Finance Assistant x2

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO: FAO/10/2011 (2 posts)

POSITION TITLE: Finance Assistant x2 GRADE LEVEL: SC 5
DUTY STATION: Nairobi
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Somalia Country Office
(FAO-Somalia)
DURATION: 12 months, with possible extension based on performance

ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES KENYAN NATIONALS, OR OTHERSnRESIDENT AND AUTHORIZED TO WORK IN KENYA

ANTICIPATED START DATE: As soon as possible
Under the overall supervision of the Officer in Charge (O.I.C.) FAO Somalia and the direct
supervision of the Head of Unit and/or the NPO, provides administrative, financial and accounting
support activities for the FAO Somalia Office. With leeway for independent action, the incumbent
performs the following duties:
 Maintain financial records and monitoring systems for the office; maintain imprest accounts;
reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions
and reports; keep record and control the Country Office petty cash;
 Retrieve, enter, select and analyse data from a wide variety of sources, including FAO’s corporate
systems and data bases (e.g. the Field Accounting System (FAS), the local Budget Management
System (BMS), the Country Office Information System (COIN), Datawarehouse, etc.); verify
accuracy of data documents; make necessary calculations.
 Assist project/programme staff and immediate supervisor(s) in the verification and reconciliation
of operational expenditures in accordance with approved budgets, as required;
 Prepare correspondence of administrative and financial nature; draft correspondence to verify
data, answer queries, and obtain additional information on transactions and financial matters, as
required.
 Ensure timely provision of financial data to programme/project staff and supervisor(s) for budget
estimates and financial planning; Maintain detailed records of obligations and available balances;
 Provide reports on budgetary performance of office accounts, and, if required, assist for the
project accounts review and control, and report variations from budgets; Monitor the receipt of
Government contributions;
 Provide the financial information for the maintain of local inventory records, proper recording of
assets, their maintenance and safeguard, and the transfer of ownership of the Organization’s
equipment, as required;
 Maintain a filing system of administrative and financial documents.
 Maintain liaison with local banks and financial institutions to keep up-to-date with financial and
regulatory information (exchange and interest rates, procedures and rules, maintenance of bank
accounts, etc.).
 Support the streamlining of procedures and practices and the introduction of new information
technologies to the office.
 Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum requirements
Candidates should meet the following:
Education: Diploma level education, or compensated by additional years of experience or by
specialized training in administration, finance, accounting and/or office management.
Experience: Five years of administrative, accounting and office management experience.
Languages: Working knowledge (level C) of English, and working knowledge of the local
language(s) is required. Somali language considered an asset.
IT Skills & Office Management Skills: Ability to effectively use standard MS Office software, and
accounting software and information systems. Good knowledge of FAO’s administrative and
accounting systems (FAS) and procedures. Systematic and efficient approach to work assignments,
good judgment and analytical ability.

TO APPLY:

Send your application to:

Candidates must submit a covering letter quoting the Position Title and Vacancy Announcement No.FAO/10/2011, along with their current/detailed Curriculum Vitae and FAO Personal History (PH) form (available here - see following page for guidelines on how to fill it out). The covering letter should explain the candidate’s motivation for seeking this position, and will be treated as a writing sample. E-mail is the preferred means of receipt of the application . The subject line of the e-mail message should read CONFIDENTIAL – FAO/10/2011.

Only short listed candidates meeting all essential qualifications will be contacted.