Closing date: Wednesday, 6 September 2023
Posting Title: FINANCE OFFICER, P3

Job Code Title: FINANCE OFFICER

Department/Office: Regional Service Centre at Entebbe

Duty Station: ENTEBBE

Posting Period: 09 August 2023 - 07 September 2023

Job Opening Number: 23-Finance-RSCE-213433-R-Entebbe (R)

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Organisational Setting and Reporting
The 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. 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 the Deputy provide 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 located in the Financial Services and Compliance Monitoring Pillar, Accounts Unit at the RSCE. The Finance Officer reports to Service Line Manager who is the Chief of Unit.

Responsibilities

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

Manages achievement of RSCE Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and all Service Level Agreement (SLAs) components for RSCE projects/programmes/operations related to the Accounts Unit.
Ensures that outputs produced by the team maintain high quality standards; reports are clear, objective, and based on comprehensive data.
Plans, organizes, manages, guides, trains, supervises work of the team assigned. Plans and oversees the management of the activities undertaken by the team.
Reviews and undertakes the closing of monthly accounts, followed by preparation of financial statements for submission to client missions and Headquarters.
Ensures that accounting records derived from IPSAS compliant Trial Balances are maintained.
Scrutinizes source documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of reported figures and underlying transactions.
Assists in development of the Service Line's annual budget development programme, particularly with respect to the establishment of major resourcing priorities, prepares cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of the Service Line's resourcing requirements such non-staff requirements, including programmatic aspects; reviews, analyzes and revises data with respect to the finalization of the budget proposals as well as Result Based Budgeting (RBB) inputs.
Participates in preparation, reviews and finalization of budget performance reports in compliance with the Legislative requirements and recommendations and Controller's instructions; reviews and ensures valid variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
Participates in developing inputs to the UN's legislative processes for consideration of the Centre's financing requirements by FOFD, Controller's Office, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly.
Reviews and approves supporting vouchers for accounting transactions such as payroll, payment of staff entitlements, final payments, travel claims, vendor invoices, agencies and any other allowances for payments in conformity and adherence to applicable United Nations policies e.g., staff rules, financial regulations and rules, ST/AI issuances or practices, IPSAS policy framework etc.
Provides advice, financial interpretations, adaptations, and corrective actions in response to audits and other queries to ensure adherence to the UN Financial Regulations and Rules, Staff Rules, Administrative Instructions, Bulletins and Circulars under the guidance of the Service Delivery Manager.
Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them; reports findings and makes recommendations to Chief Financial Services.
Acts as Approving Officer under Financial Rule 105.4 in adherence with the UN Regulations and Rules.
Ensures that the established IPSAS compliance monitoring and Internal Control Framework (ICF) is fully implemented, and any deviations documented and reported.
Reviews and verifies completeness of documentation supporting invoices and payment requests.
Performs other duties as may be assigned.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM : Knowledge of financial and budgetary management principles and practices. Ability to independently conduct research and analysis, formulate options and present conclusions and recommendations. 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.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility of delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable
Education
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, finance, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification
Certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered accountant (CA) or equivalent is desirable.

Work Experience
A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area is required. For Bachelor's degree holders, seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience will be necessary. Experience with United Nations or similar international organisation systems and processes is desirable. Experience with application of International Public Accounting Standards (IPSAS) or similar standards is desirable. Experience in a service Centre operation or similar setup is desirable. Experience in applying advanced Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Power BI and data analysis to financial tasks is desirable.