Consultant Finance

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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:  and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• 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 training, 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 the 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 an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE:   Finance Consultant

TYPE OF CONTRACT:  Consultancy Level I

UNIT/DIVISION: CFOFG

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Budapest, Hungary

DURATION: until

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

WFP Corporate Finance Division embarked on a transformative journey away from the traditional back-office & transactional-focused role towards a more analytical, innovative, data-driven, and forward-looking proactive Finance function. Finance is a strategic partner for all WFP's operational functions and performance driver of WFP's financial management and control, and a key enabler for operational delivery as affirmed by the outcomes of a comprehensive advisory study of the function completed by PwC in 2019, which has formed the basis of the five years divisional 'Finance Strategy 2024'.    
Operating Efficiency has been identified as one of the key areas for improvement by way of the establishment of a more centralized accounts payable process, the Global Payment Solution (GPS), within the context of efficiency gains to ensure process simplification in line with WFP's Digital Transformation and Simplification, Effectiveness & Impact corporate priorities. GPS aims to consolidate 70%Accounts Payable functions currently performed in the Field. The purpose of this assignment is to act as process expert lead for the payment team and to ensure GPS payment function is effectively supported.    
 

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
 

1.    Provide procedural and technical support to staff within the areas of finance and budget, to ensure compliance with WFP financial policies, rules, and regulations.
2.    Supervise the monitoring of the daily cash position in order to optimize the use of surplus cash and maximize returns on investment through the liquidity portfolio.
3.    Supervise the monitoring of the centralized registry system in order to process all payments to internal staff and invoices to external suppliers in a timely manner and in accordance with WFP standards.
4.    Contribute to the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of budgets, monitor expenditure, and budget forecasts, to ensure that relevant future funding requirements are met.
5.    Coordinate with other teams in order to ensure that all financial services are being performed efficiently and in line with the needs of the wider team.
6.    Monitor account balances and process financial transactions in an accurate and timely manner, to avoid the occurrence of an overdraft.
7.    Monitor and analyse general ledger accounts in order to initiate and achieve corrective actions.
8.    Compile data from the WFP database and systems in order to assist in generating and analysing financial reports on a monthly basis.
9.    Allocate tasks to other support staff and provide guidance with on-the-job training in the management of financial resources, to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards.
10. Analyse and 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.
11. Represent unit at internal meetings, external meetings, and events with other UN agencies, banks, other financial institutions, or other partners and entities as required.
12. Participate in the delivery of accurate financial reporting and analyses in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), ensuring accuracy, deadlines, and compliance with accounting processes and corporate governance requirements.
13. Provide financial assessment of partners, service providers, and other entities as needed, providing conclusions to management to enable them to make informed decisions and minimize financial risk to the organization.
14. Ensure that bank reconciliation, disbursements, clearance of receivables, overall cash management, and monthly financial closures are performed regularly and in accordance with corporate requirements.
15. Monitor and analyse financial and accounting data, identifying and forecasting trends, anomalies, or issues, and proposing solutions to management with regards to the status of budgets, availability of funds, program effectiveness, and financial viability.
16. Collate and analyse data for the preparation of accurate and timely reporting, in order to provide management with financial, accounting, and budgetary information to enable them to make informed decisions.
17. Any other duties that are consistent with the position may require

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT: 
Oversee accuracy of accounts payable entries. Timely prepare invoices for disbursement. Identify best practices. Support cross-units knowledge transfer.     
 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education: First University degree in Finance, Business Administration, Accounting or related fields, 3 years and above of related work experience in financial management, in particular Accounts Payables, Treasury and related business processes, such as invoices, payments, cash management.

Experience: Knowledge of common business principles and processes and the ability to quickly assimilate UN/WFP specific processes and systems.  

Good knowledge of all SAP Financial modules, in particular Accounts Payables, Treasury, Bank Communication Manager, and their integration with Travel, Procurement, and HR modules.

Excellent overall technical and analytical skills, critical reasoning, and strong problem-solving skills.   
Managed and led or worked with multicultural teams with related areas of expertise. 
Accountability, moral Integrity, and a high standard of professional Ethics.
 

Knowledge & Skills: Good knowledge of Microsoft Office, Excel Spreadsheets, and SAP.

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English. Working knowledge of another UN language desirable.   

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: 

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

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.

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 in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.