Finance Analyst (Corporate Financial Reporting)

Background

The Office of Financial Resources Management (OFRM), Bureau for Management Services, 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; 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.

The Financial Performance Management and Reporting Division provides accounting, resource management and financial services. The Corporate Financial Reporting and Agency Services (CFRA) responsible for producing monthly, quarterly, and annual consolidated financial statements for UNDP, UNCDF and the UNDP GEF Trust Fund, Agency Services to 68 UN Agency clients, Treasury and Corporate accounting including monthly financial closures and data integrity. The Financial Performance Management (FPM) is responsible for establishing and managing a risk and performance methodology which includes developing and applying KPIs and performance benchmarks to assess financial performance and monitor risk, and developing and managing tools to measure financial performance including financial dashboards.

In order to enhance efficiency and transparency of business processes to ensure more relevant and frequent delivery of financial statements for an earlier statutory audit, UNDP has implemented the Oracle Hyperion software with advanced Web technology to automate preparation of financial statements, allow rapid consolidation and reporting of financial results, delivery confidence in numbers, and provide an automated audit trail for external audit. Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Manager, Corporate Financial Reporting and Agency Services (CFRA), Finance Analyst ensures data integrity across UNDP particularly interface control of submodules to the GL and accurate accounting per IPSAS in order to confirm data integrity for preparation of the complete and accurate financial statements. UNDP financial statements are highly complex and it is important to ensure strong knowledge of and compliance with meeting international standards of accounting and international standards in auditing.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key functions:

• Ensures data integrity and proper functioning of interface controls;
• In ensuring data integrity, support data elements of preparation of the UNDP and Other e.g. UNCDF etc IPSAS compliant financial statements and additional information deemed to assist users in assessing the UNDP’s performance, stewardship of assets and evaluation of decisions associated with the allocation of resources;
• Support data integrity elements in corporate analysis e.g. GL Reconciliations and in liaising with external auditors, responding to interim review and year-end audit queries relating to data integrity including Hyperion;
• Supports other Finance/Accounting functions as necessary.

Ensures data integrity and proper functioning of interface controls as follows:

• Ensures all finance submodules to general ledger are completed regularly, differences are addressed (in collaboration with OIMT and business owners) and sign-off is obtained from business owners on a regular basis, noting Hyperion will allow more efficient reconciliation;
• Ensure Global B2B validation (plus global submodule to GL reconciliation beyond cash and inclusive of non cash elements) is completed giving comfort that all submodule and GL transactions are interfaced and valid;
• Periodic testing of ERP data including review of batch processes, testing of systems when UNDP/other Atlas partner UN Agencies make change requests, and resolution of differences with OIMT and business owners;
• Developing and ensuring adherence to protocols for communication relating to data integrity issues, their investigation, resolution and signoff;
• Designing and being the owner of data integrity policies, procedures and processes that are well documented and process flow mapped as well as kept up to date with changes in the system;
• Conduct data mining as required including executing scripts to access large data volumes;
• Assist with automation of business processes.

In ensuring data integrity, support data elements of preparation of the UNDP and other e.g. UNCDF etc IPSAS compliant financial statements and to be able to exercise sound professional judgement in interpretation and application of IPSAS standards taking into consideration impact of data integrity elements. Additionally, ensure information deemed to assist users in assessing the UNDP’s performance, stewardship of assets and evaluation of decisions associated with the allocation of resources focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Responsible for supporting preparation of the financial statements and applying sound professional judgement in interpretation and application of IPSAS including impact of data integrity elements;
• Ensures that the data presented in the statement of financial position, cash flow statement and notes is accurate and appropriately supported and data integrity elements are sound;
• Coordinates data collection and preparation of the non-financial sections of the notes to financial statements particularly where data integrity is concerned;
• Supports GL Reconciliations Performs monthly/quarterly analysis of balance sheet accounts, ensuring significant issues are identified and escalated when necessary.

Responsible for developing and maintaining appropriate internal control over data integrity elements linked to the production of UNDP’s IPSAS compliant financial statements;

Liaise with external auditors, responding to interim review and year-end audit queries;

Supports other Finance/Accounting functions as necessary.

Competencies

Core

Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Delivery

• Ability to get things done;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Technical/Functional

Primary

• Accounting (Advanced)
• Advanced knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, regulations, and policies and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Ability to evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful manner;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Financial Management

• Ability to create a process to achieve financial goals;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Audit

• Ability to examine and verify accounts and records;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Secondary

Knowledge Management

• Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Innovative design in training manual

• Ability to design, construct and transform information to train others;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Leadership and Self-Management

• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexity and has ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize issues and handle potentially stressful situation;
• Level 3: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability)

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced (Master's) University Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or a relevant discipline or a relevant discipline or a professional accounting qualification from an internationally accreditd institute of accountancy.
• Long-listed candidates will be required to undergo the UNDP Advanced Accountancy & Finance Test.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of practical experience in preparing financial statements and analysing balance sheet accounts at national and international levels;
• Familiar with the complexity of client relationships among international organisations, national governments and civil society;
• Experience with ERP financials, preferably PeopleSoft;
• Experience of conforming to IPSAS/IFRS and full accruals accounting conventions.

Language Requirements:

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

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Internal mobility at GSSC is strongly encouraged and we reserve the right to reassign the newly appointed staff members with similar skillset and educational qualifications for similar functions and job categories at the same level in GSSC. The internal lateral movements will be determined based on the needs of the organization while allowing the newly recruits to broaden their skills, build networks and gain fresh experience and to better align their profiles with the jobs.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Candidates must be resident in Malaysia, or have the right to work in Malaysia.

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.