Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Budget and Finance Section (BFS), Administrative Services Division (ASD) of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Senior Finance Assistant reports directly to the Finance Officer and will be under the overall supervision of the Chief, BFS.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Finance Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: 

1. General Accounting
a) Year End Closure: Perform review of GL accounts and Trial Balance. Prepare and/or approve adjusting entries in Umoja (accruals,provisions,writeoffs,adjustments,reversals,corrections, etc.). Entries are calculated using source documents, instructions from HQ, analysis of accrued events (ex., passage of time to record rental expenses, refunds to donors for projects that are actually closed but are still being processed Umoja). Ensure all tasks and Annexes are completed within guidelines from HQ. Actions must be performed within tight deadlines.
b) Monthly accounting: Monthly review of accounts: Run reports for Parked Documents for unapproved transactions and for OIM GLs for uncleared transactions. Follow up with junior staff to ensure timely completion and consulting/advising with other units of Finance and HR. Prepare and/or approve corrective entries as necessary. Thorough review ensures that open items are kept to a minimum and the standards set by the HQ monitoring unit are met. Ensure all non-routine issues are dealt with appropriately by consulting with both senior and junior staff and clients outside ESCWA.

2. Accounts Receivable and Payable 
a) Create client billings as a result of Umoja service delivery transactions.
b) Routinely review open AR and AP by running appropriate reports in Umoja. Contact clients for follow-up: advise on actions to take, assist in troubleshooting, take corrective action as necessary, for example, corrective accounting entries or liaising with other staff on updating payment instructions, etc.
c) Run Umoja reports on aging of AR and AP to follow-up on outstanding transactions, identifying trends and areas for focus to eliminate delays in future transactions.
d) Clear receivables for Implementing Partners:l iaise with divisions to clear receivables and recognize expense at the time the work is performed by the IP. Approve accounting entries to allow the underlying grant can be closed.

3. Payroll
a) Support payroll functions at ESCWA by assisting payroll colleague and acting as a backup when needed for processing payroll, reviewing entitlements. Troubleshoot problem transactions and respond to staff inquiries.

4. VAT Reconciliation
a) Review submissions for VAT refunds to staff and verify worksheets prepared by junior staff to ensure acceptance by the Ministry of Financial Affairs (MOFA). 
b) Create Umoja billings to record receivable for refunds from MOFA. Verify incoming refunds and identify rejected requests. Supervise staff to creates payment for staff refunds. Approve payment documents in Umoja.

5. Financial Reporting
a) Provide financial information to supervisors, other sections, clients, auditors, and other stakeholders as required by retrieving, combinging, sorting, and formatting reports from the Umoja and other systems.
b) Prepare financial statements for locally funds such as the Cost Recovery fund to provide critical data to managers and service providers. Requires retrieving Umoja reports and extensive customization as no complete reports available from either ECC or BI.

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, including programme development and database management, claims and treasury operations. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and operational 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.

Planning and 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 ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of accounting, finance, or other related fields. Experience working with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and in the financial accounting modules of an ERP system (preferably SAP) is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position fluency in oral and written English and Arabic is required.

Assessment

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 when they are short-listed for a job opening. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) 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 may be accepted in lieu of the GGST per applicable eligibility guidelines. 

In addition to the above, the shortlisted candidates will undergo a substantive written assessment related to the functions of the post and a competency-based interview. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is on a local basis; candidates shall be recruited in the country of the duty station, irrespective of nationality and length of time the candidate may have been in the country. If no suitable candidate is identified, overseas candidates will be considered subject to a passing grade on the relevant entry-level examinations at the duty station. 

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any task or function in the organization. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions during their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. 

The candidate is responsible for any expenses incurred in order to take the examination and, in the event of an employment offer, any costs relating to travel and relocation to the duty station.

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

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 Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The 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 according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (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.