Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system’s efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In order to respond to the demands of national partners UN Women established its presence in 2000 in Moldova. The office currently provides technical assistance in the following key areas of UN Women’s Strategic Plan (SP) 2011-2013: political participation of women, ending violence against women, national women’s economic empowerment and gender responsive and budgeting and planning.

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative, Moldova, and direct supervision of the UN Women Moldova Operations Manager the Programme Finance Associate is responsible for managing and supervising the execution of a wide range of financial services and administrative processes in the Country Office (CO), ensuring timeliness, efficiency and transparent use of financial resources and delivery of services in accordance with organizational financial rules, regulations, policies, procedures and approved allocations. The Programme Finance Associate promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with UN Women rules and regulations, standard practices and guidelines.

The Programme Finance Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations Manager of the Moldova CO as well as with the operations, programme, and project teams in UN Women HQ and in the region for solving complex finance-related issues and information delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

• Administration and implementation of program and operational financial services
• Support to management of the country program, budget preparation and administration
• Accounting and administrative support
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Administration and implementation of program and operational financial services

• Review and verify financial transactions, activities, and documentation for accuracy, appropriateness and completeness and ensure full compliance of financial services and transactions with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and recording and reporting systems. Certify transactions for accuracy and propriety prior to submission to the supervisor for approval and/or action.
• Analyze and interpret the financial rules and regulations, as well as established policies and procedures, and provide advice and recommend solutions to a wide range of financial issues.
• Review drafts for cost sharing and Trust Fund agreements including conditions of contributions within resource mobilization efforts. Follow up on contributions within the CO’s resource mobilization efforts.
• Monitor and implement the effective and proper functioning of the financial resources management system.
• Manage the financial business processes mapping and elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in finance, in consultation with the supervisor.
• Monitor the financial status and implement control mechanisms for management and development projects and keep stakeholders and clients informed for timely actions and decisions. Review status reports for quality control.
• Recommend and/or implement cost saving and reduction strategies, in consultation with the office management.
• Monitor financial exceptions report for unusual activities or transactions, investigate anomalies and report to the supervisor on conclusions and/or present recommendations for actions and decisions.
• Follow-up and/or take action on audit recommendations to ensure implementation of corrective actions. Assist with reviewing the audit reports on NGO executed projects.
• Supervise and guide staff and personnel under his/her responsibility, as applicable, provide technical guidance and monitor performance to ensure delivery of results according to plans and standards of accountability and performance.

Support to management of the CO program, preparation and administration of budgets

• Collect, verify and present thoroughly researched information and data for use in the planning of financial resources and the formulation of country program work plans, budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements and execution modalities.
• Input data in ATLAS for new grants in the form of Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and monitor status. Keep stakeholders and clients informed for timely action and/or decisions.
• Contribute to office budget planning and preparation by presenting thoroughly researched information for planning of financial resources of the CO, including reports containing an analysis of the office’s financial situation (expenditures versus budget allocations).
• Provide information and guidance to the executing agencies on routine implementation of projects. Keep track of the appropriate and timely use of financial resources.
• Verify accuracy of Combined Programme Delivery Reports and One UN Financial Reports as applicable. Take appropriate action to ensure accuracy of information.
• Provide information for the audit of projects and implementation of audit recommendations.
• Implement control mechanisms for development projects through monitoring budgets preparation and modifications and budgetary status. Track and report on program and operational financial resources.
• Prepare accurate and timely mandated financial reports to donors and other clients and stakeholders.
• Prepare timely cost recovery documents for the services provided by UN Women to non-core programmes by core programme resources or prepare bills for services provided to other organizations for reimbursement. Elaborate and implement the income tracking system and follow-up on cost recovery.

Accounting services and administrative support

• Review and verify accuracy and relevancy of the supporting documents for payments and prepare financial reports. Prepare PO and non-PO vouchers for development projects.
• Maintain internal expenditures control systems to ensure that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in ATLAS, payrolls are duly prepared and processed; travel claims, MPOs and other entitlements are duly processed. 
• Review accounts receivables for UN Women projects and follow-up with project managers and finance section at headquarters on contributions, deposits creation in ATLAS and their application to AR pending items.
• Maintain up to date and accurate data in ATLAS and take timely corrective actions on erroneous data. 
• Maintain proper follow up of advances to implementing partners, review their financial reports together with project managers and be fully satisfied before making next installment.
• Draft financial reports for donors in accordance with donor requirements, UN Women procedures and in conjunction with project managers.
• Associate revenue and expenditure in commitment control for non-core projects.
• Manage petty cash fund, cash imprest level and other temporary GL accounts, ensuring accuracy and transparency in use and reporting.
• Undertake timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions and unapproved vouchers. Provide timely responses to HQ requests to resolve financial data issues.
• Prepare timely VAT reimbursements with adequate documentation support.
• Ensure all supporting documents on financial transactions are secured and properly filed.
• Act as vendor approver.

Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Contribute to training initiatives on financial processes by conducting trainings and/or organizing training events and activities.
• Capture, synthesize and/or codify lessons learned and best practices in financial management and services. Disseminate to clients and stakeholders as appropriate to build capacity and knowledge.
• Design and/or introduce innovations in financial business operational practices and management.
• Train and support national partners on financial issues as required including within the context of implementation of the HACT under the Delivering as One.

The key results have an impact on the CO’s overall efficiency in financial resources management and success in implementation of operational strategies.  Accurate analysis and presentation of financial information enhances UN Women’s credibility in the use of financial resources and proper financial process management. The information provided facilitates decision making for management.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

• Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies

• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative
• Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multiethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and ensure consistent behavior towards others
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making

Functional  Competencies:

• Very good analytical skills and results orientation
• Client-oriented approach to work
• Skills to manage relationships and communicate
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

• Completion of high school/secondary education
• Specialized or possesses certification in accounting and finance, and University Degree in Business or Public Administration is desirable, but not a requirement.

Experience: 

• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in financial management and administration, in a large corporation or organization is required
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems is preferably.

• Written and oral proficiency in English and national language of the duty station is required
• Knowledge of the other UN working knowledge is an asset.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

All online applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from
 http://www.unwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/P_11_form_UNwomen.doc.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.