Finance Analyst

Location : Nairobi, KENYA

Application Deadline : 19-Oct-23 (Midnight New York, USA)

Type of Contract : FTA Local

Post Level : NO-B

Languages Required : English

Duration of Initial Contract : 1 Year

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Director, Financial Management, Financial Management Section, Division of Management and Administration in Headquarters (HQ) and the daily supervision of the Regional Office Finance Specialist the Finance Analyst is responsible for providing: i) technical dedicated Quantum support to the region; ii) support to the Regional Finance Specialist as well as to all the offices in the Region for budgetary management including direct project costing; iii) partner audit preparation and management focal point in the region; and iv) supporting Regional Finance Specialist for training and certifications and approvals; and under the virtual supervision of the Revenue & Asset Management Unit Head Finance Specialist is responsible for revenue application and management as part of the Revenue Virtual Global Service Centre (RVGSC).

The Finance Analyst support staff of the RO and COs Finance Units. The Finance Analyst works in close collaboration with Regional Finance Specialist and Financial Management Section/DMA, Programme and Operations colleagues, teams at the country level, UNDP staff and Government officials ensuring high performance and efficiency in Finance.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide Regional and field financial management support the New ERP Formulation and Implementation:

•  Support with the General Ledger (GL) reconciliations;
•  Perform solution readiness testing;
•  Implement new ERP training;
•  Act as a functional Helpdesk for the region;
•  Provide support to the Regional Finance Specialist and Region’s Finance Staff, and relief Expert staff time on the ERP project;
•  Formulate and develop Manual Work-around for complex issues for Quantum and once system is stabilized, propose further streamlining opportunities for greater efficiency.

Provide financial, technical and coordination support in the financial planning, analysis, and provision of services to (Multi) Country Offices (COs) and Regional Offices (RO), CO/MCO/RO in accordance with UN Women internal control framework, rules, regulations, policies and procedures:

•  Recommend and/or implement cost saving and reduction strategies;
•  Review and/or verify financial transactions/activities, recording/reporting system and audit reports. Co-ordinate with Financial Management Section/DMA on suggestions for amendments;
•  Review financial business processes and use of Quantum system to ensure accurate and complete reporting of financial transactions by UN Women staff in accordance with the Internal Control Framework and Delegation of Authority and the timely flow of financial information in UN Women for management, monitoring and oversight purposes;
•  Analyze and oversee all financial resources managed by the CO/MCO/RO and provide high-quality professional advice on financial issues to the CO/MCO/RO management, as necessary;
•  Coordinate cash management processes, including liquidity management, recommend impress level, risk assessment, security for cash assets on site;
•  Assist with financial risk assessment reviews for the RO/MCO/CO, by identifying areas of risk and providing recommendations and action plans for addressing issues raised.

Provide coordination support in the audit processes, including but not limited to External, Internal, Partner audits, EU Verifications in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and procedures:

•  Coordinate the pre-audit preparations for financial management of the CO/MCO/RO to be audit ready and complete the pre-audit checklist. Travel to the COs as necessary to assist during CO audits;
•  Contribute technically to the training in the RO/MCO/CO as part of the training plan or requirement of pre-audit preparations or as otherwise determined by Operations Manager or Deputy Director of Financial Management;
•  Write responses to internal and external audit inquiries and other findings related to financial management for review/approval by Operations Manager and Deputy Director of Financial Management and incorporate recommendations in development in policies, procedures and practices;
•  Plan and track expenditures and performance audit of financial resources, including extra-budgetary income;
•  Follow up and/or take prompt action to respond to audit and other findings on financial management.

Provide coordination support programme/ project and management budgets in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and procedures:

•  Coordinate all financial resources of programmes/ projects through planning, guiding, monitoring and controlling of the resources;
•  Prepare and monitor budgets of management projects;
•  Analyze and report on the budget approvals and the delivery situation of management projects;
•  Contribute to the proper mechanisms to eliminate deficiencies in budget management, including acting as focal point for Cost Recovery policy and Direct Project Costing (DPC) procedures/guidance for the region in conjunction with Regional Finance Specialist and Budget Section;
•  Review and approve advance payments and direct payments for programme implementation and record them in Quantum;
•  Provide assistance to offices in the region in relation to project closure and provide training on a regular basis, in conjunction with Virtual Global Service Centre Finance Specialists;
•  Ad hoc Financial Support for HQ and Regional Office when required, including at peak times such as year-end, audit and Certified Financial Donor Reporting.

Support the Regional Finance Specialist in Coordinating financial training and communication for the CO/RO:

•  Monitor the effectiveness of the services of the finance team on a regular basis to ensure close relationship between Finance Section and Finance Users in RO/MCO/CO and take corrective measures as needed;
•  Coordinate development projects to ensure effective finance and communication tools are in place and regularly monitored for improvements;
•  Perform the Finance Helpdesk function for RO/MCO/CO to ensure accurate and timely response to issues and advice requested in conjunction with Financial Management Section/DMA;
•  Support in the implementation of the approved Training plans (specifically Quantum and IPSAS) in conjunction with Financial Management Section/DMA and Finance specialist in RO on a recurrent basis to ensure competency across all Finance Users at CO/MCO;
•  Provide oversight for Finance staff of the RO/MCO/CO and monitor progress and provide guidance and direction to the staff as necessary to ensure goals and objectives are achieved.

Perform Financial tasks, approving and certifying function:

•  Oversee that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Quantum; payrolls are duly prepared; travel claims, and other entitlements are duly processed;
•  Implement timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, matching exceptions, unapproved vouchers;
•  Provide timely response to HQ requests to resolve financial data issues;
•  Perform delegated approval function in Quantum on a timely basis;
•  Review and provide financial clearance of all donor agreements as delegated for compliance with standard agreements on a timely basis.

Revenue Management and Approving and Certifying Function as part of Revenue Virtual Global Service Centre (RVGSC):

•  Perform delegated approval function in Quantum Contracts Module by Region on a timely basis;
•  Verify and approve Donor Agreements via the Donor Agreement Management System (DAMS) as Level 2 approvers by Region;
•  Verify and approve revenue and Accounts Receivable (AR) invoice transactions by Region, including amendments in accordance with signed donor agreements and funds received. Ensure accurate and complete revenue transactions in accordance with UN Women’s revenue recognition policy;
•  Revenue Recognition activities by Region, including Quantum Contract creation and AR Invoices;
•  Ensure timely identification and application of funds by Region including receipts received in UNDP Local bank accounts;
•  Ensure accurate recording and appropriate classification of revenue and accounts receivable by Region in accordance with IPSAS Standards.

Competencies

Core Values:

•  Respect for Diversity
•  Integrity
•  Professionalism

Core Competencies:

•  Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
•  Accountability
•  Creative Problem Solving
•  Effective Communication
•  Inclusive Collaboration
•  Stakeholder Engagement
•  Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

•  Good knowledge and expertise in financial planning and management;
•  Good knowledge of complex financial rules and regulations, preferably UN/UN Women Financial Rules and regulations;
•  Good conceptual/strategic skills and success in implementing financial re-engineering, management systems development, policy design, innovation and knowledge product development is an asset;
•  Good knowledge and experience in the application of complex financial systems and modules (such as Quantum);
•  Good knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages;
•  Ability to provide advice and support;
•  Good analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

•  Advanced (Masters) University Degree in Finance/Accounting, or a Professional accounting qualification from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy (Chartered Accountant or Certified Public Accountant, ACCA or equivalent);
•  A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
•  Successful completion of UN Women Accounting Technical Test as part of the selection process.

Experience:

•  Minimum 2 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, financial management in a large international and/or corporate organization preferably in the UN system and its organizations;
•  Experience of IPSAS or IFRS is highly desirable;
•  Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages is required;
•  Experience in web-based management systems and ERP financial systems, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Language Requirements:

•  Fluency in English is required;
•  Knowledge of the other UN official working language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Application Process: All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc.

Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note: In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion: At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.