Finance Associate

Organizational Context

The Finance Associate is supervised by a senior finance colleague, following UNHCR manuals and policies. The role involves processing financial transactions and maintaining contact with internal staff and bank officials. The incumbent may supervise support staff, contributing to UNHCR's mission within delegated authorities and core values of professionalism, integrity, and respect for diversity.

Job Purpose

The Finance Associate's primary purpose is to assist in the processing of financial transactions and maintain robust financial records and monitoring systems. This includes reconciling expenditures, balances, payments, and other financial data for daily operations and reporting. The role involves accurately entering data from various documents, verifying its accuracy, and ensuring all relevant information is included. Additionally, the Finance Associate prepares regular and ad-hoc financial reports for budgeting, audits, and other needs. They provide guidance to staff, experts, and consultants on financial matters such as allowances, advances, and travel claims, calculating and authorizing payments. Maintaining liaison with banks for currency rates and account management is also crucial. The role supports budget analysis, cost estimation, and initiates correspondence to resolve financial queries and verify data, ensuring all transactions comply with UNHCR rules and procedures.

Responsibilities

The Finance Associate is responsible for maintaining comprehensive financial records and monitoring systems, ensuring accurate recording and reconciliation of expenditures, balances, payments, and other financial data for daily transactions and reports. This involves meticulously selecting and entering data from diverse documents, verifying accuracy by cross-referencing sources, performing necessary calculations, and confirming the inclusion of all pertinent information. The role entails preparing scheduled recurring reports and ad-hoc special reports required for budget preparation, audits, or other specific purposes. A key responsibility is advising and assisting staff members, experts, and consultants on all financial aspects, including allowances, salary advances, and travel claims, and subsequently calculating and authorizing payments for these claims and services. The incumbent must maintain effective liaison with local bank officials to obtain current information on exchange and interest rates, procedural changes, and regulations relevant to office bank accounts. Furthermore, the Finance Associate is tasked with preparing detailed cost estimates and actively participating in budget analysis and projections as needed. They initiate correspondence to verify data, respond to queries, and gather additional information on accounts and financial transactions. A critical duty is to verify that all financial transactions are accurate and strictly adhere to UNHCR rules and procedures. The role also includes supporting the identification and management of risks and seizing opportunities that may impact the area of responsibility, ensuring risk-based decision-making. Finally, the Finance Associate performs other related duties as required.

Work Experience

3 years of relevant experience with a High School Diploma, or 2 years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent. Essential: High IT affinity (MS Office, PeopleSoft). Desirable: Cloud ERP knowledge, UN/UNHCR financial rules, and completion of relevant UNHCR learning programs.

Skills

Financial record maintenance Financial monitoring systems Expenditure reconciliation Payment processing Data entry and verification Financial reporting Budget analysis Cost estimation Liaison with banks Risk management MS Office proficiency PeopleSoft proficiency

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