JOB DESCRIPTION

Deadline for Applications

October 17, 2025

Hardship Level

H (no hardship)

Family Type

Family

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

PR4

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Target Start Date

2025-11-01

Standard Job Description

Senior Finance Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Regional Controller and in functional coordination with Division of Resource Management”s Admin, Finance & Treasury Service. In the Country or Multi-Country Offices, the incumbent is normally supervised by the Representative, Assistant Representative (Admin) or other senior positions as delegated by the Representative.

The incumbent is responsible for co-ordinating, guiding, monitoring, advising on, and supporting the financial operations in the area of responsibility (AoR).

With the objective to safeguard and optimize the utilization of UNHCR”s monetary and physical resources, the incumbent establishes and maintains efficient mechanisms and reliable processes to ensure compliance with UN financial regulations and UNHCR”s rules, policies and procedures including, and not limited to, accounts payable and treasury processes, accounting, and implementation of internal control mechanisms, including support to oversight and audit functions. The incumbent also identifies and manages risks under their responsibility in close coordination with the Risk Management and Compliance Advisor.

The incumbent supports the work of the Regional Controller with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.

The incumbent directly supervises professional and general service staff.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR”s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
– Oversee and guide integrated financial management and reporting for the assigned geographic area of responsibility.
– Assess, review, and ensure application of finance-related policies, instructions, procedures, etc.
– Provide advice to management regarding the application of financial policies and procedures and, when necessary, coordinate with the Regional Controller or Office of the Controller, as applicable, regarding the interpretation of such policies and procedures.
– Ensure accounting records are correct and reliable, including – and not limited to – timely bank reconciliations, maintenance of open items, timely processing of travel financial transactions, clearance of residual requisitions and purchase order balance.
– In close coordination with the Admin, Finance & Treasury Service, support the preparation and review of donor financial reports, and endorse such reports before submission to donors.
– Ensure monthly and yearly closing as well as any other periodic accounting-related processes are executed in a timely and accurate manner.
– Ensure the maintenance and on-going validity of the Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP).
– Identify potential risks in relation to financial management, including the effectiveness of internal controls, and propose mitigating actions; monitor the application of internal control mechanisms.
– Make proposals for the continuous improvement of financial monitoring and control mechanisms, including the streamlining of financial systems and procedures.
– In coordination with DRM”s Change Management and Field Support Section, identify and provide training on accounting matters, and recommend or develop training modules as necessary, aiming at the development of financial management skills.
– In close liaison with DRM”s System Administration Section and other divisions as necessary, provide and plan activities for rollout of new processes or systems.
– As delegated, supervise and manage local financial personnel, including participation in recruitment of senior local financial personnel.
– Ensure that payments made are timely and accurately, and all month-end and year-end cut-off processes are implemented in line with relevant guidance.
– Supervise the preparation of financial reports, monitoring and supervising expenditures with respect to approved budgets and work plans.
– Ensure that local bank account administration and associated cash management functions are performed in adherence to financial guidelines.
– Perform financial management and control related to Cash-Based Interventions in adherence to financial guidelines;
– Review and certify vouchers, including ABOD and project disbursements.
– Perform project control functions for both directly and indirectly implemented activities, in the absence of a dedicated project control position.
– Coordinate, review and endorse responses to audit queries from internal and external audits and ensure the implementation of accounting audit recommendations.

– Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
– Perform other relevant duties as required.

Regional financial services applicable to positions in the Regional Bureau only
– In coordination with relevant services in HQ, and to improve cost-effectiveness and process efficiency for operations, implement and manage regional finance-related services such as: vendor and other related master data management and maintenance, invoice posting, travel claim processing, payments, bank reconciliations, accounting housekeeping and period cut-off activities, donor financial reporting, etc.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P4/NOD – 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Accounting; Finance; Public or Business Administration;
Economics; or other relevant field;

Certificates and/or Licenses
Professional accounting, auditing or financial management designation (CPA/ACCA/CIA/CMA or equivalent)
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential

Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Excellent knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of two years of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Excellent understanding and/or experience of financial modules a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management. Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications, especially MS-excel. Excellent communication and negotiation skills. Experience of managing people in multinational/multicultural environments.
Desirable
Project management accreditation highly desirable. Risk management certification. Good knowledge of UNHCR”s ERP system. Excellent knowledge of United Nations financial rules and procedures.

Functional Skills
FI-Financial Accounting – Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards
FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc)
FI-Financial auditing
FI-General Financial Management
FI-International Auditing Standards
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

The incumbent is required to have excellent analytical skills, allowing him/her to make judgement calls and be able to escalate sensitive issues as appropriate. The impact of the work has a high reputational risk to the organization. The incumbent must have proven experience in:

• Managing a high-volume transactional finance service in a centralized or shared service model.
• Leading and supervising a diverse team of operational finance staff and/or contract workers at various levels, working remotely and/or in-situ.
• Proven expertise with the AR Module in a modern ERP System (Oracle, SAP or similar), including detailed process understanding and knowledge of how the AR internal control framework is applied;
• Setting up and maintaining reporting structures for the monitoring of AR-related KPIs including central service delivery performance;
• Driving improvement of operational KPIs in the AR process through the streamlining of processes and the introduction of new technologies
• Strong knowledge of accrual-based accounting standards (IPSAS or IFRS) and their practical application. Internationally recognized accounting qualification (CPA, ACCA, CIMA, etc.) is desired.
• Working with auditors, including quality control of samples provided and responding to recommendations.

The ideal candidate will also demonstrate:

• An extensive understanding of accounts receivable processes;
• Ability to work independently within delegated authority;
• Ability to build and motivate a highly effective team;
• A strong service mentality towards internal and external clients and stakeholders;
• Well-developed organizational and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment;
• Advanced project management skills (e.g. through relevant experience or certifications such as Prince2 or PMP).
• Focus on process improvement and new IT system implementations with demonstrated capacity to formulate business requirements for technological enhancements;
• Excellent communication and presentation skills targeted to different audiences;
• Knowledge of accounts receivable operations in both HQ and field contexts in a UN system organization

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

Global Shared Services (GSS) provides location-independent transactional services in Finance, Payroll, Human Resources, Supply, and IT, to enable operations to focus on strategic and context-specific priorities globally. The GSS located in Budapest serves as the backbone of the service, which is supported by satellite teams in Panama, Amman, Kuala Lumpur, Dakar, and Nairobi. The GSS also works very closely with all enabling functions, DPM, DRM, DEPS, and ITS, to ensure policies and controls are implemented and delivered in an efficient manner. The strategic direction and operating modalities of the service are governed by the GSS Advisory Board.

This position is part of the Finance section of the GSS and will report to the Chief of Financial Shared Services Section. Responsibilities include:

• Lead the GSS Accounts Receivable (AR) service, ensuring that AR transactions are recorded timely and accurately, and all month-end and year-end cut-off processes are implemented in line with relevant guidance.

• Supervise and manage the AR team to achieve consistent quality and timely processing of AR transactions, adhering to applicable KPIs and SLAs.

• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to staff and contractors, fostering a high-performance culture and knowledge-sharing across the centralized finance team.

• Review and approve AR journals and invoices prepared by the team, ensuring compliance to internal rules and procedures as well as IPSAS compliance.

• Ensure accounting records are correct and reliable, including proactive monitoring and reconciliation activities to ensure accuracy, matching of transactions, clearing of open items, and addressing discrepancies.

• Establish and coordinate the processing of unidentified deposits to ensure they are applied accurately and timely.

• Design workflows between the field and HQ to optimize the GSS AR, petty cash and operational advance processes, ensuring that segregation of duties and internal controls are adequately addressed.

• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and contribute to user training for HQ and Field staff on best practices related to AR, processing of incoming deposits, petty cash and operational advances.

• Collaborate actively with stakeholders in GSS Finance, HQ divisions and client offices to support accurate recording and issue resolution.

• Contribute to the monthly and year-end financial close cycle, with a focus on sub-ledger closure, payment accounting integrity and timely GL adjustments.

• Support as required audit readiness and internal control frameworks, including the preparation of process documentation, sample traceability, and system-generated reports required for internal and external audits. Serve as focal point for AR related queries to External Auditors.

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

FI-Financial Accounting – Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards, FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc), FI-Financial auditing, FI-General Financial Management, FI-International Auditing Standards

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Accounting, Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Finance, Bachelor of Arts: Public Administration

Certifications

Accounting – Other, Auditing – Other, Financial Management – Other

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Managing performance, Managing resource, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Flash Vacancy Notice

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position requires Functional Clearance