Jordan Financial Information and Systems Officer

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST UNRWA

UNRWA is the United Nations agency responsible for the protection, care and human development of a population of some 5 million Palestine refugees living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. UNRWA is committed to assisting Palestine refugees in maintaining a decent standard of living, acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills, enjoying the fullest possible extent of human rights, and leading a long and healthy life. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 29,000 staff. Most of these staff are refugees themselves, working directly to benefit their communities - as teachers, doctors, nurses or social workers. For its international team, UNRWA is seeking to employ a qualified:

Financial Information and Systems Officer

Vacancy Announcement Number 12-HQ-AM-07 Grade P-4 Deadline for Applications 17 February 2012 Duty Station HQ Amman

The Financial Information and Systems Officer will be the Financial Accountant for UNRWA. Given the move to International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) the incumbent will: a) interpret all IPSAS Standards, b) ensure all Budget, Finance and Treasury Technical Instructions comply with the relevant IPSAS Standards, c) act as a focal point to resolve any accounting interpretation and reporting issues to ensure that UNRWA is IPSAS compliant and d) ensure all relevant financial systems (GL and all sub ledgers) report results in an IPSAS compliant manner. The FISO supervises a moderate-sized team comprised of professional, technical, and clerical staff in Headquarters and provides technical guidance to related activities in the Fields. In accordance with the established Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent will:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities • Deliver and maintain a comprehensive set of IPSAS-compliant accounting policies, guidance and operational procedures to support the preparation of IPSAS-compliant reporting, including the development and update of all relevant Budget, Finance, Treasury Technical Instructions to fully and continuously reflect IPSAS compliance; • Interpret reporting requirements under IPSAS with reference to UNRWA’s circumstances; play a lead role in the development and maintenance of UNRWA IPSAS compliant financial statements and reports; • Interpret all IPSAS standards and act as a focal point to resolve any accounting interpretation and reporting issues to ensure that UNRWA is IPSAS compliant; • Provide support and testing to IPSAS-related information systems solutions; • Coordinate implementation of new accounting standards and financial policies and systems in cooperation with senior staff in Finance Department and Field Finance Officers (FFOs); • Provide financial accounting guidance and training to finance staff regarding IPSAS compliance; • Maintain regular dialogue on IPSAS matters with internal and external auditors as well as UN stakeholders; • Prepare notes, guidelines and replies relating to or arising from implementation of Accounting Standards; • Play a key role in the update of UNRWA’s many project plans for IPSAS implementation and continuous compliance.

Professional Knowledge and Experience • Advanced university degree in accounting, finance, public or business administration, or related field; • Membership in a professional body of accountants (e.g., Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Certified Public Accountants). • Eight years of experience in the application of the knowledge acquired in 8.1 above, including at least five years at a senior supervisory level in a financial accounting division in a large commercial, governmental or international organization,. • Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Competencies • Thorough knowledge of financial accounting standards, computerized finance and procurement systems; • Ability to develop and implement appropriate finance policies and technical instructions; • Ability to develop and maintain productive relationships with staff and clients of the Finance Department; including the ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and in multiple locations; • Demonstrated analytical and management skills; • Ability to take initiative, coordinate and integrate multiple inputs to generate common approaches or frameworks; • Ability to apply conceptual, analytical and evaluative skills in accounting operations; • Ability to conduct independent research and analysis, identify issues, formulate options and make conclusions and recommendations. • Demonstrated experience in interpretation of international accounting standards and preparation of financial statements within an ERP environment.

Desirable Qualifications  Working knowledge of written and spoken Arabic;  Working experience in a finance office of an organization in the United Nations common system;  Working experience in International Public Sector Accounting Standards;  Working experience with large ERP systems.

Equivalency When the minimum requirements are not fully met, the Human Resources Department may substitute part of the unmet requirements under UNRWA’s equivalency determination guidelines with a combination of relevant academic qualification, additional professional training and/or progressive relevant work experience. Note: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered sufficient for an equivalency determination.

Additional Information The incumbent will be required to travel in the Agency's area of operations in the Middle East.

Conditions of Service
UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $72,467 net tax free with dependants or $67,483 single, plus post adjustment of 42.7% (subject to change without notice). Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include education grant, dependency allowance, home leave, pension fund, health insurance and 6 weeks annual leave. All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza) are family duty stations. Initial contract is for one year, with the possibility of further extensions subject to the availability of funds and the continuing need for the post.

How to Apply To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

UNRWA does not charge a fee at any stage in the recruitment process.

General Information UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced women.

UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

UNRWA is a United Nations organization whose staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality. This includes respect for human rights, for diversity, and for non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. UNRWA staff are expected to uphold these values at all times, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

How to apply:

How to Apply To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Please note that UNRWA only accepts degrees from accredited educational institutions. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.