FINANCE AND BUDGET OFFICER

Org. Setting and ReportingThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 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. UNEP's Corporate Services Division is the guardian of UNEP's corporate interest, mitigating its exposure to risk and supporting the organization with management tools, plans and related capacity building. It oversees UNEP's efficient and effective management, in line with UNEP's accountability requirements, rules, regulations and UN core values. This position is located in UNEP, Corporate Services Division, Programme and Budget Unit in Nairobi. Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Unit, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: ResponsibilitiesMedium-term plan: • Reviews, analyses and finalizes the preparation of UNEP’s medium-term strategy and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies including UNEA and the General Assembly. • Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their review of the medium-term strategy and its revisions and secures approval from UNEA and the General Assembly. • Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into programme budgets. Budget preparation: • Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from; (a) the divisions and regional offices, including programmatic aspects; (b) ensure compliance with the medium-term strategy and other legislative mandates. • Supports the development of the resource requirements section in the Programme of Work. • Provides detailed inputs with respect to resource requirements for budget submissions. • Reviews, analyzes and finalizes programme budget/financial implications to the governing bodies statements in light of additional mandates. • Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review and assists in securing approval from UNEA and the General Assembly. • Lead the yearly allocation process for core financial resources and their deliberations through the Budget Steering Committee. 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. • Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures. • Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources pertaining to Thematic Funds and Programme Cooperation Agreements (Norway, SIDA, China and other corporate agreements as assigned by the Director of Corporate Services Division). • Reviews draft agreements and cost plans, support the allocation of the yearly contributions, ensures allotments are recorded in the ERP system against approved projects and initiatives, monitor and follow up on expenditures including monthly review of outstanding commitments, timely closure of the associated grants, reporting the financial reports to the donors, while ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures. • Reviews and makes appropriate recommendations with respect to the finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Prepares periodic and ad-hoc reports, including monthly budget dashboard reports to senior management, Programme Performance Reports (PPR) to UNEP Senior Management, as well as to the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR). • Manages approved staffing table for Corporate Services Division, Executive Office, and Evaluation Office, and other assigned client offices. • Prepares monthly post incumbency reports and update the positions' cost distribution in Umoja Organization Management to ensure correct coding blocks are charged. • Prepares/reviews relevant financial and/or budgetary reports needed for IPSAS financial statement purposes. • Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies. General: • Provides advice and guidance, including training, to headquarters and field staff and team members 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 programme budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with the 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. • May plan, organize, manage and supervise the work of the subordinates assigned. • Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. • Perform other related duties. CompetenciesPROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget development and financial administration of resources. Ability to develop budgetary policies, procedures and new programmes. Ability to formulate new strategies and technical approaches to budgetary matters. 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. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours 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 improvement, 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. EducationAdvanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, budget, finance, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of seven years of progressively responsible work experience in budget, finance, administration, business administration or a related area, is required. Proven working experience with the financial and budgetary functions in Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) systems (e.g., Umoja) is required. Experience with the preparation of financial, budgetary and management reports is required. Experience with the UN Common System or a comparable international organization in the development and administration of complex assessed and extrabudgetary resources and the service of intergovernmental bodies (e.g. Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), 5th Committee, Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC)) is desirable. Experience in results-based budgeting (RBB) is desirable. Experience in applying the policies and practices of cost recovery is desirable. Experience in reporting of budgetary information in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is desirable. Two (2) or more years of experience in data analytics, including using Business Intelligence reports, MS Excel and Power BI is desirable. LanguagesEnglish 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. NOTE: Fluency equals a rating of \"fluent\" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and \"Knowledge of\" equals a rating of \"confident\" in two of the four areas. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeAppointment against this post is for an initial period of one (1) year and may be subject to extension. Candidate selected for this position will be granted a fixed-term appointment limited (\"FTAlimited\") in accordance with section 2.2 (b) of administrative instruction ST/AI/2013/1 on Administration of fixed-term appointments. Renewal of appointment is contingent upon continued existence of mandate and availability of funding. If this position is discontinued, the incumbent will be separated from service. United Nations Secretariat staff members who meet the definition of \"internal candidate\" in staff rule 4.10 who are selected for this position will be reassigned or transferred to the position, without a lien to their parent 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. When completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. Individual Contractors and Consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months are ineligible to apply for or be appointed to any professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions, within six months of the end of their current or most recent service. For such positions, at least six months need to have elapsed between the end of a consultancy or individual contract and the time of application and consideration for an appointment as a staff member under the Staff Rules and Regulations of the United Nations. 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. 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. 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 \"Contact Us\" link 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.