ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

Org. Setting and ReportingThe United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) was established in 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide retirement, death, disability, and related benefits for staff of the United Nations and other member organizations of the Fund. UNJSPF administers benefits of more than 80,000 beneficiaries residing in more than 190 countries, paid in 18 currencies, and services more than 150,000 participants who work in the 25 member organizations of UNJSPF. The Fund has offices in New York (United States) and Geneva (Switzerland) and two liaison offices in Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand), respectively. The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund-Pension Administration (UNJSPF-PA) comprises about 250 staff from diverse countries and cultures, based across four prominent duty stations (New York, Geneva, Bangkok, and Nairobi). We are a career employer offering unique opportunities for growth within the United Nations system. Our office is located in the heart of Manhattan, within walking distance from the Grand Central Station hub, in a state-of-the-art facility (the One Dag Hammarskjöld building). Visit www.unjspf.org for more details. This temporary position is located the Payments Section of the Financial Services within the Pension Administration of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), New York Office. The incumbent reports to the chief of Payroll Unit under the general supervision by the chief of the Payments Section. The Payments Section manages monthly payroll for the UNJSPF periodic benefits, updates cost-of-living adjustments, and administers returned payments and Accounts Payable. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: • Participates in the JIRA testing to fix bugs and improve IT functionalities. • Investigates erroneous processing and takes appropriate corrective actions. • Communicates with ASHI (After Service Health Insurance) organizations regarding discrepancies in imported deductions and other ASHI matters. • Processes exchange rates and ASHI imports. Reconciles and reviews payroll records after cost-of-living adjustment. Processes payroll closing and reconciles payroll reports. • Extracts details of payroll records from system in order to analyze and verify accuracy and validity. • Assists with the drafting payroll reconciliation documents. Examines the validity of paylist payments; prepares paylist vouchers. • Audits all types of payroll transactions such as PI update, suspension, reinstatement, deletion, and split payment to ensure correctness of disbursements and adherence to relevant UNJSPF regulations and rules or practices. • Provides guidance and training to colleagues as required. Provides backup functions to other work units in the Section. • Supervises other General Service staff as required. • Drafts/prepares communication to UNJSPF pension beneficiaries and to relevant other work units in the UNJSPF. • Responds to queries from staff members and third parties. • Performs other duties as may be required. Competencies• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge in the use and application of the Organization’s financial regulations and rules as well as accounting policies and practices. Ability to extract, interpret, and analyse a wide variety of data and to resolve data discrepancies and other problems. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. • TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. EducationHigh school diploma or equivalent. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five years for candidates who possess a first-level degree or higher. Experience in pension-related fields is desirable. Experience in preparing international (SWIFT) payments is desirable. At least three years of experience in multi-currency payroll processing is desirable. One year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).