Job description
The Position:
The Finance Assistant is located in the UNFPA Gambia Country Office. Reporting to the Technical Coordinator, the incumbent provides financial and administrative services, ensuring quality assurance and compliance for the EU-ISEY project.
Under the overall guidance of the Assistant Representative and Head of Programmes, the Finance Assistant delivers high-quality and accurate financial and administrative services to internal and external clients, mastering all relevant rules, guidelines, processes, and procedures and ensuring quality assurance and compliance for the EU-ISEY Project.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organisation's response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal in a period of polycrisis. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organisation's response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal in a period of polycrisis. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes:
● Accelerating progress on meeting the unmet need for family planning;
● Accelerating progress on ending preventable maternal deaths;
● Accelerating progress on ending gender-based violence and harmful practices;
● Adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies that strengthen the resilience of societies while upholding individual choices.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff who embody these international norms and standards, defending them with conviction. UNFPA seeks candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact results, remaining transparent and exceptional in the management of resources entrusted to them.
Job Purpose:
The Finance Assistant delivers high-quality and accurate financial and administrative services to internal and external clients, mastering all relevant rules, guidelines, processes, and procedures and ensuring quality assurance and compliance.
The Finance Assistant takes a client-oriented, result-focused approach to interpret the rules, procedures, and guidelines, providing support and guidance, and ensuring follow-up actions are undertaken in a timely manner for guaranteed compliance.
You would be responsible for:
- Financial Operations: Executes all financial management tasks for UNFPA's project activities, including budgeting and expenditure tracking.
- Compliance: Ensures full compliance of financial processes with UNFPA rules and the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement (FAFA) with the EU.
- Grant Management: Provides financial oversight for grants issued to local CSOs and NGOs for community engagement and mentorship.
- Payment Processing: Reviews and processes travel claims, consultant fees, and vendor payments, ensuring adequate supporting documentation.
- Reporting & Audit: Retrieves and compiles documentation for HACT audits, spot checks, and annual financial reports
Qualifications and Experience & Education
- Education: Completed secondary education with 5 years of relevant experience, or a bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting with 2 years of experience.
- Knowledge: Familiarity with UN/UNFPA procedures, ERP/PeopleSoft systems, and Excel.
- Competencies: Attention to detail, integrity, and the ability to work in a multi-partner environmen
Work Relations:
The Finance Assistant maintains collaborative relationships with all programme and operations staff at the CO. Internal contacts include the Programme & Operations staff and the CO’s Management team, whereas external clients include implementing partners and other UN agencies.
Languages:
-
Fluency in English with good verbal and written skills.
Required Competencies:
Values:
- Exemplifying integrity,
- Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
- Embracing cultural diversity,
- Embracing change
Core Competencies:
- Achieving results,
- Being accountable,
- Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
- Thinking analytically and strategically,
- Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
- Communicating for impact
Functional Competencies:
- Advocacy/ Advancing a policy-oriented agenda
- Managing the organisation's resources
- Delivering results-oriented programmes Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilisation
Compensation and Benefits:
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary Annual leave, and other benefits as applicable.
UNFPA Work Environment
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity, and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities for all, including persons with disabilities.
Note: UNFPA reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNFPA at the same grade level and with similar job descriptions, experience, and educational requirements.
Applications that do not meet the above requirements will be disregarded. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.
Disclaimer:
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.