I. Organizational Context

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Representative and the Deputy Regional Representative, and under the direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the Finance Associate will be responsible for the execution of a wide range of financial services and administrative processes at the Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP) and for its Programme Offices. The Finance Associate is to ensure the timely, efficient and transparent use of financial resources and service delivery, in accordance with UNODC financial rules, regulations, policies and procedures. The Finance Associate promotes a client-oriented and knowledge sharing approach.

The Finance Associate works in close collaboration within the operations team and interacts with programme staff at ROSEAP and in its Programme Offices, UNODC Headquarters, technical advisors and experts, as well as with UNDP country office(s) as required, to exchange information and support programme delivery, and to solve complex finance-related issues.

II. Duties and Responsibilities:

Summary of key functions:

• Implementation of operational and financial management strategies
• Preparation and administration of ROSEAP budgets.
• Provision of finance support to the Programme Support and Development Unit
• Facilitation of knowledge building and sharing                                                                                                 

1. Implement operational and financial management strategies

• Perform duties in full compliance with UNODC rules, regulations, policies and standard operating procedures, including internal controls;
• Review and verify financial transactions and documentation, taking corrective actions as needed and reporting any unusual activities;
• Coordinate and prepare budget plans for all projects, budget distribution for cost-shared items, budget estimates for project proposals, and budget implementation forecasts and reports;
• Collect, verify and present information and data for the preparation and monitoring of ROSEAP and Project Offices’ budget submissions to Headquarters;
• Draft reports on financial status, procedures, costs, and expenditures;
• Follow up on audit recommendations to monitor implementation of corrective actions;
• Provide advice and recommend solutions to a wide range of financial issues;
• Contribute to developing and implementing cost saving measures.

2. Prepare and administer ROSEAP budgets, in full compliance with UNODC rules, regulations, policies

• Formulate, plan, implement and monitor UNODC budget expenditures in the region, and prepare revisions as needed;
• Prepare and monitor budget revisions for all UNODC projects in the SEAP region, and provide input to budget revisions of Global Programmes under ROSEAP purview;
• Track the appropriate and timely use of financial resources; and flag to project managers unutilized funds and/or funds about to expire;
• Monitor and follow up on all financial transactions during the month-end and year-end closures, in line with instructions provided by Headquarters, and take corrective actions when required;
• Provide information to and facilitate the preparation of any type of financial report;
• Liaises with UNDP and UNESCAP regarding outstanding items and payment instructions;
• Undertake corrective actions on un-posted account payable documents, ensure actual expenditures are recorded against correct budget categories, and take timely corrective actions as required.

3. Provide finance support to the Programme Support and Development Unit

• Review and reconcile various clearing accounts to ensure appropriate balances, and investigate erroneous/invalid entries and take appropriate corrective accounting action;
• Perform periodic monitoring of open financial commitments, identify remedial actions, and undertake corrective actions in coordination with the supervisor;
• Review and approve account payable documents in Umoja to make payments to third parties, vendors, individuals, and travel agents by ensuring correctness, completeness, timeliness and full compliance to UNODC policies, guidelines, rules and regulations.                                                                                                 

4. Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the UNODC Regional Office and its Programme Offices:

• Conduct trainings and/or organize training events for operations/project staff on finance.
• Collect and compile lessons learnt and best practices in financial management. Disseminate to clients and stakeholders as appropriate to build capacity and knowledge;
• Contribute to financial business operational practices and management innovations.

III. Competencies and Selection Criteria

Core Competencies:

• Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work
• Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow
• People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
• Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Delivery: Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Functional and Technical Competencies:

• Building Partnership: Ability to track and report on mobilized resources
• Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Ability to identify and communicate opportunities to promote learning and knowledge sharing
• Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise: Ability to understand the main processes and methods of work regarding the position.
• Promoting Organizational Change and Development: Ability to identify problems and propose solutions
• Client Orientation: Ability to Design and Implementation of Management Systems: Ability to maintain effective client relationships
• Promoting Accountability and Result-Based Management: Ability to create accountability processes and standards

IV. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

Secondary Education preferably with specialized certification in areas directly relevant to financial management. University Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related fields would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

At least 6 years for Secondary School or 3 years for Bachelor’s holders experience in finance is required.                                     

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.                                            Experience within the UN system in finance, accounting, and budget would be an advantage.

Language Requirements:

Proficiency in English.