UN Finance Assistant Job Opportunities – United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Job Title: Finance Assistant
Organization: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Duty Station: Mbarara, Uganda
Reports to: Head of Field Office
About US:
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency against world hunger. It is the largest and longest serving humanitarian agency in Uganda. . Currently WFP focuses on three priority areas: Saving lives in Emergencies; Building Resilience through Predictable Safety Nets; Improving Nutrition & Mother-and Child Health; and Supporting Small Holder Farmers to Access Markets. WFP has operations in various parts of the Country.
Job Summary: The Finance Assistant will carry out a diverse range of tasks in the Finance Office including but not limited to: Financial reporting, accounts payable functions and Budgeting. At this level, work is carried out under minimal supervision. The Job holder is expected to produce organised and accurate work, undertaking specific business support activities. They may offer guidance on standard practices to more junior staff in their area of work. Under the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office, the incumbent will support the effective delivery of finance, budget and administration support services in order to facilitate transparent and efficient utilization of financial resources.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assist in providing the procedural and technical support to staff within the areas of finance and budget, to ensure compliance with WFP financial policies, rules and regulations.
- Keenly monitor monthly expenditure forecasts and provide expenditure reports in order to facilitate informed decision-making.
- Monitor the sub-imprest bank and petty cash accounts regularly, to ensure that adequate funds are available and appropriately disbursed.
- Keenly verify vendor claims, advances and other receivables and observe appropriate procurement procedures, to ensure that suppliers are paid in a timely manner and in conformance with WFP finance rules and regulations.
- Provide support in compiling information from various sources in order to prepare reports relating to budgets, accounting, finance and statistics.
- Retrieve, format and validate information obtained from various financial information systems and bring any discrepancy or inaccuracy to the attention of the supervisor and follow up corrective actions.
- Perform administrative duties related to the monitoring and recording of fixed assets, spend on fuel and spare parts for vehicles and generators, to ensure that the databases are accurately updated.
- Maintain the web-based register for all invoices and payment transfers and record paperwork, to ensure that all documents are maintained and filed in compliance with WFP standards and guidelines.
- Keenly monitor and record all expenses in line with the approved budget in order to ensure that correct expenditure costs are charged and payments to external suppliers, cash grants and other supplier invoices are processed in a timely manner.
- Provide guidance and on-the-job training to other support staff, to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the United Nations UN World Food Programme (WFP) Finance Assistant job placement should hold a University degree in Business Studies, Finance, Accounting or Commerce or any other related field or a diploma supplemented with additional years of relevant experience obtained from a recognised institution;
- At least four years relevant work experience in the field of Finance, Accounting,audit, or other related field gained from reputable organisations.
- Prior experience in collecting and monitoring financial data on projects and programmes, assessing financial health and status, and reporting findings to senior leaders is desired
- Extensive knowledge of modern Accounting methods and knowledge of standard finance software packages and systems;
- Experience collecting and monitoring financial data on projects and programmes;
- Assessing financial health and status, and reporting findings to senior leaders;
- Good knowledge and skills in using MS Office applications;
- Excellent command of English is vital.
Personal Competencies:
- Internal Controls & Compliance: Demonstrates basic knowledge of internal controls, risk management, and monitoring mechanisms and their applicability to WFP’s critical activities.
- Performance Budgeting, Analysis & Reporting: Demonstrates participation in business planning efforts by developing basic project-level budgets and forecasts, incorporating information from various sources as appropriate to monitor KPIs.
- Resource Management: Demonstrates ability to track and compile reports on HQ and Field staffing and resource usage on a project-level basis.
- Financial Management & Accounting Principles: Applies knowledge of financial and accounting principles and practices to ensure compliance with WFP policies, applicable procedures and accounting standards.
- Supply Chain and Operations Knowledge: Demonstrates basic understanding of WFP programme, implementation, and supply chain principles (including project modalities & structures).
How to Apply:
All candidates who desire to join the United Nations World Food Programme are encouraged to submit their applications online at the link below.
Deadline: 18th March 2018
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