Organizational Setting

FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

The Shared Services Centre (SSC) recommends and administers process management and procedures that need to be executed effectively; ensures the management of quality assurance activities associated with the transactional processes and implementation of service delivery; continuously improves the satisfaction of its customers, internal or external, while pursuing a continuous improvement agenda that will drive up service excellence while driving down the costs of service delivery through process standardization, process automation and self-service capabilities.

This position is located in the FAO Shared Services Centre and based in Budapest, Hungary.

Reporting Lines

The National Professional Officer (Finance) reports to the SSC Finance Officer, Head of Finance Unit.

Technical Focus

Programme administration and financial management, including accounting.

Key Results

Effective and efficient provision of administrative support in the area of finance.

Key Functions

•    Advises on and support the Head of SSC Finance Unit with respect to all areas of finance and accounting.
•    Supervises the activities of an operational team in the area of banking, accounts payable, assets, bank reconciliation, and any other team defined in the SSC Finance Unit.
•    Participates in work planning within the SSC.
•    Ensures that financial transactions comply with organizational rules, regulations, policies and procedures; acts as certifying officer.
•    Leads the creation and maintenance of Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) in the area of banking, accounts payable assets and bank reconciliation.
•    Monitors the performance management of the finance function within the SSC, ensuring timely completion within established Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and tracking of statistics.
•    Coordinates the development of training and related training materials and promotes best practices and capacity development at headquarters and in Decentralized Offices.
•    Coordinates process improvement initiatives and undertakes requirements gathering activities in the assigned area of work in collaboration with Decentralized Offices and the Finance Division.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    National of Hungary.
•    Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent)in a field related to business or public administration and three years of relevant experience in office management, administration, accounting and/or audit, budget or finance OR a first level university degree in accounting, finance, business administration or a related field, five years of relevant experience and completion of professional qualification in accountancy (CA, CPA, ACCA) or investment professional (CFA).
•    Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and Hungarian.

Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Extent and relevance of experience in finance, business analysis, banking and/or accounting as well as payment processing and/or reconciliation or supplier banking records masterfile maintenance.
•    Extent and relevance of knowledge and experience in analysing and evaluating financial reports and/or experience in International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).
•    Knowledge of UN or standard operational rules and procedures, and knowledge of administrative management procedures of projects and programmes is considered an asset.
•    Knowledge of FAO's corporate systems and database, or knowledge of other financial modules or applications relevant to finance operation is considered an asset.
•    Experience in a shared services or business support centre is highly desirable.
•    Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is highly desirable.