FINANCE AND BUDGET ASSISTANT

Organizational Context

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority, setting the environmental agenda and promoting sustainable development within the UN system. The Ecosystems Division provides technical assistance to developing countries. This Finance and Budget Assistant role is within the Programme of Work (POW) Finance Unit in Nairobi, supporting the Finance and Budget Officer.

Job Purpose

This role provides essential support in financial and budget management within UNEP's Ecosystems Division. The Finance and Budget Assistant is responsible for assisting with the preparation, review, and analysis of medium-term plans, cost estimates, and budget proposals, ensuring accurate staff and non-staff resource allocation. The position involves monitoring expenditures against approved budgets, processing requisitions, and preparing budget performance reports. Additionally, the role supports data integrity within financial databases, handles financial correspondence, and may provide guidance to junior staff. This function is crucial for the effective financial planning, execution, and reporting of UNEP's programs, contributing to the organization's mandate.

Responsibilities

The Finance and Budget Assistant supports the review, analysis, and preparation of medium-term plans and budget proposals, including cost estimates for staff and non-staff requirements. Responsibilities include monitoring expenditures against approved budgets, preparing necessary adjustments, and reviewing requisitions for goods and services to ensure correct expenditure objects and fund availability. The role assists in preparing budget performance submissions and reports, analyzing variances, and maintaining the integrity of financial databases. Tasks also involve verifying data accuracy, coordinating with finance and budget staff, filing, and archiving. General duties include staying updated on relevant guidelines, drafting financial correspondence, maintaining files, and potentially supervising other general service staff. The assistant also aids in data collection, analysis, presentation, and updating information materials.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in project budget management is required. This is reduced to five years for candidates with a first-level university degree. Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software (e.g., Umoja) and in administration/project financial management is mandatory. Experience within the UN system or similar international organizations, and in data analytics, is desirable.

Skills

Professionalism, Client Orientation, Technological Awareness, financial rules and regulations, data analysis and interpretation, record keeping, problem-solving, ERP software proficiency, project financial management.

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