Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Programme Support and Management Services (PSMS), of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in Geneva. The Chief of Section, Finance, and Budget reports to the Chief of PSMS.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Chief of Section, Finance and Budget will be responsible for the following duties:

Finance:
• Directs a complete financial function of the Organization which includes a number of different and diverse operations and interrelated accounts of the financial system.
• Undertakes special reviews of operational objectives and related financial guidelines and procedures affecting the Organization’s work. Takes the lead in designing and implementing required changes.
• Plans, integrates, and coordinates the work of supervisors responsible for portions of the finance programme, monitors achievement of objectives.
• Reviews accounts. Reviews financial schedules for inclusion in the UN Financial Statements to be audited.
• Provides authoritative advice, financial interpretations, adaptations, and corrective actions in response to audits and other queries to ensure adherence to UN Financial Regulations and Rules, International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), Staff Rules, Administrative Instructions, Bulletins and Circulars. Prepares request to designated officials for exceptions to standard policies and practices.
• Participates in assessment of ongoing or new mechanisms to ensure that there is adequate segregation of financial responsibilities.
• Participates in the development of the offices risk register and implementation of risk mitigation plan under area of responsibility.
• Manages staff, plans and discusses with staff individual work programs, and evaluates performance.
• Manages sections correspondence to divisions and individual staff members, on budgetary and financial related matters as required.

Budget preparation:
• Plans and co-ordinates review of budget submissions.
• Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements ensures compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates.
• Co-ordinates the preparation of budget submissions.

Budget administration:
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Monitors variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Provides advice and support to relevant office governance bodies including the preparation of budget implementation and performance reports.
• Reviews and validates the statement of programme budget implications for draft resolutions proposed by the Human Rights Council or other legislative bodies.
• Provides general guidance and supervises preparation of the proposed programme budget submission and provides clarifications to queries raised on budget submissions.

General:
• Provides advice and guidance, including training, to Headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures.
• Participates in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical working groups on matters related to resource requirements, programming financial and budgetary issues.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to finance and budget, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Prepares/finalizes reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on financial and budgetary issues, and correspondence, including guidelines, and instructions.
• Acts as Approving Officer in accordance with established regulations and rules and delegated authority.
• Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them.
• Plans, organizes and manages staff and work programme; plans and discusses individual work programmes with staff and evaluates their performance.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget management and financial administration of resources. Proven analytical skills and ability to provide technical advice in budget management to managers. Ability to manage a programme in a field operation and formulate new strategies and approaches to budget management issues. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• 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.

• 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.

• MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

• JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance, accounting or related field.
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

A Certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent is required.

Work Experience

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance, or related area is required.

Experience with International Public Sector Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards or similar accrual accounting standards and coordinating with internal and external auditors and other oversight bodies is required.

Experience with preparing budgets for large international organizations and responding to queries or issues raised by oversight bodies is required.

Experience with the finance and budget modules of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is required.

Experience in drafting complex and comprehensive financial and budgetary or Adhoc reports is required.

Experience with the finance and budgetary processes of a UN system or similar international organization is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 June 2023, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu.

Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfil the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover letter.

At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position.

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, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, 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. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

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.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

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.