Finance Assistant – For Afghan National Only

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Finance Assistant – For Afghan National Only

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Afghanistan

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Organization: UNWOMEN – United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Location: Kabul
Grade: Administrative support – GS-5, General Service – No need for Higher Education – Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Administrative support
- Banking and Finance
Closing Date: 2023-02-15

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the future of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to placing them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs and priorities of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Finance Specialist, the Finance Assistant is responsible for helping ensure the provision and the execution of finance and accounting services, and the effective and transparent utilization of financial resources. The incumbent promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.

The Finance Assistant works in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations teams in Afghanistan Country office (ACO) and UN Women Regional office, as well as HQ for resolving together financial-related issues, and to ensure consistent service delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Provision of payment services and bookkeeping of accounting transactions
Support to Cash Advance to Implementing Partners (IPs)
Support to month-end and year-end closures
Provision of other finance-related services and supports
Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, and guidance to all stakeholders on financial matters

Provision of payments and bookkeeping of accounting transactions

Timely and accurate processing of payments with full compliance with UN Women rules & regulations.
Daily and weekly review and monitoring of outstanding payment requests and outstanding vouchers in order to ensure payments are made timely within required timeline.
Maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in ERP System; travel claims, and other entitlements are duly processed.
Handling and resolving budget check issue/errors in payment and accounting processes thru investigation of root causes and coordination for corrective actions to be taken by relevant project/programme colleagues.
Timely corrections and adjustments thru General Ledger Journal Entry (GLJE) & Accounts Payable Journal Voucher (APJV) for accounting entries relating to works under responsibilities, when required.
Review payment requests prior to obtain approval.
Proper control of the supporting documents for payments and financial reports to projects; preparation of all types of vouchers.
Calculation and allocation to projects on office rent and other recurring office expenses, based on office space arrangement and no. of headcount.
Recording of Cost recovery charged from UNDP
Management of cash receipts. Money received are timely recorded and deposited to UNDP Bank.
Maintenance of the proper filing system for finance records and documents.

Support to Cash Advance to Implementing Partners (IPs)

Proper and timely processing payment of IP Advances to NGOs, Government Partners and UN Agencies, in accordance with UN Women policy and internal control framework.
Provision of guidance to programme colleagues and IP partners on the preparation of Financial Report (Funding Authorization and Certificate of Expenditure Report (FACE)) in accordance with UN Women procedures.
Review of financial report (FACE) received from partner, and its supporting documents. Ensure verification of FACE supporting documents duly done by programme team in accordance with respective partner risk rating. Ensure correctness and validity of expenditures reported on FACE thru sample check of FACE supporting documents.
Provision of support to programme team in verification of FACE supporting documents when required, e.g. jointly perform the verification with programme colleagues.
Recording liquidation of IP advance as expenditures based on FACE verified and approved by UN Women in accordance with UN Women policies and procedures.
Keeping proper tracking of outstanding advances and aged items; prompt follow up of Financial Reports (FACE) not yet submitted.
Maintaining auditable records of all expenditure reviewed against source documents by Implementing Partner and project.
Proper filing of the supporting documents of financial report (FACE) with relevant payment vouchers and APJVs
Provision of information and data as requested by auditors.
Support to month-end and year-end closures
Reconciliation of balance sheet accounts including petty cash, staff advance, staff receivable, Petrol advance and other accounts under responsibility.
Timely follow-up and clearance of outstanding items in balance sheet accounts, including passing APJV to clear residual balance caused by foreign exchange rate difference.
Coordination with petty cash custodians in project offices for timely completion of monthly petty cash reconciliation and replenishment.
Sample surprise check of petty cash held by project offices.
Supporting month-end and year-end closure through report preparation and submission including e.g. petty cash reconciliation, clearance of staff advance, travel claim monitoring, review and monitoring of receipt accrual and payment voucher status.

Provision of other finance-related services and supports

Review and Approval of vendors in ERP System for the Office.
Serving as petty cash custodian & focal point for the office.
Review of telephone expenses and obtain certification of personal usage from staff. Ensure personal usage are paid timely and money received are timely deposited and properly recorded.
Monitoring of travel advance, claims and settlements through preparation and maintenance of travel claim monitoring sheet. Record submission of F10 claims against advances. Overpaid DSA being followed up and paid timely by individual staff.
Review of GLJEs and their supporting documents prepared by other Country offices to ensure accuracy and completeness.
Serving as an Alternate focal point for ERP access.
Maintaining record of invoices that are eligible for VAT exemption and work closely with Administrative Associate for submission of documents to UNDP for obtaining VAT exemption certificates.

Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, and guidance to all stakeholders on financial related matters

Handling adhoc inquiries on payments, FACE preparation and verification, and other financial processes and transactions under responsibility.
Orienting New Petty Cash Custodians on “Petty Cash Management”.
Supporting training to staff in UN Women and Implementing Partners on procedures and practices related to financial processes and services under responsibility.
Contributing to lessons learned and best practices in Finance area, in support of the knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Key Performance Indicators

Timely, complete and accurate financial transactions/activities/documentation
Timely and accurate advice on UN Women financial rules and regulations
Timely and regular monitoring of financial resources management system and timely expenditure of financial
resources
Timely and accurate support to budget formulation and controlling allotments
Timely and accurate monitoring of internal expenditures control systems
Timely and accurate drafting of management financial reports

Competencies

Core Values:

Integrity;
Professionalism;
Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
Accountability;
Creative Problem Solving;
Effective Communication;
Inclusive Collaboration;
Stakeholder Engagement;
Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

Good knowledge of financial rules and regulations and accounting principles.
Excellent knowledge and application skills of IT tools and management systems.
Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems.
Good analytical skills and results orientation.
Client oriented approach to work.
Skills to manage relationships and communicate.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Completion of secondary education is required. University degree (or equivalent) in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field is an asset.

Experience:

5 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance or programme support
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages.
Experience in the use of web-based ERP financial system (i.e. SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, etc.) is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Dari/Pashto is required

Knowledge of the other UN working knowledge is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)