring and evaluation aspects of the Fund are central to its operations. Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Manager, the Finance Associate provides financial services ensuring effective and transparent utilization of financial resources and integrity of work. The Finance Associate promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct guidance and supervision of the Deputy Manager, the Finance Associate will carry out the following tasks: Effective and accurate support to the Fund for Gender Equality budget and work planning process focusing on the achievement of the following tasks: Assist in the preparation of the Fund for Gender Equality annual budget and work plan, extract resources and financial data for planning purposes. Input and update the Fund for Gender Equality Management budget and work plan in ATLAS – verify accuracy by checking data sources, making necessary calculations and ensuring inclusion of all relevant data. Effective support in monitoring the financial processes for the Fund for Gender Equality focusing on the achievement of the following results: Initiation of a project, preparation of required budget revisions and the validation of entries in ATLAS in close collaboration with the Administrative Associate. Reallocate resources and process budget rephrasing as required. Record and follow up on the fund’s grants; allocations of funds to grants recipients, donor contributions and pledges. Initiation and preparation of grantee contract process. Track contributions received by the Fund for Gender Equality and disbursements of funds to grant recipients. Provide guidance and corrective recommendations on budgets submitted by applicants to the Fund for Gender Equality for funding approval. Under the supervision of the Deputy Manager and in close collaboration with the Monitoring and Reporting Specialists, review all grantee reports for any inaccuracies or issues. Provisions of guidance to all Fund for Gender Equality staff on routine implementation of projects, tracking of financial resources. Generate ATLAS reports, review data periodically and monitor delivery. Follow-up with Finance and Budget Sections on inconsistencies and ensure adjustments are accurately entered in the system. Prepare relevant financial data for presentations made to donors and other external audiences as requested by the Fund for Gender Equality Chief upon request and in close coordination with the Deputy Manager. Identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions in close coordination with the Deputy Manager. Maintain close contact with SROs, recommending courses of action as appropriate and alerting the Fund for Gender Equality Deputy Manager of technical issues that require attention/resolution. Prepare and conduct Fund for Gender Equality audit, implementation of audit recommendations. Conduct financial analysis to ensure that budgets do not exceed allocations and that expenditure is within budget. Effective and efficient operational support to the Fund for Gender Equality Unit focusing on achievement of the following results: Proper control of the supporting documents for payments of contracts. Ensure funds availability. Coordinate the procurement processes of the Fund for Gender Equality, in close collaboration with the Administrative Associate. Upload FGE Donor Agreements to the UN WOMEN intranet Ensure timely updates of financial highlights of the FGE in the FGE website Provides accounting and administrative support to the Office of Financial Management focusing on achievement of the following results: Timely preparation of payment vouchers based on proper supporting documents authorized by the budget owners and project managers. Proper control of the supporting documents for payments, accounts receivable and General Ledger journals. Maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Atlas; and other entitlements are duly processed. Timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers. Timely response to requests to resolve financial data issues. Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing focusing on achievement of the following results: Organization of training materials for the operations/ projects staff on Finance. Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in Finance. Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Participate as a member UN Women's team in the ATLAS and IPSAS or other system development of UNDP and other UN (Atlas) agencies. Impact of Results: The key results have an impact on the overall efficiency in financial resources management and success in implementation of operational strategies. Accurate analysis and presentation of financial information enhances UN Women's credibility in use of financial resources and proper financial process management. The information provided facilitates management decision making.

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles: Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct. Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity. Core Competencies: Ethics and Values : Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity Organizational Awareness : Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring: Self-development, initiative-taking. Working in Teams : Acting as a team player and facilitating team work Communicating Information and Ideas : Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively Self-management and Emotional intelligence : Creating synergies through self-control Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning : Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others Functional Competencies: Ability to perform a broad range of specialized activities related to financial resources management, including managing non core budgets, maintaining Accounts Receivables and Accounts Payables, and reporting Knowledge of financial rules and regulations, and accounting Strong IT skills Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Completion of Secondary education with specialized training in finance and accounting. University degree in Business or Public Administration would be an asset. Experience: 7 years of progressively relevant finance work experience is required. Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and knowledge of database packages, working experience in web based ERP financial systems (i.e. SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, SUN etc). Completion of UN Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) Knowledge of IPSAS and/or IFRS. Completion of UN Women Accountancy & Finance Test required Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English is required; Fluency in Spanish, French, Arabic, or Russian will be an asset. Note: In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment. All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.