UNDP Jobs - 52029- Re-advertisement

Re-advertisement - Policy Specialist

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

04-Feb-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

one year renewable

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Those who previously applied need not re-apply

The Office of Financial Resources Management (OFRM), Bureau of Management, supports the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the promotion of its sustainable human development agenda. It achieves this by developing and making fully operational a dynamic and harmonized integrated resource management framework based on comprehensive analysis that enhances UNDP’s financial and administrative performance, as well as facilitates UN reform and coherence. To these ends, the framework addresses strategically critical financial resource planning and management issues, including results based budgeting; the integration of the Programming Arrangements and the Institutional Budget within the context of the integrated budget from 2014 onwards; enhanced cost classification and cost recovery; capital budgeting; adherence to IPSAS; foreign exchange and investment activities; corporate reporting of organizational assets; performance management tools and initiatives; and support to UN harmonization.

Effective and efficient integrated resources management is enabled through a continuous and robust process comprising:

Formulation and implementation of corporate financial and administrative strategies, policies and procedures;
Formulation, alignment, documentation and implementation of UNDP’s funding frameworks, assuring their integrity, viability and alignment with the Strategic Plan;
Provision of policy guidance, advisory services and operational support to strengthen client capacities and help them achieve results, seeking to build consensus within UNDP and with key stakeholders on critical budgetary related matters requiring Executive Board legislation;
Administration of the organization’s internal control framework, overseeing and monitoring financial management of all global UNDP offices, including through formulation/implementation of resource planning, management and oversight tools and reports;
Promoting clear accountability for financial transactions and producing financial statements, including financial reporting to donors and the UNDP Executive Board;
Providing corporate reporting guidance to ensure that fixed assets are adequately recorded in all locations.

This post is part of OFRM's Division of Finance and Budget Management which drives the coordination of the production and the dissemination of policies and procedures within OFRM, concentrating on areas such as the financial, accounting, treasury resource planning, budgeting, allocations and management, performance monitoring and measurement and cost recovery policies and procedures. It provides coordinated guidance on policies and procedures, and oversight and control in these areas.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Financial Resources Manager the Policy Specialist plays a key role in coordinating policy and procedures formulation and dissemination, the provision of guidance, and contributing towards the preparation of Executive Board Papers on related matters and corporate strategic initiatives.

Summary of key functions

The Policy Specialist will coordinate the conceptualization, formulation, dissemination and implementation of financial resource and management policies, including corporate cost recovery policies. The Policy Specialist will also assist in coordinating the maintenance and updating of policies and procedures, and reviewing revenue and partnership agreements, non-standard terms and conditions within UNDP contracts and exceptions proposed to the internal control framework.

The Policy Specialist will work closely with relevant team members as well as programme and operations colleagues and Practice Groups from HQ Bureaux and country offices and other internal stakeholders. The Deputy Director, Finance and Budget Management Division, will be the primary supervisor responsible for setting PMD results and evaluating performance.

Provide direct support and analytical inputs to the formulation of a coherent, holistic and implementable conceptual framework for financial resources as a cornerstone of UNDP’s integrated budget strategy covering all resources. This will include: formulation of related policy directives; specification of relevant business and implementation procedures; support to the rollout of requisite systems and tools; and transfer of knowledge.

Support UNDP participation in UN System inter-agency bodies dealing with harmonization and simplification of operational modalities related to financial resources management, budgetary and cost recovery policies and issues.

Improve knowledge management and application of financial and budgetary policies, procedures and systems through:

Coordinate the maintenance and updating of policies and procedures, and ensure alignment between UNDP and other Agencies policies where appropriate, and updating of all related prescriptive content;
Assist in ensuring that policies and procedures reflect international standards, including IPSAS where relevant, are streamlined, understandable and in line with best practice.Transfer of knowledge through workshops, LRC courses, and bilateral advisory support.

Review and assess compliance of all revenue and partnership agreements, non-standard terms and conditions within UNDP contracts and exceptions proposed to the internal control framework and cost recovery policies.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation & judgment:

Ability to interpret Executive Board legislation on resource planning matters and to translate such legislation into simple procedures;
Emphasizes innovative, new approaches to traditional resource related problems;
Communication (oral & written): Uses written documents and reports to communicate influentially;
Excellent writing and presentation skills to communicate complex matters in simple understandable language.

Functional/Technical:

Problem analysis and decision-making:

Excellent analytical skills to generate and assess policy options for organizational decision makers;
Anticipates and proactively resolves problems with both internal and external clients.

Systems and data analysis expertise:

Demonstrated facility with using and understanding UNDP’s ERP system (Atlas), combined with the ability to extract and analyze data effectively for problem-solving and decision-making.

Client orientation:

Builds successful ongoing relationships with internal (Country Offices, Regional and Central Bureaus) and external clients (operational-level colleagues of bilateral donors and Executive Board members) to explain and effectively interpret UNDP’s cost recovery policies.

Teamwork and inter-personal skills:

Works effectively in teams and maintains productive working relations within and outside the unit;
Ability to capture, consolidate and share technical knowledge and expertise with others.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced (Master’s) University Degree in Business Administration, or Finance/Accounting or a professional accounting qualification certificate from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in resource and/or project management with good knowledge of UNDP’s various resource and funding frameworks and cost recovery-related issues and challenges;
Demonstrated proficiency in UNDP resource management operations and systems;
Strong experience in preparing data and information management analyses using Microsoft Excel and/or Microsoft Access, and in preparing persuasive presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Language:

Fluency in English;
Working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage, particularly Spanish or French.