Umoja Finance Team Leader, D-1

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:15 May 2010

DATE OF ISSUANCE:16 Mar 2010

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT:Department of Management

DUTY STATION:New York

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER:10-ADM-DM-423991-R-NEW YORK

Remuneration
Depending on professional background, experience and family situation, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Responsibilities
Umoja is an initiative that aims to transform the United Nations Secretariat to enable high-quality, cost-effective service delivery to meet evolving mandates everywhere the Organization operates. Umoja, which means unity in Swahili, will unite the many support and administrative entities throughout the Secretariat, including in peacekeeping and field missions, through re-designed and common processes for the management of all financial, human and physical resources; a single integrated information system; and training of staff. Umoja transcends organizational, geographical and functional barriers, fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, empowerment, sharing and unity across the Secretariat. Under the overall guidance of the Umoja Director, the Umoja Finance Team Leader will manage the Finance Team and will perform the following duties and responsibilities: Formulate and implement the substantive Finance work programme for the Team, oversee the management of activities undertaken by the Team, coordinate work among the specialized areas within the Team, provide substantive reviews of the drafts prepared and ensure that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion.
-Assist the Director in preparing the Umoja work programme, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
-Ensure that the output produced by the Finance Team maintains high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data; that all output produced under his/her supervision meets required standards and best industry practice before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
-Lead, supervise and carry out a detailed analysis of existing key finance, accounting and budgeting processes and related functionalities at the Secretariat, Offices away from Headquarters (OAHs), Regional Commissions and peacekeeping and other field operations worldwide.
-Partner with Strategic Integrator(s) to develop and implement the solution.
-Provide expert guidance related to process re-engineering and ensure validation of outcomes by stakeholders; collaborate in the determination of the functional fit of ERP software and the evaluation of inter-operability with existing administrative applications.
-Develop strong relations with UN stakeholders, including the Controller, the Office of Programme Planning, Budgets and Accounts (OPPBA) and the IPSAS Team, to ensure the suitability of the solution for the Organization and the effective interface with other administrative systems and processes.
-Secure the participation of Subject Matter Experts in design of the solution, as well as subsequent testing and training.
-Oversee the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Finance Team, including preparation of budgets, inputs for results-based budgeting, reporting on budget/programme performance, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), and interviews of candidates for job openings. -Contribute to the development and implementation of a change management plan and coordinate the development of user training modules and manuals.
-Oversee the preparation of Finance Team input to Umoja reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
-Oversee the preparation of Finance Team input to Umoja reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in the annual reports.
-Manage, guide, develop and train staff under his/her supervision.
-Foster teamwork and communication among staff in the Team, and across organizational boundaries.
-Lead and supervise the organization of meetings, seminars on ERP-related matters associated with the finance function and manage the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings and ERP-related seminars.

Competencies
Professionalism – Knowledge of a broad range of finance issues at policy and operational level as indicated above, and ability to provide substantive advice to the Umoja Director and team. Knowledge of the UN regulations and rules and respective administrative systems utilized at the Headquarters offices, in field offices and in peacekeeping missions. Knowledge of published accounting standards, preferably International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Familiarity with modern ERP systems and with change management principles including stakeholder analysis, workforce transition planning and organizational change management. Familiarity with UN programme/project management policies and practices. Planning and Organizing - Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. Teamwork - Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Communications - Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Leadership - Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; Empowers others to translate vision into results; Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; Anticipates and resolves conflict by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; Drives for change and improvement: does not accept the status quo; Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provide leadership and take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrate knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of achieving gender balance in staffing. Managing Performance - Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; Appraises performance fairly. Judgment/Decision making - - Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; Gathers information before making a decision; Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and the organization; Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; Checks assumptions against facts; Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; Makes tough decisions when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in business administration, accounting, information technology, engineering, or related field. A professional certification in Accounting or Finance such as CPA, ACA, CMA, CFA is required. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience
A minimum of fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in financial accounting, financial management, budget or related area. Experience in providing financial management to a line of business, including undertaking financial analysis, forecasting and results-based budgeting (RBB)/results-based management (RBM) is required. Experience in implementing and/or upgrading at least one commercial, modern enterprise resources planning system (ERP) is required, as well as working in at least one office or duty station of a major global entity, preferably public sector, more preferably in the UN common system.

Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an advantage.

Other Skills
Knowledge of enterprise content management (ECM) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems highly desirable. Knowledge of other UN applications such as UNBIS or FMT is desirable.

The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

How to apply

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the vacancy announcement. Because applications submitted by United Nations (UN) staff members are considered first, provided the eligibility requirements set out in ST/AI/2006/3 are met and the application is submitted in a timely fashion, staff members should apply within 15-day or 30-day mark.

Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgment within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please go to “My UN” page and check the status of your application by clicking on “View Application History”, and resubmit the application, if necessary.

1. To start the application process, applicants are required to register by opening a "My UN" account. Go to Login, and Register as a User. Fill in the form and choose a User Name and Password.

2. After opening the account, applicants may apply for vacancies using the Personal History Profile (PHP) provided. Once the PHP has been completed for a particular vacancy, it can be saved and used for future applications. The PHP may be up-dated, when necessary, for future applications.

3. In completing the PHP, please note that all fields marked with an asterisk must be completed.

4. UN staff members must submit scanned copies of their two latest Performance Appraisal System (PAS) reports at the time of application to the appropriate Human Resources Office (HRO)/Personnel Office (PO) to the email address below, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. In case you have no access to the digitizing equipment, please submit hard copies of the two latest PAS reports to the relevant HRO/PO via fax.

E-mail: staffing@un.org,

Fax: 1-917-367-0524