Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in Budget and Finance Section (BFS) of United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) within the Office of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) in the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) in New York.

Established in 1997, UNMAS works to eliminate the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices by coordinating United Nations mine action, leading operational responses at the country level, and supporting the development of standards, policies and norms. As a specialized service of the United Nations located within the Department of Peace Operations, UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council. UNMAS also responds to specific requests for support from the UN Secretary-General or designated official.

For more information on UNMAS, please visit www.mineaction.org/unmas

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Finance and Budget Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

Medium-term plan:

· Reviews, analyses and finalizes the preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies.

· Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their review of the medium-term plan and its revisions; secures approval from the General Assembly.

· Ensure legislative mandates are accurately translated into program budgets.

Budget preparation:

· Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from (a) Departments/offices at headquarters and in the field, including programmatic aspects; (b) peacekeeping operations; ensure compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates.

· Provides detailed input with respect to resource requirements for budget submissions.

· Reviews, analyzes and finalizes program budget/financial implications to the Security Council statements in light of additional mandates.

· Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; assists in securing approval from the General Assembly.

Budget administration:

· Issues allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.

· Manages and monitors budget implementation and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary.

· Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels including financial reporting from Implementing Partners (UN and non-UN).

· Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.

· Supervises creation and closure of UNMAS grants in UMOJA

· Prepares budget performance submissions.

· Reviews and finalizes budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.

· Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.

General

· Provides advice and guidance, including training, to headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.

· Participates in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical survey missions on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues.

· Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to program and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.

· Drafts reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence.

· Undertakes research and analysis of budgetary policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.

· Acts as Certifying Officer under Financial Rule 110.4 to ensure that proposed obligations and expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and established regulations and rules.

· Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them.

· Provides support with respect to representation of the Secretary-General in meetings of legislative organs.

· Represents UNMAS in inter and intra-departmental meetings.

· May plan, organize, manage and supervise the work of the Section .

· Incumbents may be asked to perform other related duties.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to provide specialized advice in a broad range of budgetary, financial and administrative areas to the Head of Department/Office and managers. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations and prepare reports or rationale with respect to key administrative decisions. 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.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required.

Experience with budgetary procedures, policies and practices in an international organization is required.

Experience involving trust fund management, budget preparation, resource planning, monitoring and analysis of budget implementation is required.

Experience with financial systems and financial modules of ERP such as SAP is required.

Experience working with donor agreements, managing trust funds or extrabudgetary resources is desirable.

Experience representing budget and finance issues with internal or external clients as a service provider is desirable.

Experience with change management in large complex international organisations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available through 31 December 2023 with a possibility of extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.
• 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.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.
• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.
• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

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.