Finance Analyst

Scope: In your role as Finance Analyst, you will be part of a small team that delivers financial management support to business areas providing administrative, human resources and IT services. You will be primarily responsible for managing their budgets and analyzing their cost drivers. You will work in continuous collaboration with other teams, both in the GTS Division and in those areas. The Financial Analyst is responsible for all areas relating to financial planning, analysis and reporting. This position will be responsible for adherence to accounting principles, practices and procedures to ensure accurate and timely financial statements. This position addresses tight deadlines and a multitude of finance activities including grant reporting, general ledger preparation, budgeting and forecast activities. The Financial Analyst will have contact with senior-level directors and the mission’s regional Director and Controller, which requires strong interpersonal communication skills both written and verbal.

United Nations Considerations:

The United Nations {UN} staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the UN Secretary General and may be assigned to any activities or offices of the Organization, in accordance with the provisions of the UN service code. Therefore, UN staff members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their status as international civil servants. In this connection, UN has incorporated the 2013 Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service into the UN Personnel Instructions. In accordance with the UN Staff Regulations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible and ensuring equal gender representation. Subject to the foregoing, selection of staff members shall be made without distinction as to race, ethnicity, sex or religion, nor shall there be any discrimination on account of any disability of a candidate who meets the qualifications required to perform the tasks. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications with their recent CV and cover letter according to the instructions provided in the application form to be considered for the current job opening.

Typical Responsibilities:

• Gather, connect and analyze financial and non-financial information in the relevant business context, as well as provide critical views, reports and advice to funds and service managers responsible for planning and steering budgets.
• Carry out the budget exercises for the supported business areas, ensuring accuracy and compliance with ECB, accounting and controlling rules;

actively contribute to the GTS analytics function, in particular from a financials perspective, including proposing best practices and procedures with a view to automation and continuous improvement.

• Timely and accurate grant reporting to clients.
• Support and challenge the organization during the forecast/planning cycles with responsibility of forecast accuracy target.
• Coordinate reporting and budgeting activities, including but not limited to monthly forecasting and multi-year planning in partnership with the other departments.
• Provide financial impact modeling and forecast sensitivity analysis for different business scenarios and strategic initiatives.
• Prepare detailed expense variance analysis and support the business in identifying and implementing cost optimization.
• Help to develop and maintain monthly/weekly reporting packages that include financial statements, KPI reporting, analysis of business trends, and comprehensive executive level explanations of variances and performance.
• Perform regular reconciliations of all cash accounts, and report on cash flow and forecast.
• Create sophisticated models that provide financial analysis and decision support to senior leadership on key business issues; propose potential solutions to complex problems across all aspects of the organization.
• As part of the finance team help upgrade and implement new planning system, supporting the move to a rolling monthly forecast.
• Supervise, oversee and develop department team members.
• Assist in development and implementation of new procedures and features to enhance the workflow of the missions’ finance management.
• Continually develop and maintain enhanced reporting capabilities for projects and grants.
• Support for Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable function.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills:

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or higher graduate qualification) in business administration, finance, economics, accounting, mathematics, computer science or related field.
• A first-level university degree or Diploma in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• 5+ years of experience in accounting or finance. Corporate accounting experience is preferred.
• In addition to the above, at least three years' experience in financial analysis, working with, for example, budgetary, accounting and financial data.
• Advanced analytical skills, advanced knowledge of analytical and data visualization techniques, and a proven ability to translate figures into meaningful and understandable business language.
• A proven ability to analyze & summarize complex & incomplete information effectively, & to evaluate different views in order to provide information, advice & solutions.
• Experience in using enterprise resource planning (ERP) software such as the core finance modules of SAP ERP (e.g. FI, FM, CO, MM).
• Advanced knowledge of MS Excel, MS Word and MS PowerPoint.
• An advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the UN, according to the Common UN Framework of Reference for Languages.
• A general understanding of IT services or facility management services.
• Experience in purchasing and invoice processing or in procurement-related tasks.
• Supervisory experience is preferred.
• Ability to present financial information to a non-financial audience.
• Working knowledge of financial strategies.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Detail-oriented and able to perform in a high-pressure environment.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite especially Excel and experience with accounting/finance software.