Accounting Assistant (Private Funds), New York- NEW JOB

• Organization: UNJSPF - United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
• Country: United States
• City: New York, USA
• Office: UNJSPF New York
• Grade: G-6
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Closing date: Sunday, 19 November 2017

Posting Title: Accounting Assistant (Private Funds), G6 (Temporary Job Opening)
Job Code Title: ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT
Department/ Office: United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
Duty Station: NEW YORK
Posting Period: 6 November 2017-19 November 2017
Job Opening number: 17-FIN-UNJSPF-87996-J-NEW YORK (R)
Staffing Exercise ID: N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Duration: Please note that this is a temporary job opening, open to internal as well as external candidates. This position is available for 364 days, with possibility of extension, and the selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible. All posts are subject to availability of funds.
The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) is an independent inter-agency body established by the United Nations General Assembly. The applicable human resources procedures are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fund and the UN Secretariat.
Any candidate from a member organization of the UNJSPF applying for this post is considered as an internal candidate provided he/she has been appointed through the appointment and promotion procedures applicable in his/her respective organization.
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.
Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test in English at the United Nations Headquarters, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; or the United Nations Accounting or Statistical Assistant Examination at the United Nations Headquarters may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.
Notes:

• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further 'stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…' Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.
• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.
• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as 'retirement.' Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
• The expression 'Internal candidates', shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.
• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English
• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.
• Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

UN Considerations: Job openings posted on the Careers Portal are taken off at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
Applications are automatically pre-screened according to the published evaluation criteria of the job opening on the basis of the information provided by applicants. Applications cannot be amended following submission and incomplete applications shall not be considered. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on 'The Application Process' and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on 'Manuals' on the upper right side of the browser on Inspira.
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Organizational Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Investment Management Division (IMD) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund.
IMD is responsible for the day-to-day management of the investments of the Fund. The Accounting and Reporting team provides support for the reconciliation, accounting and reporting of all investment transactions culminating in the preparation of financial information and investment disclosures for the Fund's financial statements.
The incumbent will report to the Chief of the Accounting and Reporting Unit of the Operations Section, IMD.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Scrutinizes source documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of transactions and maintains records and cash flow log of capital call/drawdown and distribution notices and records and reports the transactions in the in-house accounting platform.
• Audits various accounting transactions and quarterly reconciles and investigates any discrepancies with the Master Record Keeper (MRK) and investigates erroneous transactions and takes appropriate corrective accounting actions if necessary for review and approval of the supervisor.
• Communicates with Fund Managers on a daily basis regarding missing documentation or any other issues related to discrepancies between their records and those maintained at IMD. Updates in-house accounting record feed vis-à-vis the fund managers' capital account statements (CAS) to ensure accuracy, completeness and proper recording of accounts.
• Reconciles and investigates discrepancies with the Fund Managers and MRK and takes appropriate corrective accounting action if necessary for review and approval of the supervisor.
• Extracts details of income, expenditure, assets and from accounting system in order to analyze and verify accuracy and validity. Tracks the fair value of the funds through the use of the CAS or estimates to incorporate all relevant information into the real assets and alternative investments on tracking spreadsheets
• Prepares adjusting entries (quarterly) for management fees and other real assets and alternative investments related income and expenses for reclassification.
• Prepares worksheets and assist with the preparation of the financial statements.
• Provides necessary information for disclosures in the annual financial statements as regards real assets and alternative investments to the supervisor.
• Maintains electronic records of real assets and alternative investments related reports Monitors on a quarterly basis the level of outstanding and unfunded commitments for each of the funds and prepares/maintains timely spreadsheets/records.
• Provides guidance and training to colleagues as required.
• Drafts/prepares communications and memoranda for auditors or other third parties.
• Responds to queries from fund managers, global custodians and master record-keeper as well as internal and external auditors.
• Performs other duties as may be required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of investment accounting principles, procedures and standards and 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. Ability to apply conceptual, analytical and evaluative skills in investment accounting operations. Ability to conduct independent research and analysis, identify issues, formulate options and make conclusions and recommendations. 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.
• Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education
High school diploma or equivalent.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of experience in accounting, finance, or related area. Experience in investments and financial markets is desirable. Experience in various accounting software packages for multi-currency investments and using word processing, spreadsheet applications and complex computerized financing is desirable. Experience in working with multiple computer applications and software packages is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
No Fee