SPECIAL NOTE:
Applicants applying for UNFPA General Service posts located in New York must have a valid G-4 visa or U.S. Permanent Residency or U.S. Citizenship at the time of their application.
Additionally, applicants must have passed the UN Clerical Test (GGST/ASAT) in order to be
eligible to be appointed to this position.
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The Position:
The Finance Associate position is located within the Revenue and Donor Reporting (RDRU) Team, Finance Branch of the Division for Management Services.
The Finance Branch is responsible for global finance and accounting including providing guidance and oversight for financial management to country, regional and headquarters offices. The Branch advances and owns key financial policies and processes, statutory and donor reporting, treasury services, and ensuring the ERP and related systems are configured to implement, manage, and report on key financial processes. The incumbent will report to the Head of RDRU.
The Revenue and Donor Reporting Team is responsible for providing guidance and support to UNFPA field offices and headquarter locations in the areas of treasury services management and revenue accounting, as well as providing reporting on the use of UNFPA’s resources to donors. UNFPA contracts the services of a UN Agency for its treasury function, but retains oversight of liquidity and cash flow, the use of bank accounts and foreign exchange currency considerations. RDRU performs essential business continuity functions in the application of deposits and the provision of bridge funding. The donor reporting functions reviews and analyses financial clauses in agreements with donors and prepares certified reporting to donors on the use of financial resources provides to UNFPA. As part of these functions, RDRU also oversees the accurate recording of general ledger information for revenue accounts and ensures financial data quality.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
The Finance Associate works closely with other members of RDRU and the wider Finance Branch, as well as member of the Resource Mobilisation Branch (RMB) and colleagues in field offices. The position implements critical business continuity activities in the application of contributions received, reviews bank to book reconciliations and related revenue activities for UNFPA field offices (FOs) and Headquarter Units (HQ) in the areas of financial management and accounting; performs accounting controls, including the analysis and reconciliation of general ledger accounts and monitoring of the integrity and completeness of financial information; processes donor refund payments and other accounting transactions; and supports the preparation and certification of financial reports.
You would be responsible for:
1. Partnerships, Knowledge management, Communication and Training
- Actively participate in Finance Branch and team meetings
- Maintain active and positive relationships with key partners for RDRU, including the Resource Mobilisation Branch (RMB), Supply Chain Management Unit (SCMU) and field offices.
- Provide financial training and facilitate knowledge transfers with the global community based on financial/operations procedures or guidance notes, which may be delivered remotely or in the field.
- Contribute to the global financial management community facilitated by the Finance Branch
2. Business continuity activities
- Working closely with RMB, SCMU and the UN Agency providing treasury services, communicate daily receipt listings for efficient identification of fund codes to apply deposits.
- Apply deposits in the ERP timely and accurately. Proactively identify and resolve any delays in deposit application that arise.
- Prepare and provide a Cash Receipt Voucher (donor notification) to RMB or SCMU for all donor contributions received in bank accounts held at headquarters.
- Review and process the refund of unspent balances to the donor as requested by RMB.
- Post budget entries based on cash availability to ensures budget ceilings are made available to offices to implement activities.
3. Support and guidance to offices on financial management
- Respond to Global Service Desk cases assigned to the revenue and donor reporting team, within the purview of the role.
4. Accounting, period end and year end closure activities
- Review bank to book reconciliations prepared by the UN treasury service provider for UNFPA corporate bank accounts, and review the system generated reconciliation for local UNFPA currency accounts for accuracy. Ensure reconciling items are followed up and resolved in future periods.
- Analyse revenue data, receivable data, and existing accounting provisions to ensure compliance with accounting policies and procedures and propose adjustments to data or provisions, if required.
- Review general ledger account balances in revenue and contributions receivables for accuracy, propose corrective action and resolve as required.
5. Reporting and information management including Statutory and Donor Reporting
- Prepare Statutory reporting schedules for earmarked and unearmarked resources including receivables, deposits, movements and closing fund balances.
- Review system generated donor reports for completeness, accuracy to underlying ERP records and any issues to be resolve prior to issuance.
- Prepare defined year end schedules and tables for Executive Board reports based on revenue data.
6. Business process and systems efficiency
- Prepare monitoring reports such as application of the UN levy and deposit application timeline to highlight process improvements.
7. Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
Completion of secondary education with experience in accounting.
Knowledge and Experience:
- 6 years finance-related work experience - accounts receivable, accounts payable, general ledger maintenance, etc. Experience in the application of IPSAS or IFRS would be advantageous.
- Proficiency in use of spreadsheets, word processing and computerized accounting systems (preferably Oracle Cloud computing).
- Strong written and oral communications skills.
- Ability to organize effectively, work under pressure with attention to detail, precision, and accuracy.
Languages:
Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French and/or Spanish, is desirable.
Required Competencies:
Values:
- Exemplifying integrity,
- Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
- Embracing cultural diversity,
- Embracing change
Core Competencies:
- Achieving results,
- Being accountable,
- Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
- Thinking analytically and strategically,
- Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
- Communicating for impact
Functional Competencies:
- Client orientation
- Communication
- Managing the organisation’s resources
- Treasury management
- Accounting
Compensation and Benefits:
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
Disclaimer:
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm
In accordance with the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
