Finance Officer FT-NOA at World Food Programme

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

These jobs are found in Country Offices (COs), Regional Bureaux (RBs), and Headquarters (HQ). Job holders typically report to a more senior Finance Officer. They operate as part of a finance team in a CO or RB, providing general financial support. Depending on the size and needs of the office or unit, the job may cover all aspects of finance, budget, and administration, or it may emphasize finance or more of these aspects. Job holders at this level are likely to be working under the supervision of a more experienced staff member, receiving guidance and regular feedback on work performed. They support the collation, maintenance, analysis and reporting of information to maximize the effectiveness of financial services.

JOB PURPOSE

To support the stewardship of WFP’s resources, monitoring budgets, forecasting, reporting on key data and providing basic administrative and human resource functions that enable effective management of funds, and ensure assistance to beneficiaries is undertaken in the most efficient and effective way possible.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Maintain awareness of corporate finance and resource management strategies and major ongoing programmatic initiatives, participating where appropriate using finance and resource management expertise.
Contribute towards the development of country specific plans and processes, aligned with Regional and wider WFP strategy, policies and processes to meet the food assistance needs of beneficiaries within the Country.
Report on key data for financial status and outcomes of projects in accordance with corporate governance requirements, ensuring accuracy, deadlines, and accounting processes are complied with.
Monitor budgets, and carry out forecasting for new and ongoing projects according to established corporate procedures and requirements.
Perform bank reconciliations, disbursements, clearance of receivables, overall cash management and monthly financial closures on a regular basis in accordance with corporate requirements.
Where necessary, deliver core administrative services, working with contractors and following standard processes to provide cost-effective, quality and timely services to WFP staff.
Where necessary, undertake basic human resource functions related to staff benefits, recruitment of local staff, and training.
Collate data and contribute to preparation of accurate and timely reporting, providing management with financial, staffing and resource usage information to enable them to make informed decisions.
Track and collate data to support others to improve policies, systems and procedures in order to minimise financial risks, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations, and ensure services are aligned with business objectives.
Contribute to the delivery of financial controls and insight into WFP performance, supporting periodic risk and internal control assessments to identify areas which may present potential audit, compliance or financial risks.
Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.
Represent unit/CO at internal meetings, external meetings and events with other UN agencies, banks and other financial institutions, or other partners and entities as required.
Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy food and needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.
Other as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or related fields, or First University degree in the same subject(s) with additional years of related work experience plus membership in an international recognized professional accountancy body such as Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Certified Public Accounts (ICPA) or equivalent.

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in Spanish and English.

Experience: At least one year of postgraduate professional experience in the finance Field.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Has performed basic financial analyses at a national and/or operational level.
• Has experience managing financial transactions.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Position: Finance Officer (Finance Unit)

Number of openings: 1

Based in: Panama City, Panama

Type of Contract: Fixed Term

Level: National Officer/ NOA

Duration: 12 months.

Only short-listed qualified candidates will receive an acknowledgement.

This position is open only to Panamanian citizens.

You can consult the UN Salary Scale for Panama page for your reference.

Fixed-Term appointments are for a continuous period of one year or more and shall have a specified expiration date.” Successful candidates will be placed in a roster for 2 years.”

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline to apply to this position is February 17, 2022.

Link to apply:

https://career5.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=154304&company=C0000168410P

How to apply

To apply, please create a personal account and fill out the profile form with your personal information at http://www1.wfp.org/careers/job-openings. If you are internal applicant, apply through your E-Recruitment profile.

In the application form, ensure filling the mandatory sections, attaching your CV, answering the pre-screening questions and agreeing on the legal statement before submitting your application. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis on account of potential and performance. All applicants will undergo a rigorous process which includes screening against job requirements, a technical test, and a panel interview.