Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Environment (UN Environment) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The UN Environment’s Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and advisory services for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.This post is located in Kingston duty station. Under the general supervision of the Coordinator of UN Environment, Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) and the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

BUDGET:
Assist in the coordination of the daily accounting operations related to the Unit, this includes the maintenance of ledgers and other accounting records for classification and recording of financial transactions; reconciliation of accounts and preparation of recurring special reports; the examination of documents presented for payment, custodian of petty cash where necessary.
Assist in the review and analysis of project expenditure accounts, unliquidated obligations, closure of year accounts and the submission of financial statements.
Consolidates data and provides support to Finance/Budget Officer(s) with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
Assists the Finance/Budget Officer(s) in the preparation/finalization of budget performance reports, performing preliminary analysis of variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
Keep abreast with on-going developments in all the Finance matters related to Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) programme; maintain fund management files and maintain an up-to-date record on the status of trust funds supporting Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) activities
Assist in travel arrangements; prepare travel requests for certification/approval where necessary and process travel claims for the approval of the Payment Unit.
Prepares funds commitments in UN ERP SAP based system (Umoja) and review them to ensure that funds are available and the correct account has been used.
Create payment documents in Umoja for the approval of the Payment Unit.
Assists in the financial backstopping of trust funds, including monitoring the status of voluntary contributions, generating expenditure reports from Umoja and monitoring reporting requirements by donors.
Assists the Finance/Budget Officer(s) in the issuance of allotments and related staffing table authorizations.
Verifies accuracy of input data, ensuring consistency of data in previous allotments to new allotments issued.
Prepare monthly budget balance sheet for Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) programmes, assist in preparation of financial reports for its projects where required, provide the Programme Officers with information on budget balance and funding available.
Assist in the preparation of Budget Revisions. 
Act as the focal point for receiving information on new vendors, persons, third parties and banking details to be entered in Umoja and transmitting them to the United Nations Office at Nairobi and UN Environment’s Administration service provider.

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.
Identifies and annotates bank account movements. Files and archives documentation as required.

GENERAL
Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
Assist in the preparation and organization of meetings organized by Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) in Kingston and elsewhere and provides administrative/conference servicing assistance at these meetings.
Drafts routine correspondence with respect to inquiries related to relevant financial and budget matters.
Maintains and keep up-to-date files.
Provides administrative support to the Coordinator and/or Finance/Budget Officer(s), as required.
Backstop Administrative Staff on various matters when required. 
Performs any other related duties as may be assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of, and ability to apply financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment. Ability to maintain accurate records, review and interpret a wide variety of data. 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 is required. Additional technical training in relevant field,e.g. accounting, finance is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of experience in finance, budget, accounting, administrative services or related area is required. Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP is an asset.

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.

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Recruitment for this position is done on a local basis. External candidates will be considered only when no suitable internal candidate from the duty station is identified. The candidate is responsible for any travel expenses incurred in order to take-up the appointment. 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. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line 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. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

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.