Senior Finance Associate G7 984 views

To support planning and coordinate the delivery of finance, budget and administration support services, and supervise and provide guidance to a team of staff ensuring transparent and efficient utilization of financial resources.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1. Act as an escalation point in providing procedural and technical support to staff within the areas of finance and budget, to ensure compliance with WFP financial policies, rules and regulations.
2. Participate in the development and implementation of financial policies and procedures, interpret and assess the impact of changes and make recommendations on follow up actions, to support setup and implementation of proper accounting procedures, systems and internal controls.
3. Contribute to the improvement of internal processes, enhancement of corporate systems and design of tools, to support transparent and efficient utilization of financial resources.
4. Monitor the daily cash position in order to optimize the use of surplus cash and maximize returns on investment through the liquidity portfolio.
5. Ensure that payments are processed in a timely manner, resolve complex issues relating to the disbursement or replenishment of funds in line with WFP rules and regulations.
6. Contribute to the preparation, implementation and monitoring of budgets, monitor expenditure and budget forecasts, to ensure that relevant future funding requirements are met.
7. Co-ordinate with other teams in order to ensure that all financial and administrative services are being performed efficiently and in line with the needs of the wider team.
8. Monitor account balances and oversee the recording of financial transactions in an accurate and timely manner to avoid the occurrence of an overdraft.
9. Monitor, control and analyse general ledger accounts in order to initiate and achieve corrective actions.
10. Prepare and analyse financial and statistical reports based on the established frequency and provide recommendations for further actions to the Finance Officer or other staff, to facilitate informed decision-making.
11. Co-ordinate and supervise work of other support staff, and support their learning and development in management of financial resources (e.g. managing the petty cash/sub-imprest account, review and analyse vendor and balance sheet accounts, etc.), to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards.
12. Remain on stand-by at all times and follow standard emergency preparedness practices in order to meet immediate emergency requirements for further service on job and in the field.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Completion of secondary school education. Higher National Diploma in Accounting and/or a university degree will be an added advantage
Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Shona

Knowledge:Experience utilising computers, including word processing, spreadsheet and other standard software packages and systems.

General knowledge of UN system financial policies, rules, regulations and procedures.

Specialized knowledge of WFP financial and administrative rules and regulations and policies and practices in the specific area of work                           would be an added advantage.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

Sound judgment; ability to extract, interpret, analyse and format data and to resolve operational problems.

Ability to work with minimum of supervision; to supervise and train support staff; and to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Ability to work with accuracy under time constraints and pressure; to deal patiently and tactfully with staff members and others and to have a high sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.

Good administrative and supervisory skills; ability to plan and organize work and to train and motivate clerical and administrative staff in a country office.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• At least six years of progressively responsible work experience, including at least four years in the field of finance, accounting, budget, audit or other related field
• Has experience analysing, interpreting data and generating reports at national level.
• Coached and trained a new staff member in the RM function.