Finance Assistant ,

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives in emergencies and building pathways to peace and prosperity. WFP utilizes food assistance to support people recovering from conflict, disasters, and climate change impacts. We are committed to a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, operating with integrity, collaboration, commitment, humanity, and inclusion.

Job Purpose

The Finance Assistant will support the National Finance Officer and Head of Administration and Finance in managing financial operations. This role involves responding to tax inquiries, retrieving and verifying financial data from various systems, and ensuring timely processing of invoices and vendor claims in compliance with WFP policies. The assistant will also assist in preparing financial reports, monitoring expenditures against budgets, and maintaining accurate records for fixed assets and expenditures. Additionally, the position requires providing guidance and training to support staff, ensuring consistent service delivery and adherence to procedures. This role is crucial for maintaining financial integrity and supporting the efficient functioning of WFP's operations.

Responsibilities

The Finance Assistant role involves comprehensive management of financial operations and compliance. Key responsibilities include responding to tax-related inquiries from tax authorities and retrieving financial data such as paid invoices and payment advice from internal systems. The position requires ensuring timely forwarding of invoices to relevant units and acting as a backup for petty cash management. A crucial aspect is verifying vendor claims, advances, and receivables, ensuring adherence to procurement procedures to facilitate prompt supplier payments in line with WFP's financial policies. The role also supports the preparation of various financial reports by gathering and consolidating information. Data validation from financial management systems, identifying discrepancies, and following up on corrective actions are essential. Administrative tasks include monitoring and recording fixed assets, fuel consumption, and expenditures on vehicle and generator spare parts, maintaining accurate databases. The assistant will manage a web-based tracking system for invoices and payment transfers, ensuring proper documentation and retention. Additionally, they will monitor expenditures against budgets for accurate cost allocation and timely payments, and provide guidance and training to support staff to ensure consistent service delivery and adherence to standards.

Work Experience

The ideal candidate has experience collecting and monitoring financial data for projects and programs. This includes assessing financial health and status, and reporting these findings to senior leadership. A secondary school education is required, with a post-secondary certificate in a related field being desirable. Fluency in both English and French is also necessary.

Skills

Financial data collection and monitoring, Financial health assessment, Reporting financial findings, Tax-related request management, Invoice retrieval and processing, Petty cash management, Vendor claim verification, Budget preparation assistance, Data validation and discrepancy identification, Fixed asset monitoring, Expenditure tracking, Invoice and payment transfer system maintenance, Cost allocation, On-the-job training and coaching

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