CHIEF OF SECTION, FINANCE

Org. Setting and ReportingThe Department of Operational Support (DOS) was established to provide end-to-end operational support, advisory services and other solutions to operating entities across the Secretariat, including departments, offices away from headquarters, peace operations, and regional commissions. The Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, Uganda (RSCE), was established in July 2010, following the adoption of General Assembly resolution 64/269 and is part of DOS. The Centre provides efficient, client-oriented and scalable services with the goal of moving transactional, non-location dependent administrative functions to the Centre from its client entities. This includes transactional elements of human resources, finance, multimodal movement and control, personnel and cargo transport and information and communications technology (ICT) support. In addition to these services, the Office of the Director RSCE and support offices through the Deputy Director RSCE provides overall guidance on the operations of the RSCE including strategic planning, communication, budgeting, human resources management, property management, quality assurance and business intelligence, conference services, record keeping and archive management, and audit response and risk management. For more information, please visit https://rsce.unmissions.org. This position is in the Regional Service Centre Entebbe (RSCE) in the Financial Reporting Section. The Chief of Section (Finance) at this level reports to the Director RSCE. ResponsibilitiesThe Service Delivery Manager — Chief Financial Reporting will perform the following duties: • Manages production of IPSAS-compliant financial statements for RSCE Client Missions. • Produces Bank Reconciliation and Internal Controls Compliance Monitoring. • Produces Monthly Inter-Office Vouchers and Inter-Office Billings. • Processes recoveries and Debit advice. • Processes VAT Accounts Receivables. • Provides Monthly and Year-end Financial Reporting for Client Missions. • Provides financial reports to external auditors and to the Office of Internal Oversight Services • Manages the implementation and achievement of RSCE key performance indicators (KPIs) and all Service Level Agreement (SLAs) for RSCE projects/programmes/operations related to Financial services. • Ensures the application of the UN's Financial Regulations and Rules and provide authoritative advice to counterparts and client missions in this regard. • Implements corrective action in response to audits and other inquiries as needed. • Prepares input as required to the UN's legislative processes for consideration of the financing requirements for the RSCE and its Client Missions, especially for the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly. • Ensures that accurate and complete accounting, reporting and internal control systems are functioning and that all relevant records are maintained in accordance with UN Financial Regulations and Rules. • Prepares financial reports on a timely and responsive basis to meet the needs of management of the Client Missions, the RSCE and relevant external stakeholders, including preparation and certification of periodical and year-end accounts in accordance with requirements of the Department of Management and UN Financial Regulations and Rules. • Develops and/or apply effective and efficient financial systems and processes that meet the requirements of dynamic field operations, while ensuring full compliance with the UN Financial Regulations and Rules. • Manages the staff of Financial Reporting Office in prioritizing, planning and assigning responsibilities, developing and maintaining needed expertise and knowledge, and identifying opportunities for improvement. • Acts as a Certifying Officer under Financial Rule 1 10.4 to ensure that proposed financial obligations and expenditure are in accordance with approved funding allotments and the UN Regulations and Rules. • Represents the Center in cross-UN projects and initiatives to improve resource management and financial operations in field operations, including benchmarking Studies, capacity building programmes, and implementation of IPSAS and the Umoja ERP. • Acts as required as a member of formal oversight and decision-making bodies established in the RSCE, including the Local Committee on Contracts and Local Property Survey Board. • Performs other related duties as assigned. CompetenciesProfessionalism: 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 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. Accountability -Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments -Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards -Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules -Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments -Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. Judgment/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 that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary. EducationAdvanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, accounting, finance, or related field is required. A first-level university degree or a relevant professional qualification, in combination with two (2) additional years of relevant experience in financial management, accounting or other related field, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job - Specific QualificationProfessional recognition as a CPA, chartered accountant or by a similar professional body is desirable. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in cost management and budget formulation, cost control and monitoring, accounting and financial reporting, or analysis and interpretation of financial results is required. Experience in managing change initiatives and the formulation of new strategies / approaches to financial management or accounting issues is desirable. Experience in supporting international operations involving military / security, logistics, infrastructure development, or a similar undertaking is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French language is desirable. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeThis post is funded for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. 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. 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. 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. The recommendation or selection decision for this position shall be void if the recommended or selected candidate does not obtain a clearance according to ST/SGB/2005/7 on designation of staff members performing significant functions in the management of financial, human or physical resources. 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. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 Nov 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, Hungary, 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. United Nations ConsiderationsAccording 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. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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 FeeTHE 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.