Head Field Finance Office, P4, LFO, JO#225536

Org. Setting and Reporting

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff
working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to
make a change.

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the
most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you.

The Head of Field Finance Office reports to Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs
(Operations). Technical guidance and advice are received from the Director of Finance.

Responsibilities

– Manages a Field based Finance team to ensure, inter alia, that the Finance function provides
accurate, relevant and timely financial information and advice to a multiplicity of internal and
external stakeholders; Trains and instructs the staff on financial matters in the Field.
– Is responsible for the interpretation of the financial information and for providing advice on
a broad range of management issues to the Field Director, Programme Chiefs and other
managers within the Field; advises on the management of the financial envelope and, in close
coordination with Human Resources, advises on staffing costs for the Field including
reallocation of financial resources based on Field/Agency priorities, forecasts costs and
expenditures.
– In full compliance with IPSAS, coordinates the preparation of the Field medium term
forecasts and operating budget; reviews budget submissions, monitors expenditures against
budget allotments and reports on variances; ensures that Field budget activities are carried out
in an accurate, defendable and timely manner.
– Ensures due diligence in all aspects of the disbursements, receipts and management of the
Field’s financial resources including responsibility of internal control procedures, cash flow
management and treasury functions in the Field; Ensures that local bank account
administration and associated cash management functions are performed in adherence to
Financial Regulations.
– Supervises the preparation of the monthly financial report to internal management, the
Quarterly Budget Review for all Programmes and Departments to enable management to
conduct resource allocation, the fully accrued monthly accounts, the financial records and
statements and reports including monthly figures covering also the staff cost in coordination
with the Departments; ensures that yearly and biennium Field accounts closing activities are
carried out in a precise and timely manner; coordinates Field replies to internal and external
audit queries.
– Ensures that the provisions of the IPSAS compliant Financial Regulations, the Finance
Manual and Finance and Budget Technical Instructions issued by Headquarters are complied
with throughout the Field and are supplemented locally to the extent necessary.
– Is responsible for development and maintenance of Field’s financial systems and procedures
in order to maintain a balance between operational expediency and financial control, and
takes a lead in identifying local systems and processes that could be streamlined for greater
efficiency.
– Serves on Field Committees involving financial matters including Local Committee on
Procurement and Tender Opening Committee.

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core
Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by
default. Default managerial competencies may apply.
Leading and Supervising
Deciding and Initiating Action
Learning and Researching
Applying Technical Expertise
Planning and Organizing

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.
org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYIely.

Education

An advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in finance,
accountancy, business administration or related field is required.
Job Specific Qualifications
Membership in a professional body of accountants (e.g., Institute of Chartered Accountants,
Institute of Certified Public Accountants) is desirable.

Work Experience

Seven years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in the application of
the knowledge acquired in finance, accountancy, business administration or related field is
required.
At least three years of work experience at a supervisory level, in a large commercial,
industrial or government Agency, involving work in finance, accounting, budget, audit and
related functions with solid grasp of accrual Accounting such as IPSAS or IFRS is required.
Excellent understanding and/or experience of financial modules a major Enterprise Resource
Planning System such as SAP or Oracle is required.
Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, a
candidate for an international post must have at least two continuous years of relevant
international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate
is a national or holds citizenship, a passport, or a national identity number is required.
An Advanced university degree from an accredited educational institution in finance,
accountancy, business administration or related field is required.
Working experience with an organization in the United Nations Common System is desirable.
Membership in a professional body of accountants (e.g., Institute of Chartered Accountants,
Institute of Certified Public Accountants) is desirable.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English is required.
Knowledge of a second UN Language (preferably Arabic) is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be
followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension.
The incumbent will be required to reside in the field of assignment and to travel occasionally
in the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East.
Applicants have to complete the Personal History Profile (PHP) in inspira in order to be
considered. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience as per the
requirements in the Job Opening, in order to be considered.
A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become
eligible for an appointment to the same post or a similar post.
UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.
Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be
plastic free by 2025.
Equivalency:
A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying
experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not
considered an acceptable combination.
UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states,
regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA
is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the
difficult circumstances in which they live.
For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/United Nations

United Nations Considerations

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to
assignment by him or her.
UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current
UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from
under-represented groups.
At UNRWA, 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. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and
inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with
disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when
requested and indicated in the application.

UNRWA Considerations
UNRWA staff are expecte

d to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence,
neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human
rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who
fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs.
Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA 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. Candidates who
have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for
employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of
misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear
on the UN Sanctions List.

UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment
platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the
Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side
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.
The link to browse the JO is: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/225536?language=en

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE
REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR
REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT
AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING,
PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN
ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.