Org. Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, healthier, greener places with better opportunities where everyone can live with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. The position is located in the Finance and Budget Section of the Management Advisory and Compliance Service (MACS) at the UN-Habitat Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya The Management Advisory and Compliance Service is responsible to advise on and coordinate administrative and programming support related to the implementation of UN-Habitat’s work programme, either directly or through the engagement of third-party service providers. Under the direct supervision of the Director of Management Advisory Compliance Service, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
Responsibilities
Medium-term plan: • Supports planning, organizing and managing the preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies. • Proactively supports relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in the review of the medium-term plan and its revisions including securing approval from the General Assembly and the UN-Habitat Assembly/Executive Board. • Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into programme budgets. Budget preparation: • Plans and co-ordinates review of budget submissions comprising of both assessed and extrabudgetary resources. • Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from Divisions/Offices at Headquarters and in the field, including programmatic aspects; ensures compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates. • Co-ordinates the preparation of budget submissions from managers. • Reviews, analyses and finalizes programme budget/financial implications to the General Assembly, with the support of Office of Programme Planning and Budget Division (OPPBD), and the Executive Board in light of additional mandates. • Provides substantive support and guidance to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; secures approval from the General Assembly and the UN-Habitat Assembly/Executive Board. Budget administration: • Manages/issues allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures. • 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. • Oversees the review and finalization of budget performance reports; monitors variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Provides advice and support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in review of budget performance reports; secure approval from the General Assembly and the Executive Board. Accounting: • Directs a complete financial function of the Organization which includes a number of different and diverse operations and interrelated accounts of the financial system. • Participates in special reviews of operational objectives and related financial policies and procedures affecting the UN Secretariat’s accounting and financial systems. Takes the lead in designing and implementing required changes. • Reviews and ensures the preparation of UN-Habitat annual IPSAS compliant financial statements for inclusion in the UN Financial Statements to be audited. • Provides authoritative advice, financial interpretations, adaptations and corrective actions in response to audits and other queries to ensure adherence to UN Financial Regulations and Rules, Staff Rules, Administrative Instructions, Bulletins and Circulars. General: • Oversees the management of the staffing table for both assessed and extrabudgetary resources. • Provides advice and guidance, including training, to Headquarters and field staff 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 United Nations policies and procedures. • Prepares/finalizes reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence, including guidelines, instructions. • Reviews and analyses 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 budgets and established regulations and rules. • Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them. • Represents UN-Habitat or the Division in inter-agency meetings and/or inter and intra-divisional meetings. • Plans, organizes and manages staff and work programme; plans and discusses individual work programmes with staff and evaluates their performance. • Leads team members’ efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. • Performs other related duties as assigned
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget management and financial administration of resources. Proven analytical skills and ability to provide technical advice in budget management to managers. Ability to manage a programme in a field operation and formulate new strategies and approaches to budget management issues. 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. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 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 client. 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 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. MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two (2) years of qualifying 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 Qualification
Not available.
Work Experience
A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, programme management, business administration or related area is required. A minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in implementing, applying, and contributing to development of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is required Minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience in conceptualizing, preparing, and defending policy and administrative decisions/guidance to diverse inter-governmental bodies in support of negotiations and international environmental agreements is required. A minimum of five (5) years of hands-on, practical experience with preparing annual financial statements for large international organizations involving multiple sources of funds is desirable. Minimum of two (2) years experience in developing, building capacity and delivery of training on financial and legal arrangements with project implementing partners is desirable. Experience with use of finance modules in an ERP system, including analysis of accounting data and creation of management reports using Business Intelligence tools, is desirable. Experience in performing analysis, reviewing, and designing tailored donor reports is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, for the position 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.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
This is a Regular Budget post. Appointment against this position is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31st December 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply:Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau,Thailand, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. 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. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral or geographical move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral or geographical moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. 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. 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. 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. Online 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. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.
United Nations Considerations
According 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 Fee
THE 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.