Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

H (no hardship)

Family

PR2

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Associate Finance Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Regional Controller or Senior Finance Officer and in functional coordination with the Division of Resource Management (DRM)'s Admin, Finance and Treasury Service (AFTS). In the Country or Multi-Country Offices, the incumbent may be supervised by a Senior Finance Officer, Assistant Representative - Administration, Head of Sub-Office, or other senior positions as delegated by the Representative.
The incumbent is responsible for coordinating, guiding, monitoring, advising on, and supporting the financial operations in the area of responsibility (AoR). With the objective to safeguard and optimize the utilization of UNHCR's monetary and physical resources, the incumbent contributes to the establishment of efficient and reliable mechanisms and processes to ensure compliance with UN financial regulations and UNHCR's rules, policies and procedures including, and not limited to, accounts payable and treasury processes, accounting, and implementation of internal control mechanisms, including support to oversight and audit functions.
The incumbent may support the supervisor with the identification and management of risks under their responsibility in close coordination with the Risk Management and Compliance Advisor. In the Regional Bureaux, the incumbent supports the work of the Regional Controller with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.
The incumbent may directly supervise national professional and general service staff.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Contribute to the assessment of budgetary needs for administrative budgets (ABOD); monitor and control ABOD expenditure.
- Analyse, evaluate and control disbursements/receipts, as well as expenditure variances against approved budgets.
- Review and approve vouchers, including ABOD and project disbursements.
- Propose monthly cash requirements for the Office, and ensure adequate and timely replenishments of funds.
- Contribute to the preparation and processing of monthly accounts.
- Provide financial status reports to supervisors.
- Analyse and evaluate all financial reports produced on a regular basis.
- Maintain effective business relationships with local banks.
- Assist in ensuring compliance with UNHCR and UN Financial Regulations and Rules, policies and procedures.
- Ensure that payments are effectuated by the monthly deadline.
- Ensure that monthly accounts are correct and approved, and ensure timely monthly bank reconciliations, including open items, review and clearance of unwanted requisitions and PO balances.
- Conduct regular checks of petty cash and cash accounts.
- Perform project control functions, in the absence of a dedicated project control position.
- Participate in the physical verification of UNHCR's local property, plant and equipment (PPE) and inventories.
- Verify that all financial transactions are correct and in accordance with UNHCR rules and procedures.
- In the absence of a senior finance position, ensure compliance with applicable financial rules, policies and procedures.
- In the absence of a senior finance position, certify country-level financial expenditure reports submitted to the regional office or Headquarters.

Regional financial services applicable to positions in the Regional Bureau only
- In coordination with relevant services in HQ, and to improve cost-effectiveness and process efficiency for operations, assist with the implementation and management of regional finance-related services such as: vendor and other related master data management and maintenance, invoice posting, travel claim processing, payments, bank reconciliations, accounting housekeeping and period cut-off activities, donor financial reporting, etc.
- Make proposals for the continuous improvement of financial monitoring and control mechanisms, including the streamlining of financial systems and procedures.
- In coordination with DRM and Field Support Section, identify and provide training on accounting matters, and recommend or develop training modules as necessary, aiming at the development of financial management skills.
- In close liaison with DRM System Administration Section and other divisions as necessary, assist the provision and planning of activities for rollout of new processes or systems; assist the Regional Controller in monitoring the implementing internal control mechanisms and compliance with UNHCR's financial policies and procedures in the region.

- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Accounting, Finance, Public or Business Administration, Economics
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Professional accounting, auditing or financial management designation (CPA/ACCA/CIA/CMA or equivalent).
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Work experience in the field of accounting/finance, project management, business analysis, quality assurance and/or risk management. Good knowledge of, and experience in working with, international accounting and auditing standards, with a minimum of 1 year of practical experience in the audit process and/or in financial statements preparation. Working experience with accrual accounting (such as IPSAS or IFRS). Experience with financial modules of a major Enterprise Resource Planning system (such as PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle). Good understanding of project and resource management.

Desirable
Good knowledge of UNHCR systems (such as COMPASS and CloudERP). Excellent knowledge of United Nations financial rules and procedures.

Functional Skills
FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other)
FI-Financial Accrual Accounting under internationally accepted standards (IFRS,IPSAS,etc)
PM-Project Monitoring
DM-Data Collection and Analysis
EL-Monitoring and Evaluation
FI-Financial Accounting - Modified cash-based accounting as per international standards
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Essential Attributes :
• Relevant professional experience:
Proven experience as a Business Analyst and/or Project Manager in international organizations, public or private sector, including work in multinational environments.
• Systems analysis and implementation experience:
Demonstrated experience as a business/system analyst, including involvement in systems integration, implementation, and organizational change initiatives.
• ERP / complex systems experience:
Hands-on experience in the management and implementation of ERP or similarly complex systems, including participation in at least one recent deployment project.
• Technical systems competencies:
Experience in configuration, maintenance, analysis, design, and testing of system solutions.
• Process and operational knowledge:
Good knowledge of organizational procedures and processes, particularly in operational or support service environments.
• Training and knowledge-sharing:
Experience delivering training and supporting knowledge transfer initiatives related to systems and processes.

Desirable Attributes
• UN / international public sector exposure:
Knowledge of UN rules, procedures, and processes, and/or experience working within the UN system or similar international public organizations.
• Advanced ERP expertise:
Extensive knowledge of ERP or other complex business systems, including formal training or certification.
• Business process improvement:
Experience in business process analysis and streamlining, including familiarity with Common Management (CM) applications within the UN context.
• Communication and interpersonal skills :
Strong communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and accessible manner.
• Digital proficiency and adaptability:
Proficiency in standard desktop tools (e.g., MS Office) and demonstrated ability to learn and adapt quickly to new technologies.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

This position is located within the Finance Shared Services Section (FSSS), a key component of the Global Shared Services (GSS) at UNHCR, responsible for the centralized delivery of accounts payable and global payment operations in compliance with UNHCR Financial Rules and Regulations and applicable banking standards.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Global Accounts Payable and the Chief of the Financial Shared Services Section, the Associate Business Analyst / Payment Process Lead plays a critical role in ensuring performance, integrity, and continuous improvement of global payment operations. The incumbent leads the planning, coordination, and execution of centralized payment services within the GSS model, acting as a focal point for the design, configuration, monitoring, and optimization of payment processes within UNHCR’s ERP system (Oracle Cloud), ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payments across diverse country operations.

The role is instrumental in supporting the global transition to centralized payment processing and driving ongoing process standardization, automation, and digital transformation initiatives across the payments function.

The incumbent works in close collaboration with Treasury, Accounts Payable/Invoicing teams, ERP support and technical teams, and Field Operations, and provides leadership, guidance, and oversight to staff and contractors to ensure consistent service delivery and capability development within the Global Payments function.

The incumbent supports the execution and technical administration of centralized global payment operations ensuring compliance with UN financial rules, banking protocols, and established operational controls under the guidance of the supervisor.

The position conducts technical analysis of end-to-end payment workflows to identify process gaps, control weaknesses, operational risks, and opportunities for process optimization. The incumbent leads assigned ERP testing activities, including functional, integration, and user acceptance testing (UAT), and supports validation of data mapping requirements between Oracle ERP (AP) and treasury/payment systems to ensure compliance with global banking and regulatory requirements.

The role maintains and supports configuration activities related to Payment Process Requests (PPRs), payment templates, batch job parameters, and payment processing schedules within Oracle Cloud ERP. The incumbent assists in maintaining country-specific payment formats, banking configurations, and operational parameters supporting complex payment environments, including transactions involving sanctioned or high-risk jurisdictions in accordance with approved compliance controls and supervisory guidance.

The incumbent analyzes and resolves complex ERP payment processing issues, including transaction validation failures, banking data inconsistencies, interface errors, and payment integration issues involving treasury and digital payment tools. The role coordinates with Accounts Payable, Treasury, GL, Supply, and technical support teams to support timely issue resolution, maintain data integrity, and minimize operational disruptions.

The position applies and monitors payment data governance and validation controls, including supplier banking data verification, duplicate payment prevention, rejection analysis, and payment exception tracking to support the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of outbound payment transactions and associated accounting records.

The incumbent collaborates with IT and functional teams on ERP payment workflow enhancements, automation initiatives, and integration updates involving banking platforms and treasury systems. The role contributes technical expertise during testing, validation, and implementation of approved system enhancements while ensuring alignment with operational, compliance, and security requirements.

The role develops and maintains operational dashboards, reports, and analytical tools using Oracle FDI, OTBI, and BI Publisher to monitor payment cycle timelines, exception trends, automation performance, reconciliation status, and compliance with established KPIs and SLAs. The incumbent performs root cause analysis of payment bottlenecks, rejected transactions, and reconciliation discrepancies, and provides technical recommendations for corrective actions, process improvements, and operational efficiencies for management consideration.

The incumbent supports monthly and year-end financial closing activities related to payment operations, including reconciliation support, review of payment accounting entries, analysis of payment-related discrepancies, and coordination with finance teams to ensure sub-ledger integrity and accuracy of financial records.

The role prepares and maintains process documentation, transaction records, and system-generated audit evidence to support internal control reviews, audit readiness activities, and compliance monitoring requirements. The incumbent also drafts and updates technical procedures, user guides, and operational documentation related to payment processing and ERP payment activities and provides technical guidance and day-to-day support to staff and operational users on payment execution processes and ERP functionalities.

Within the Global Payments function, the incumbent provides technical coordination and operational support, contributing to service consistency, compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives. The role may guide and support junior staff and operational personnel on technical payment processing activities while escalating policy, control, and strategic matters to the supervisor. The incumbent also monitors developments in payment technologies, ERP capabilities, automation tools, and banking practices, contributing technical recommendations for future operational enhancements and process modernization initiatives.

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Accounting, Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Finance, Bachelor of Arts: Public Professions

Certifications

Accounting - Other, Auditing - Other, Financial Management - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance