Senior Accounting Assistant

Org. Setting and ReportingThis position is located in the Payroll and Accounts Payable Section, Income Tax Unit (ITU) in the Division of Administration (DOA), Department of Operational Support (DOS). The Department of Operational Support was established to provide operational advisory services to operating entities across the Secretariat, including other departments, Offices Away from Headquarters, field missions, and regional commissions. The Payroll and Accounts Payable Section processes global payroll and payments, provides travel finance related support, consultants' payment, vendor payments, provides policy advise and operational guidance, testing and implementation of enhancements. The Senior Accounting Assistant will report to the Chief of the Income Tax Unit. ResponsibilitiesWithin limits of delegated authority, the Senior Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: • Analyzes complex and/or unusual accounting transactions and complex tax claims. Makes recommendations to the Chief of Unit/Section on appropriate follow-up procedures. • Reviews and reconciles various clearing accounts to ensure appropriate balances. • Investigates erroneous/invalid entries and takes appropriate corrective accounting action. • Audits various tax accounting transactions to ensure correctness of computations and compliance with relevant staff rules, financial regulations, administrative issuances (ST/AIs) or practices. • Reviews completeness of tax-related reports. • Prepares worksheets and analyzes individual tax accounts and assists in the preparation of financial statements. • Approves payment and journal vouchers for various tax claims/payments ensuring compliance with relevant rules and control procedures. • Provides guidance and training (including the preparation of training materials) to staff at Headquarters and in the field with respect to transaction processing and the use of various systems such as UMOJA/SAP and the United Nations tax system. • Supervises other junior staff when required. • Drafts/prepares memoranda and responds to queries from staff members, internal and external auditors and from their counterparts in Offices Away from Headquarters. • Performs other duties as may be required. Competencies• Professionalism: Knowledge of and the ability to apply the Organization’s financial regulations and rules as well as accounting policies and practices. Ability to extract, interpret, and analyse a wide variety of data and to resolve data discrepancies and other problems. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of the work. • 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 short comings. • 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 the client. EducationHigh school diploma or equivalent is required. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance, or other related fields is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to eight years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience with United States income tax reimbursement procedures, including the United Nations Tax Portal is required. Experience in complex accounting and other finance operations is desirable. Experience in the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, such as Umoja, SAP or equivalent is desirable. Experience working with the United Nations or a large global organization’s systems and procedures 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 another official United Nations language is desirable. . AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview. Special NoticeAppointment against this temporary position is for an initial period of six months. The appointment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. This position is vacant due to the temporary assignment/secondment of the regular incumbent to another office/organization. The selection and extension of appointment of the selected candidate will be contingent on the return of the incumbent who maintains a lien against this post. 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. The expression \"Internal candidates\" shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. Eligible applicants selected are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. A staff member subject to local recruitment are not eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. 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. 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. 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. 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.