This position is located in the United Nations Integrated Multidimensional Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Bamako. The incumbent serves as Chief of the Budget Unit, within the Finance and Budget Section, and reports directly to the Chief, Finance and Budget Section, under the overall guidance of the Chief of Operations and Resource Management.
Responsibilities
Under the guidance of the Section Chief, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
Budget preparation:
• Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into program budgets. Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from Departments/offices , including programmatic aspects; Ensures compliance with the medium-term plan and other legislative mandates.
• Provides detailed input with respect to resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Reviews, analyzes and finalizes program budget/financial implications for the Mission.
• Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; assists in securing approval from the General Assembly.
Budget administration:
• Issues allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Manages and monitors budget implementation and recommends reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Prepares budget and finance reports for the monthly and quarterly budget meetings with Sections and Senior Mission Leadership and provide Secretariat services for the meetings.
• Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Prepares budget performance submissions.
• Reviews and finalizes budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Provides substantive support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
General :
• Provides advice and guidance, including training, to headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.
• Participates in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical survey missions on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues.
• Keeps up-to-date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to program and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Drafts reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence.
• Undertakes research and analysis of budgetary policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.
• Ensures the integrity of financial and management systems and the controls that underpin them.
• Provides support with respect to representation of the Director of Mission Support and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in meetings of legislative organs.
• Plans, organizes, manages and supervises the work of the Unit assigned.
• Incumbent may be asked to perform other related duties..
Competencies
• Professionalism: Possess conceptual and analytical skills including a complete, in-depth grasp of financial principles and practices, with knowledge of budget development, including results-based budgeting, and the financial administration of resources. Ability to provide authoritative advice to senior managers on strategic issues. Accepts additional responsibilities as required by the demands of service; strives for excellence in performance continually; remains composed while working effectively in stressful situations; Ability to use information technology effectively as a tool and resource; demonstrates substantive and technological knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence; is motivated and demonstrates a capacity to pursue personal development and learn. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit of team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, finance, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area, of which minimum of 4 years of experience in budget development and financial administration or resources at the international level, is required.
Experience in the use of Umoja or another Enterprise Resource Planning system is required.
Experience and technical competence on the preparation of the proposed budget using Umoja
Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC), including demonstrated experience on using the
military and police units (MPU), position (POS), travel (TVL) model, materials and services
(MAS), and summary (SUM) models is required.
Experience in application of Results Based Management or similar performance management methodologies is required.
Management level experience in supervising and coordinating a team of staff working in budget and/or finance area is required.
Experience and knowledge of trust fund management and cost recovery budgeting and processes is highly desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
This « Recruit from Roster » job opening is only open to roster applicants who are already placed on pre-approved rosters, following a review by a United Nations Central Review Body. Only roster applicants who were placed on rosters with similar functions at the same level are considered to be eligible candidates. Eligible applicants receive an email inviting them to apply. Rostered applicants are encouraged to apply only if they are interested and available to take up the position at the duty station/s specified in the Job Opening. Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected.
The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
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.
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
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.
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.
