Finance Associate

UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Job Title: Finance Associate

Job Opening ID: 37582

Location: Bangkok (RB), Thailand

Salary Grade: G6

Hardship Level: A

Family Location Type: Family

Type of Contract: Temporary Appointment

Contract Duration: ASAP until 31 December 2022

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Finance Associate is normally supervised by a more senior finance colleague who defines general work objectives and provides necessary advice and guidance. The incumbent also refers to UNHCR Manuals and relevant policy papers on financial issues.

The incumbent assists with the processing of financial transactions. S/he keeps frequent contact with staff at various levels in the office and with bank officials to exchange information. The incumbent may supervise some support staff.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity

Operational Context

The Finance Associate will be based in Bangkok, with UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, under the direct supervision of the Regional Controller. The incumbent will be assisting the Bureau on two distinct areas:

  1. Since the August 2021 events in Afghanistan, the Regional Bureau (RB) has been providing considerable support to the Afghanistan Operation to carry due diligence activities to ensure that the funds entrusted by donors to UNHCR are used for the right purpose and no diversion of resources is taking place. With the recent Security Council resolution 2615 (2021) the operation is required to make sure there are sufficient efforts on its part to ensure the funds are not diverted and no entities or individuals on the UN Sanctions list benefit from financial payments. Currently any payment that UNHCR makes to partners, vendors are first reviewed in detail to make sure that individuals collecting those payments do not appear on the UN Sanctions lists. These screenings are performed through UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific to ensure segregation of duties and also to prevent any undue influence or security risks. Bureau uses special tool for those screening. The incumbent of this position will dedicate 50% of her/his time to this exercise.
  2. The Regional Bureau (RB) is starting a small-scale pilot of providing remote support to one of its operations to process the financial transaction from Bureau. Development of centralized capacity at regional level for financial operational support offers a unique opportunity to the Bureau to focus the scarce resources on core activities and lower the operational support cost to programme implementation, strengthening internal controls, particularly in operations which are small; and where ensuring internal controls (such as segregation of duties) is a challenge. Following the recent OIOS audit of MCO Australia, one of the audit findings pointed out the lack of sufficient controls in the operation in the financial management linked to the small size of the operation and limited number of administrative/finance staff. Bureau will be testing the business model of running the financial transactions of the MCO Australia centrally from Bureau. Operationalization of this pilot requires to increase the capacity of the Bureau regional finance team. The incumbent of this position will dedicate 50% of her/his time to this exercise.

Degree in Financial management and/ or accounting is required. Prior experience in project management and business analytics would be preferred.

Duties

  • Support country operations in the region by conducting due diligent search requests against the UN Sanction list.
  • Maintain financial records and monitoring systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports.
  • Select and enter data from a wide variety of documents, verifying accuracy by checking sources, making necessary calculations and assuring inclusion of all relevant data.
  • Prepare recurring reports as scheduled and special reports as required for budget preparation, audits or other reasons.
  • Advise and assist staff members, experts and consultants on all aspects of allowances, salary advances, travel claims and other financial matters, calculate and authorize payments due for claims and services.
  • Maintain liaison with officials of local banks to obtain day-to-day information on exchange and interest rates, changes in procedures and regulations and matters pertaining to maintenance of office bank accounts.
  • Prepare detailed cost estimates and participate in budget analysis and projections as required.
  • Initiate correspondence to verify data, answer queries and obtain additional information on accounts and financial transactions, as required.
  • Verify that the financial transactions are correct and in accordance with UNHCR rules and procedures.
  • Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Degree in financial management, accounting is required*.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Accounting; Business Administration, Finance;

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

High level of IT affinity (MS Office applications, People Soft).

Desirable

Knowledge and work experience of MSRP Finance applications. Good knowledge of UN/UNHCR Financial rules and procedures. Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to the functions of the position.

Functional Skills

IT-Computer Literacy*;

FI-PeopleSoft Financial Management;

UN-UN/UNHCR Financial Rules and Regulations and Procedures;

IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP);

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

Fluent in English and Thai

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Managing Resources

Cross-Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

Technological Awareness

Planning and Organizing

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All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Please submit your letter of motivation, signed Personal History Form by e-mail-mail clearly stating the position title, Job ID and your Last Name in the subject line to [email protected] by the closing date.

The Personal History Form and its supplementary sheet can be downloaded from: https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11_UNHCR.docm and

https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11SUP_UNHCR.docm

Remuneration:

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).

UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants for this position. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19.

UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal. Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at [email protected] or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80

Application duration

Start Date: 13 June 2022

Closing Date: 26 June 2022

How to apply

Please submit your letter of motivation, signed Personal History Form by e-mail-mail clearly stating the position title, Job ID and your Last Name in the subject line to [email protected] by the closing date.

The Personal History Form and its supplementary sheet can be downloaded from: https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11_UNHCR.docm and

https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11SUP_UNHCR.docm


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