Finance Programme Associate (Re-advertised) at UN Women.

In Turkey, in line with the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and with  the UN Women Country Strategic Note (2019-2022), UN Women works towards three overarching goals:  1) Women lead, participate in, and benefit equally from governance systems;  2) All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence; 3) Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action. In line with the first goal of the Country Strategic Note, UN Women supports the application of gender responsive budgeting at the central and local level.

Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) is a well-recognized strategy and powerful tool to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. It enables governments to effectively reduce gender inequalities through policies, plans and budgets that address equally the specific needs and priorities of women and men, including the most excluded.  It improves the effectiveness of public spending and strengthens accountability by urging for the creation of transparent budgets. UN Women has spearheaded and supported GRB interventions in more than 75 countries and has recognized global, regional and country-level technical expertise in this area.

In Turkey, in the past years, UN Women has partnered with the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) on GRB to integrate gender equality into the strategic plan, budget processes and ultimately to the budget of the TGNA. In addition, UN Women has supported the development of a pool of trainers on gender equality to increase the institutional capacity of the TGNA on gender equality as well as to increase the sustainability of the efforts on gender equality and GRB. At the local level, jointly with UNDP, it has supported the integration of gender perspective into strategic plans and budgets in selected municipalities and the establishment of specific units dedicated to the advancement of women’s rights.

Building on these initiatives, UN Women will embark on a new three-year project “Implementing Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting in Turkey” as of December 2020, funded by the European Union and the main beneficiary of which is the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services (MoFLSS) – General Directorate on the Status of Women (GDSW) whereas the co-beneficiary is Presidency of Turkey – Presidency of Strategy and Budget (PSB). The project aims to increase financing for GEWE through strategic partnerships, providing tailored technical assistance and guidance, and building institutional capacity and knowledge. It is designed to support selected line Ministries as well as four selected pilot municipalities (Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Edirne Municipality). The project will benefit from international expertise and close linkages with UN Women’s Regional Programme “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality in the Western Balkans” as well as other relevant initiatives.

In this regard, UN Women is looking for a Finance Programme Associate who will ensure quality financial implementation of “Implementing Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting in Turkey” activities.

Under the supervision of Programme Management Specialist (NOC) (Team Leader), under the guidance of Operations Analyst and the overall Guidance of the Deputy Director – Financial Management, the Finance Programme Associate is responsible for preparing and administering the budgets in full compliance of UN Women rules, regulations, policies, and recording and reporting systems. Finance Programme Associate will provide support on finance and budget to Programme and Operations team.

Note: Shortlisted candidates for this position will be required to complete a UNWomen Accounting and Finance Test and pass.

• Formulate the budget, control allotments, monitor expenditures, and prepare revisions according to the needs of the project;
• Track the appropriate and timely use of project financial resources;
• Prepare cost recovery documents or bills for the services provided by UN Women to other programmes or organizations;
• Create projects in Atlas, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds;
• Provide administrative support to programmes/projects; including the finalization of FACE forms;
• Implement and maintain control mechanism for development projects through monitoring budgets preparation and modifications and budgetary status;
• Ensure compliance with EU General and Special Conditions per the Agreement.
• Maintain internal expenditure control system;
• Follow up with Operations team on un-posted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions and unapproved vouchers.
• Input data in Atlas and monitor status. Keep stakeholders and clients informed for timely action and/or decisions;

2. Provide finance support to the Programme and Operations team

• Monitor the setup of budgets in ATLAS to ensure they are in accordance with budgets agreed with donors and are input into ATLAS at the detailed Activity ID level;
• Monitor each month over-expenditure of budgets and follow up with Budget Owner;
• Monitor regularly transactions posted to projects ensuring actual expenditure has been recorded against correct budget category and activity, take timely corrective actions as required;
• Monitor proper follow up of advances to implementing partners, review their financial reports together with project managers;
• Monitor the financial status and under the guidance of the Operations Analyst implement control mechanisms for management/development projects;
• Provide financial donor reporting support by providing timely information and taking necessary actions as required by UN Women Virtual Global Service Centre for financial donor reporting.

3. Provide financial administrative support to Financial Management 

• Provide monitoring and administrative support to the project team on financial management and controls;
• Prepare supporting documents for payments and financial reports;
• Prepare for internal and external audits and perform spot checks on implementing partners to maintain adherence to UN Women’s rules and regulations;
• Provide inputs to the project team in preparation of budget and delivery plans and keeping track of expenditure;
• Provide monitoring and administrative support to the project managers to ensure timely and quality liquidation of advanced funds.
• Input project budgets in Atlas, prepare of budget revisions, and provide administrative support in the operational and financial closure of ATLAS projects;
• Administer the linking projects results with Results Management System (RMS), prepare and establish RMS budgets with project managers.
• Track the appropriation and timely use of financial resources and advise direct supervisor accordingly;

4. Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Provide administrative support synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices related to programme management and finance;
• Collect and compile lessons learned and best practices in financial management and services. Disseminate to clients and stakeholders as appropriate to build capacity and knowledge;
• Contribute to financial business operational practices and management innovations.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely, complete and accurate financial transactions/activities/documentation
• Timely and accurate advice on UN Women financial rules and regulations
• Timely and regular monitoring of financial resources management system and timely expenditure of financial resources
• Timely and accurate support to budget formulation and controlling allotments
• Timely and accurate monitoring of internal expenditures control systems
• Timely and accurate drafting of management financial reports

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Strong knowledge of financial rules and regulations and accounting principles;
• Strong knowledge and application skills of IT tools and understanding of management systems;
• Strong knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages;
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems;
• Ability to administer and execute financial and accounting processes and transactions.

HOW TO APPLY:

• To apply please follow this link https://vacanciesinturkey.com/jobs
• To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate in your  cover letter how (vacanciesinturkey.com) you heard about this position.

The application package for the UN Women Finance Programme Associate (Re-advertised) (G6) position should consist of:

• Duly filled in Personal History Form (P11) that can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558
• CV
• Motivation Letter.

How to Submit the Application:

• Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), CV and Motivation Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
• Click ‘Apply Now’ button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click ‘Submit Application;’
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above).
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

• UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.