Finance Officer P4 – Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou
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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.
Are you a Finance Professional interested in further developing your professional experience while contributing to ending global hunger? Are you passionate about helping those in need? Would you like to join a global organisation investing in its people?
If so, an exciting & fulfilling career awaits you! Join our diverse and passionate team that works on varied and international projects directly contributing to saving & changing millions of lives around the globe
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
Applications must be submitted before Sunday, July 02, 2023
WHO WE ARE
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries and territories, bringing life-saving assistance in emergencies, building pathways to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change and supporting sustainable and resilient livelihoods for a world with zero hunger.
At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP, visit our website: UN World Food Programme (WFP) and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
WHY JOIN US
WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse and multicultural working environment WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of trainings, accreditation, coaching, mentorship and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe We offer attractive compensation package (please refer to Terms and Conditions section)
ABOUT WFP OPERATION IN BURKINA FASO
In Burkina Faso, the World Food Programme (WFP) is assisting the government to implement a school feeding programme consisting of regular school feeding, emergency school feeding and school feeding with local products. The country's current political crisis and the continued deterioration of conflicts have resulted in one of the fastest growing internal displacements of people with over 1.8 million people displaced since 2019. Political instability, conflict, climate change and socio-economic problems are the main drivers of growing food insecurity in Burkina Faso, with nearly 3.5 million people experiencing food insecurity, or about 16 percent of the national population. Poor harvests and high food prices have added an additional layer of complexity in Burkina for an already vulnerable population facing multiple shocks.
The Head of Finance willl lead the Country Office (CO) to provide support and guidance on stewardship of WFP’s resources, coordinating the work of their team and/or managing the financial management and reporting requirements of the WFP Country office operations. To leverage expertise to provide innovative strategies and technical approaches to financial matters, in order to ensure that assistance to Beneficiaries is undertaken most efficiently and effectively.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)
The incumbent of this position will lead the Finance team in providing strategic direction to WFP operation in Burkina Faso on financial management. She/he will lead a diverse team of national and international staff (where applicable). The responsibilities include:
- Support the roll out of corporate finance and resource management strategies, through contributing to the development of strategically aligned policies, and participating in key programmatic initiatives, and embedding value for money in these initiatives through advice on financial assessment, reporting and accounting.
- Advise and support the CO in implementing finance, budgeting and resource management policies and plans in order to ensure transparent and efficient utilization of WFP’s financial resources and identify areas for savings in current financial or business processes.
- Carry out regular visits to Field Offices as appropriate and assist in clarifying and improving proper application of policies and procedures and oversee preparation of reports on findings with improvement action plans.
- Coordinate the delivery of accurate financial reporting and analyses in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), ensuring accuracy, deadlines, accounting processes and corporate governance requirements are complied with for the Organization.
- Oversee the provision of financial assessment of partners, goods suppliers and service providers, including Financial Service Providers and other entities as needed, providing conclusions to management to enable them to make informed decisions.
- Design, implement, monitor and analyze budgets for new and ongoing projects according to established corporate procedures and requirements.
- Ensure that bank reconciliation, disbursements, clearance of receivables, overall cash management and monthly financial closures are performed regularly and in accordance with corporate requirements.
- Manage and coordinate administrative services and following standard processes to provide cost-effective, quality and timely services to WFP staff.
- Consolidate and analyze financial data, identifying potential trends and issues, presenting clear recommendations to inform management decision in addressing complexity in operations.
- Propose innovative financial solutions to achieve programmatic goals, develop and implement improvements to financial policies, systems and procedures in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations, minimize risk, and align services with business objectives.
- Develop and oversee the delivery of financial controls and insight into WFP performance, undertaking periodic risk and internal control assessments to identify areas which may present potential audit, compliance or financial risks.
- Lead, motivate and coach a team of finance professionals and general service staff to enable continued development and high performance.
- Represent Finance teams and/or Country Office at internal meetings, external meetings, and events with other UN agencies, banks, financial institutions, or other partners and entities as required.
- Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work, to ensure equal participation of women and men.
- Contribute to preparedness actions such as early warning, risk analysis and contingency planning and make recommendations. Periodically monitor the management of risks and report on any action taken.
- Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), policies, procedures, and templates for COs, ensuring that financial risk is minimized on programme interventions such as food delivery, Cash Based Transfer Programmes (CBT), Service Provisions and others and contributing to the integration of financial aspects in WFP systems and platforms
- Build and sustain robust partnerships with key stakeholders in the finance sectors and support supporting the CO in selecting suitable Financial Services Providers (FSPs) on cash-based transfer programmes and leveraging best practices from corporate partnerships.
- 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.
Experience
- A minimum of 8 years of postgraduate progressively responsible experience in the Finance field.
- Has managed budgets and financial statuses of projects/progammes.
- Has experience in multiple specialized financial areas.
- Has managed complex budgets in multiple country offices.
Language:
- Fluency (level C) in English language and French level B is required for this assignment.
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE
- Has managed budgets and financial statuses of projects/progammes.
- Has experience in multiple specialized financial areas.
- Has managed complex budgets in multiple country offices.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This is an International Professional position and candidates must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment. Mobility is and continues to be, a core contractual requirement in WFP. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed term as well as a rotational contract with a probationary period of one year.
WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days' annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more details, please visit icsc.un.org.
The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou to take up this assignment.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
- We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable)
- Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
- Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
- Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
- Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
- Please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
- Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment
WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.
