Finance Assistant
Port Moresby
- Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
- Location: Port Moresby
- Grade: Administrative support - NPSA-5, National Personnel Services Agreement
-
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Administrative support
- Banking and Finance
- Closing Date: 2025-08-12
Background
UNDP Papua New Guinea concentrates its efforts on building the country’s capacity to promote inclusive, pro-poor growth, effective governance and sustainable and resilient development. Leveraging its technical, coordination and administrative strengths, UNDP Country Office continues to provide integrated policy advice, evidence-based solutions, quality assurance and management services supporting the national and sub-national implementation of a growing portfolio of activities.
The Finance team supports the Country Office (CO) in the promotion of its sustainable development agenda by continuously enhancing CO financial performance, delivering sound management of financial resources, and ensuring strong accountability through informed decision making, effective financial management processes, and transparent financial reporting that complies with international standards and regulatory guidelines.
Scope of Work
I. Ensures the implementation of operational and financial management strategies and adapts processes and procedures focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Full compliance with UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies, financial recording/ reporting system and implementation of effective internal controls, proper functioning of a customer-oriented financial resources management system;
- Compliance with UNDP’s rules, regulations and policies for financial management and reporting;
- Input to CO business process mapping and elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedure in finance in consultation with the direct supervisor and office management;
- Provides full support to manage Common Premises/Services projects while ensuring proper cost recovery is applied.
- Serves as the focal point for Agency Services Portal in UNALL
II. Assist in the management of programme budgets and the operation of the optimal cost recovery system focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Assist in bill payment in Quantum for goods and services provided and/or received by UNDP;
- Assist to Prepare and monitor projects’ budgets in Quantum ;
- Assist in Monitoring of budgets in Quantum and reporting on the budget utilization; and
- Assist in timely review of commitments in Quantum to monitor budget availability (PAR) and cash available (AX1) in Quantum.
III. Assist in proper control of the operations and programme’s accounts focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Proper control of the supporting documents for payments;
- Preparation of all types of invoices and PO invoices along with supporting documents;
- Monitoring and ensuring that contributions are transferred to UNDP and applied in Quantum on a timely basis;
- Proper receipting of goods and services;
- Maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that invoices processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Quantum;
- Overseas travel claims, entitlements are duly processed;
- Timely corrective actions on unprocessed invoices , including the invoices with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved invoices
- Presentation of information on the status of financial resource
- Maintenance of the Accounts Receivables for UNDPprojects and recording of deposits in Quantum in support of development and management projects including common services budgets;
- Ensure proper management of cash receipts and petty cash; and Maintenance of proper filling system for finance records and documents.
IV. Support in programme cash management functioning, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Support Finance Analyst for timely review of cash position for local accounts to ensure efficient funds on hand for disbursements;
- Timely identification and recording of receipts for income application; and
- Support Finance Analyst to monitor expenditure level and record disbursements from UNDP CO accounts.
V. Ensures capacity building and knowledge sharing of financial matters focusing on achievement of following results:
- Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in financial management; and
- Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Institutional Arrangement:
The positions incumbent will work under the overall guidance of the Operations Manager and direct supervision of the Finance Analyst/Head of Finance Unit.
Competencies
Core Competencies:
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
- Business Management
- Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
- Finance
- Financial risk management: Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management.
- Anti-fraud and anti-bribery and corruption: Anti-bribery and corruption: Understands the policy and best practice relating to anti-bribery and corruption controls and ensures these are implemented and widely understood within the organization. Anti-fraud: Understands the fraud risks faced by public bodies and is able to effectively analyse data to support fraud identification and fraud risk management; understands the fraud risks faced by public bodies and is able to conduct fraud risk assessment and response plan.
- Accounting (General) - Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, frameworks, standards, regulations, policies and trends, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations
- Audit & Investigation
- Financial and Managerial Accounting and Finance key concepts: Key concepts and principles of financial accounting, interpret financial analysis, managerial accounting, etc.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
- Secondary (high school) education with specialized certification in accounting and/or finance. A first university degree (bachelors) in finance or accounting is desirable. Part-qualified accountants from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.
- Candidates with accountancy certification from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage. Candidates without certification but with relevant experience must complete the UNDP Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited.
Work Experience:
- Minimum 5 years (with high school) or 2 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of relevant finance experience is required with development sector/international organizations or UN agencies is required.
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software package (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required.
- Experience with spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
- Experience and knowledge of UN or UNDP financial rules, policies and procedures, is an asset.
- Experience with ERP financials is desired.
- Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is desired.
- Experience of management of programme budgets and the operation of the optimal cost recovery system is desired.
Languages:
- Fluency in English and Tok Pisin is required.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.