Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Payment Team, which is a team in the Operational Accounts Unit (OAU), Accounts Section (AS) of the Financial Resources Management Service (FRMS) at the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in Vienna, Austria. The incumbent will report to the Chief of the Operational Accounts Unit. For more information on UNOV and UNODC, please visit the websites at www.unov.org and www.unodc.org

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent will perform the following specific duties: • Supervise other General Service staff within the Payment Team. • Approve payment and journal vouchers for various claims/payments, e.g., travel reimbursement, vendor invoices, advances, etc., ensuring compliance with relevant rules and control procedures. • Review and reconcile various clearing accounts to ensure appropriate balances. Investigate erroneous/invalid entries and take appropriate corrective accounting action. • Audit various accounting transactions, e.g., travel claims, paymaster advances and clearing, education grants, final payments, etc., to ensure correctness of disbursement computations and adherence to relevant staff rules, financial regulations, and Administrative Instructions issuances or practices. • Analyse complex and/or unusual accounting transactions and difficult claims for travel, invoices, entitlements, tax, etc. Make recommendations to Chief of Unit/Section on appropriate follow-up procedures. • Provide guidance and training (including the preparation of training materials) to clients and staff with respect to transaction processing and the use of various systems such as the in-house SAP system (Umoja) (and other systems when necessary). • Assist in the year end closing activities, including preparation of financial statements ensuring compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). • Assist in preparation of various reports or data as required by management in the area of payment (including statistics and KPIs). • Draft/prepare correspondences and respond to queries by staff members, management, internal and external auditors. • Assist with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Assist in identifying internal control weaknesses and implementing necessary enhancements to internal policies and procedures. • Perform other work-related duties as may be required, including assistance to other Units’ issues and tasks.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Has knowledge in the use and application of IPSAS and the United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules or the equivalent in other international organizations. Is able to extract, interpret, and analyse a wide variety of data and to resolve data discrepancies and other problems. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. • Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. • Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. • Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

Ten years of progressively responsible work experience in accounting or related area, is required. For candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher, the minimum number of years of relevant experience is reduced to eight (8). A minimum of three years work experience in processing payment and travel related transactions is required. Experience in supervising a team is required. Two years of accounting experience within the UN system or similar international organization is desirable. Advanced knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft applications is required. Thorough understanding of IPSAS is desirable. Three years’ working experience with an SAP based ERP system is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English, is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. At the United Nations, 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. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. The movement of staff members from the General Service and related categories to the Professional category in the United Nations Secretariat is exclusively allowed through the Young Professionals Programme competitive examinations. Only a few staff members pass the competitive examinations. Passing the competitive examinations does not guarantee movement to the Professional category. For further information, please visit https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=GP

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations 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. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.