Programme Management Officer – Budget and Finance-Nairobi-Dakar-Brazzaville

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The Management & Administration area of the Health Emergencies Programme is responsible for effective management and administrative support for the emergencies programme and for ensuring that WHO emergency operations are rapidly and sustainably financed and staffed. This consists of the provision of high-quality, predictable administrative services (i.e., HR, Finance, work planning, grant management) to the Emergency Programme, including during emergency response, as well as effective monitoring of (and compliance with) SOPs, leading to continuous improvement and business process excellence.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The function is a key component in enhancing accountability and risk management. The major expected outputs finances and budget management are ensuring the day-to-day operations of internal assurances and controls of financial and accounting work of the Cluster, management support for financial and operational risks assessments, financial reports, inputs to budget proposals and the efficient and effective management of a financial and budget unit of the Cluster. The Programme Management Officer Budget & Finances develops frameworks and timelines for technical department submissions to donors, in close collaboration with the technical units. The incumbent will be deployed to support emergency response operations when required.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:

During the complete operational period:

1. Prepare draft and final proposals as well as technical reports for regional and country-level activities to donors based on inputs received from technical teams and messages from the External Relations (EXR) team.
2. Monitor funding proposals, grants implementation rates and reporting deadlines in accordance with donors’ specific reporting schedules and requirements.
3. Facilitate the end-to-end process of issuance of Awards in ECM for all AF/EPR grants, their administration/monitoring process, utilization, event and reporting.
4. Work with technical units at all levels of the organization to facilitate and consolidate the results of operational planning, in particular to define the resource requirements for WHO/WHE activities as well as the staff and non-staff costs.
5. Disseminate information to RO and CO levels on standard policies and procedures for resource and grant management, compile information on best practices and lessons learned; serve as a reference point for ROs/COs in this regard.
6. Monitor interventions and programmes funded by grants to ensure compliance with established WHO rules and procedures and donor requirements Identify gaps in the process and recommend corrective actions.
7. Contribute to the financial management of AF/EPR designated, flexible and specified funds.
8. Update and maintain the global grant and finance tracking system for WHO’s work in humanitarian emergencies to monitor deadlines for submission of proposals and reports to donors.
9. Contribute to a smooth HR financial management in collaboration with EPR HR Unite.
10. Organize the day-to-day budget and financial operations encompassing quality control, monitoring and clearance, financial accounting and reporting, work-plan and award management; Manage funding allocations and awards process, ensure expenditures are appropriately charged to awards in line with the conditions in agreements with donors; ensure compliance with relevant financial policies, procedures and emergency SOPs.
11. Track and report on financing against budget: monitor implementation rates, consolidate financial data, analyse and prepare periodic/ad hoc budgetary and financial statements and returns, identify financial gaps, and recommend remedial or alternative action to mangers as appropriate.
12. Coordinate the preparation, the review and submission of donor and internal reports in the given timeframe.
13. Perform other related duties including replacing and backstopping as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential

University degree with specialization in accountancy, business administration, public finance, management, or closely related field.

Desirable

• An advanced university degree (Master’s level or above) in business administration, finance, accounting, management, or public administration.
• Additional certification in financial management, accounting/accountancy.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of five years professional experience, at the national and international level, in finance, budget/accounting. Demonstrated experience in accounting and consolidation of financial data using ERP systems or similar packages. Five years of experience at national and at least two years at international level.
• Experience working in donor relations in the context of emergency work.

Desirable

• Prior experience in supporting emergency or health outbreak operations at the field level. Relevant experience with WHO, other UN agencies, health cluster partners, recognized humanitarian organizations or with an international nongovernmental organization.
• Experience in developing frameworks and timelines for donor submissions.

Skills

• Ability to work and produce results under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, diplomacy, tact and discretion Sound judgment and initiative;
• Excellent analytical and drafting/writing skills are essential.

WHO Competencies

1. Teamwork,
2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences,
3. Communication,
4. Producing results,
5. Knowing and managing yourself.

Use of Language Skills

Essential

Expert knowledge of English

Desirable

Intermediate knowledge of French.

REMUNERATION

WHO offers staff in the Professional Category an attractive remuneration package, which for the above position includes an annual net base salary starting at 62,692 US Dollars (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable).
Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
• In the event your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and E-Manual.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
  The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
  Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int
• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
  Candidates appointed to a fixed-term position in the Professional category with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
• For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
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