Senior Finance and Budget Assistant

Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Office in New York, USA. UNAOC is a United Nations entity that builds bridges between societies, promotes dialogue and understanding, and seeks to forge the collective political will required to accomplish these tasks. UNAOC works as a convener and facilitator to bring all sectors of society together to strengthen intercultural and interreligious dialogue to diminish hostility, and promote mutual respect and harmony among the people and cultures of the world. UNAOC's activities are fashioned around the five pillars of Education, Youth, Migration, Media, and Women as peace mediators in identity-based settings. The Senior Finance and Budget Assistant will report to the Head of the Administration Unit, under the overall supervision of UNAOC Director. ResponsibilitiesWithin limits of delegated authority, the Senior Finance and Budget Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: Budget: • Acts as Certifying Officer on behalf of and in the absence of programme managers. • Undertakes reviews, analyses and preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions. • Prepares supporting documents (narrative and supporting tables) with respect to finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements. • Reviews, analyses and assists in the finalization of cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates. • Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions. • Undertakes research and provides support to higher level Finance & Budget Officers with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies. • Provides input into the preparation of allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures. • Monitors budget implementation/expenditures and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary. • Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged, and (b) availability of funds. • Monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures. • Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions. • Assists in finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Monitors integrity of various financial databases. • Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued. • Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports. Claims: • Reviews, analyses and processes payments to third-parties, commercial entities, individuals and troop-contributing countries, with respect to settlement of certified death and disability, contingent-owned equipment, stores, pay and allowances, and letters of assist claims. Treasury: • Reviews incoming payment instructions with regard to banking details and sources of funds. • Prepares payments for final disbursement by Cashier. • Dispatches payment instructions and cheques to banks. • Creates receipts and deposits for all incoming funds. • Notifies payees of status of payments. • Assists staff members, Fund Management Officers and donors regarding queries on payment and deposit-related issues. • Liaises with banks worldwide regarding outstanding items and payment instructions. • Investigates complaints on non-receipts. • Reviews inter- and intra-unit processes with the aim to optimize workflow and customer orientation. • Monitors/reviews methods used to remit payments. • Assists in preparation of periodical reports: cash flow, contributions, etc. • Follows up on audit recommendations. • Follows up on fraud cases. • Files and archives as required. General Administration: • Keeps up to date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations' policies and procedures. • Drafts or prepares correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant financial and budget matters. • Provides assistance in drafting of host country agreements, budget agreements, or contributions for grants or other activities as appropriate. • Provides guidance, training and daily supervision to other general service staff in the area of responsibility. • Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making. • Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Performs other related duties, as assigned. Competencies• Professionalism: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the United Nations environment. Knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyze and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions, including programme development and database management, claims and treasury operations. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and operational problems. Ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • 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 is required. Training in the field of accounting or finance is desirable. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten (10) years of experience in finance, budget, accounting, or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to eight (8) for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. At least five (5) years of experience in the administration and management of extra-budgetary resources from voluntary contributions is required. At least two (2) years of experience in trust-fund management and grant-management module in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, Umoja or similar systems is required. Experience in reviewing budget and finance components of project proposals is required. Experience in maintaining and ensuring financial data quality of complex project databases for programme management is desirable. Experience in the preparation of budget and performance reports is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. There are no additional desirable languages specified. 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).