Budget and Finance Assistant

The post is located in the Centralized Management Unit (CMU) of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) in Turin (Italy). The incumbent will be working under the direct supervision of the Senior Finance and Budget Assistant and under the overall guidance of the Chief, Centralized Management Unit. For more information on UNICRI, please visit the website: www.unicri.it

Within assigned authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following specific duties: Claims: • Maintain all service payments for goods and services to third parties, individuals, vendors, UN service providers, implementing partners and reimbursement to staff. • Review and prepare relevant payments in a timely and accurate manner, in accordance with UN Financial Regulations and Rules, and monitor open vendor items to ensure timely recovery of payments, and analyse relevant accounts receivables and payables. Treasury: • Serve as Treasury focal point: review incoming payment instructions with regard to banking details. • Create bank details of all UNICRI Business Partners. • Review payment statuses, identify exceptions or rejected payments along with the possible underlying causes, and take corrective actions. • Notify payees on the status of payments. • Identify donors’ cash deposits and assist project managers and donors with inquiries on deposit-related issues. • Liaise with external UN Financial Services (UNOV, UNOG, UNHQ, etc.) to clear receivables and net payments. • Ensure accurate submission of various treasury documents and forms and communicate banking-related issues to UNICRI’s clients. Accounting: • Review and analyse UNICRI accounts by extracting data from the accounting system, investigating financial records and preparing accounting vouchers and corrections to record a wide variety of financial transactions. • Assist in the preparation of year-end reports and in various financial exercises during the year (review advances, receivables, clearing of open items, accruals); compile data extracted from the financial system and from other relevant source documents. Budget: • Assist in the financial backstopping of the UNICRI Trust Fund, including monitoring voluntary contributions and expenditures on a monthly basis. • Engage in financial data analyses, using various data sources, such as the UN’s own applicable Enterprise Resources Planning system (SAP system, UMOJA), and prepare information using advanced financial office software solutions. • Highlight areas of concern for the attention of the supervisors. • Extract project data and provide updated expenditure reports for each project by investigating discrepancies and analysing transactions using various Umoja tools. • Verify accuracy of data input and initiate corrective actions regarding allotments and expenditures. • Assist UNICRI senior management with the preparation of the yearly cost estimates and revisions, and assist in the preparation of budget performance reports. General: • Process incoming Inter Office Vouchers and communicate with field offices and project teams to ensure and validate SES recordings in the relevant application; create grants based on signed funding agreements and sales orders for service delivery. • Draft routine correspondence with respect to enquiries related to relevant financial and budgetary matters. • Maintain and keep files up to date. • Assist with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making. • Assist with visualisations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Perform other work-related duties as required.

• Professionalism: Has knowledge of, and ability to apply, financial rules, regulations and procedures in the UN environment. Has the ability to maintain accurate records, review and interpret a wide variety of data. Has knowledge, skills and ability to extract, interpret, analyse and format data across the full range of finance and budget functions, including programme development and database management, claims and treasury operations. Has the ability to perform analysis, modelling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Demonstrates commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. • Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. • Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Not available.

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible work experience in finance, budget, accounting, administrative services or related area is required. The minimum number of years of relevant experience is reduced to three (3) for candidates with a first-level university degree or higher. Work experience in supporting the implementation and monitoring of projects and programs with focus on project finance (budgeting, expenditure tracking, variance analysis, reporting, cash control) is required. Work experience in processing financial transactions in financial module of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system (such as SAP/Umoja) is required. Experience working with the United Nations or similar international organizations is desirable. Work experience in data analytics, including preparation of budget performance reports is desirable. Work experience in processing treasury forms and with financial processes and system workflows is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

This position is funded from extra-budgetary resources and is limited to service with UNICRI. Filling of this position is subject to funding availability, and the initial appointment will be for a period of one year. Extension of the appointment will be subject to the availability of funds.  This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their career in accordance with established rules and procedures. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. The movement of staff members from the General Service and related categories to the Professional category in the United Nations Secretariat is exclusively allowed through the Young Professionals Programme competitive examinations. Only few staff members pass the competitive examinations. Passing the competitive examinations does not guarantee movement to the Professional category. For further information, please visit https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=GP

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places 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. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.