Finance Officer at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - UNOCHA

Job ID: 17285
Location: Abuja
Grade: NOC
Vacancy Type: FTA Local
Posting Type: External
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background

• This position is with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office in Nigeria (CONIG). The Finance Officer will work under the supervision of the Operations Manager and the Head of Programme Support Team, UNODC.
• This position encompasses project financial functions as well as related processes within UNODC and UNDP. It also includes sub-functional specialities such as budgeting, procurement, and human resource administration.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Within delegated authority, the Finance Officer (Administration) will be responsible for the following duties:

Budget and Finance:

• Reviews and analyses data with respect to the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements.
• Provides support to managers with respect to the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions/revisions.
• Reviews, analyses and provides input into finalization of project and related CONIG budgets.
• Monitors budget implementation and determines/recommends reallocation of funds when and where necessary.
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Administers and monitors budget resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with UN regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Prepares relevant documentation with respect to budget performance submissions.
• Advises senior management and project coordinators on all aspects of accounts maintenance, budget control, incomes and other financial issues regarding projects implementation, i.e. obligations and future programme/projects budgetary implications.
• Provide oversight to all the finance staff of the various projects under CONIG.
• Acts as Approving Officer for project and CONIG budgets, ensuring the payment is made against a recorded commitment and requested for goods and services which have been delivered and not paid before, availability of funds against budget lines/classes.
• Ensure monthly reconciliation of payroll and non-payroll eiovs.
• Supervises the closing of the monthly accounts, assists in ensuring timely submission of Management Expenditures data to HQ and the requested financial reports to Donors.
• Supervise the reconciliation and replenishment of bank accounts in collaboration with UNOV Treasury.
• Acts as a Focal Point of UNODC Management Ledger system for financial reporting and ProFi Administrator
• Acts as CONIG Focal point on FCR reconciliation.
• Keeps abreast of and maintains contact with officials of local banks and other financial institutions on changes in national law, financial procedures and regulations and matters pertaining to maintenance of office bank accounts, information on exchange rates.
• Ensures strategic financial resource management: Advises senior management staff on co-financing modalities & arrangements, suggests measures for adequate optional utilization of projects funds, and recommends cost savings and redeployments as appropriate.
• Acts as key interface for internal audits and accounts examinations as well as external verification exercises.
• Maintains corporate automated financial systems (ProFi, FOML, Umoja); supervises upgrades and integrations; trains operations support and other finance staff on their application.
• Establish and maintain a set of sound policies, procedures, standards and tools which are consistent with UN policy and practice in order to ensure proper accounting, financial management and control.

Human Resource Management:

• Assist the project coordinators and involved Field Office staff in carrying out actions covering the entire span of human resource activities, ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedure.
• Maintains an overview of all project-financed human resources and the development of HR cost against approved project budgets.
• Advises project managers on amendments and changes in HR cost and entitlements and resulting amendment requirements of project budgets.
• Provide expert advice with respect to conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and privileges and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations.

General Administration

• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme/project budget, ensuring compliance with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Produce reports for management regarding financial/administrative project issues;
• Supervise administrative staff and/or provide advice to others on administration, financial administration and management information issues and practises (including procurement of supplies and services; transport, travel and traffic, communications, engineering and information technology support and provision of local utilities and service requirements).
• Guide and advise the Administrative Assistant in preparation and implementation of the local procurement plan, taking into account the most effective use of resources.
• Provide expert guidance and leadership to team members on admin/finance matters.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

• Project managers and country Office staff, and HQ staff in the Division for Management, Financial Resources Management Service, Human Resources Management Service (Budget, finance, accounts and administrative officers in UNODC HQ). UNDP and UNHOUSE operational managers and experts, finance officers from counterpart and partner organizations. Banks and finance units in Nigeria.

Results Expected:

• Effective running of financial operations in line with project requirements and rules, and with UN regulations. Provision of timely and accurate support to financial project management. Improved administration and reporting of approved budgets, and effective support to project managers in their programming and budgetary practices.

Competencies
Functional Competencies:
Building Partnerships:

• Identifying and building partnerships
• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build alliances
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners
• Displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/herself and willingly accepts new work assignments.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:
Developing tools and mechanisms:

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches
• Participates in the development of mechanisms, including identifying new approaches to promote individual and organizational learning and knowledge sharing using formal and informal methodologies.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:
In-depth knowledge of own discipline:

• Understands advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines (financial resources management)
• Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Continually looking for ways to enhance financial performance in the office
• Promoting Organizational Change and Development
• Assisting the individuals to cope with change
• Performs appropriate work analysis and assists in redesign to establish clear standards for implementation
• Design And Implementation of Management Systems
• Designing and implementing management system
• Makes recommendations regarding operation of systems within organizational units
• Identifies and recommends remedial measures to address problems in systems design or implementation

Client Orientation:
Contributing to positive outcomes for the client:

• Anticipates client needs
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality
• Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management
• Input to the development of standards and policies
• Provides inputs to the development of organizational standards for accountability

Core Competencies:

• Building support and political acumen
• Building staff competence,  creating an environment of creativity and innovation
• Building and promoting effective teams
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
• Fair and transparent  decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Advanced (Masters) University Degree in Finance/Accounting, Business, or Public Administration, or a professional accounting qualification from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy.
• Professionally qualified accountants from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.

Experience:

• 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services and/or managing staff and operational systems including administration, finance and accounting.
• Relevant experience in establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments.
• Experience in international project finance, and administration is an asset. Knowledge of EU operational procedures is a distinctive advantage.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web based management systems and ERP systems is desirable. Experience in accrual accounting, IPSAS or IFRS is highly desirable.

Language:

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of other UN official languages is an asset.