Finance Assistant, Nairobi-job vacancy

Finance Assistant, Nairobi

• Organization: UNON - United Nations Office at Nairobi
• Country: Kenya
• City: Nairobi, Kenya
• Office: UNON - United Nations Office at Nairobi in Nairobi
• Grade: G-5
• Follow @UNjobs

 

Closing date: Monday, 27 November 2017

Posting Title: FINANCE ASSISTANT, G5 (Temporary Job Opening)
Job Code Title: FINANCE ASSISTANT
Department/ Office: United Nations Office at Nairobi
Duty Station: NAIROBI
Posting Period: 20 November 2017-27 November 2017
Job Opening number: 17-FIN-UNON-87688-J-NAIROBI (T)
Staffing Exercise ID: N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Note: This is a temporary Job Opening. Appointment against this position is for a duration of six (6) months, a limited duration and does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal.
Staff members are subject to the authority of 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. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary.
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.
• 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.

Organizational Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the respective office of the Secretary-General. UNON supports programme implementation of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme UN-HABITAT) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org). This post is located in the office of Budget and Financial Management Services (BFMS), Division of Administrative Services (DAS).
Under the direct supervision of the Section or Unit Chief, the incumbent will perform the following duties: Responsibilities
BUDGETING:

• Assist in the collection of data for preparation of cost estimates and budget proposals in terms of staff and non-staff requirements for regular budget and extra-budgetary resources under UNON Administration;
• Support the Finance/Budget Officers(s) in extracting information and generating expenditure reports from computerized information system databases; assists in preliminary analyses of the extracted information and the reports generated, and highlights areas of concern for the attention of the Finance/Budget Officer(s);
• Assist the Finance/Budget Officer(s) in the preparation/finalization and monitoring of budget performance reports, performing preliminary analysis of variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures;
• Assist in the development of resource requirements for budget submissions and in the preparation of budget performance submissions;
• Assist with ensuring that requisitions for goods and services are in line with authorized budgets, the priorities of the organisation and the UN financial rules and regulations;
• Review draft reports, verifying overall accuracy, consistency and uniformity in the presentation, ensuring comprehensiveness and compliance with the format prescribed by the Editorial and Documents control of GACM; cross-check consistency of figures in tables with the text of the reports, and verifies references to other reports and documents, bringing errors to the attention of the Finance/Budget Officers(s) concerned; ensure that all necessary corrections are incorporated in the reports; co-ordinate with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.

ACCOUNTING:

• Process financial documents in line with the financial rules and regulations;
• Assist in the review and analysis of various accounting data;
• Scrutinize supporting documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of requests in line with applicable policies, procedure, rules and regulations;
• Assist in the analysis of open item managed accounts (OIM) in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and initiate corrective action;
• Review incoming payment instructions with regard to banking details and sources of funds; Identify and annotate bank account movements;
• Dispatch payment instructions and cheques to banks; notify payee of status of payments.

GENERAL:

• Receive and distribute various documents received in the unit/section
• Respond to queries and draft correspondence to clients and other stakeholders in a timely and effective manner;
• Assist in ensuring that accurate and complete accounting and internal control systems are functioning and that all relevant records are maintained;
• Assist with data extraction and analysis and preparation of regular and ad hoc reports;
• Perform duties as backup for other team members when required;
• Supervise junior member of staff and interns;
• Perform other relevant duties as required by Section, Unit Chief or Team leaders.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment; Knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyse and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions; 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
• Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be 'clients' and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organisational 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 if 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 the prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organisational 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.

Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required. Supplemental training in finance, administration or project management, is desirable. Working experience and knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Grants Module with experience in donor reporting and demonstrated ability to analyse complex transactions would be an advantage. MUST have passed the United Nations Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) or the Global General Service Test (GGST) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally-administered test at Offices away from Headquarters.
Work Experience
A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, budget, administration or related area is required. Working experience in an international setting is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in written and oral English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, 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 or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places 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. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
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' hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.