Budget Assistant II

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The Planning, Budget and Evaluation (PBE) Department is in charge of PAHO’s strategic planning, budget management, and corporate performance monitoring, assessment and evaluation. PBE coordinates the development of the Organization’s Strategic Plan (SP), biennial Program Budget (PB), and implementation of PAHO’s evaluation policy, applying results-based management (RBM) approach in line with the Organization’s mandates, policies, and strategies. PBE’s performance monitoring and assessment measures progress toward the priorities and results in the Strategic Plan and Program and Budget. The evaluation unit in PBE also evaluates how and why results were or not achieved and how corporate performance ca be improved. PBE as the custodian of the evaluation function in PAHO implements the Corporate Evaluation Work Plan, approved by the Executive Management on the basis of organizational requirements, significancy or unity. The Department is accountable to the Director and Deputy Director of PAHO, and the evaluation function collaborates with the WHO Evaluation Office and with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG).

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Chief, Budget (PBE/PB), and the direct supervision of the Advisor, Program Budget Operations (PBE/PB), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

a)Review and approve or initiate budget amendments in the PAHO Management Information System (PMIS) to allocate funds to the output level, reprogram funds within or across entities to implement the PAHO Program Budget. Respond to support calls related to budget amendments or refer the users to the appropriate level of support as necessary;

b)Initiate budget amendments as directed for review and clearance of voluntary contributions funds, in coordination with External Relations and Partnerships (ERP), Financial Resources Management (FRM), relevant departments and/or country offices, to ensure alignment with the program budget structure and specific requirements related to voluntary contributions;

c)Initiate transactions in GSM/BMS and CEM (WHO Systems) or any other ERP available at WHO, as well as coordinate with enabling entities, technical and field offices to transfer resources between WHO and PAHO and vice versa;

d)Support the design, maintenance and permanent update of a variety of programmatic and budgetary reports, combining data from all existing management information systems for analysis and decision making at all levels of the Organization;

e)Support data cleaning activities by periodically reviewing relevant both PAHO and WHO reports available in PMIS and in (GSM and CEM) to find exceptions; follow up with entities/cost centers and other enabling entities (FRM, PRO, HRM) to clear negative output budget balances, funds budgeted in wrong budget lines, unspent balances in expired awards, and other identified budget exceptions including payroll costs;

f)Collaborate in the development of comprehensive guidelines and instructions for both internal and external stakeholders, including drafting documents, outlining Job aids and creating SOPs to ensure clarity and consistency;

g)Provide support in the development, maintenance and updating of a variety of programmatic and budgetary reports by combining and assembling data from all existing management information systems including WHO Systems (CEM, GSM and BMS and any other available) for analysis and decision making at all levels of the Organization;

h)Support the Operations Team by participating in testing activities during Workday updates, and/or as required when modifications or changes are done in PMIS, as well as participate in any other relevant development related to improvements and processes streamline and reporting, and in any other activity related to modifications and improvements made to the system when required;

i)Support activities related to the financial and budgetary closure of each biennium, including process of carry-over of voluntary contributions both PAHO and WHO;

j)Act as the first point of contact for internal customers seeking technical assistance through any service requests (SRS) and liaise with necessary Business Owners to determine the best solutions based on details provided by entities;

k)Substitute during the absence of other members of the Operations Team;

l)Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: Certificate of completion of high school.

Desirable: Specialized training at college, university or business school level with emphasis on accounting/finance and/or business administration would be an asset. Specialized training in Excel, Power BI and other similar tools would also be an asset.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.WHO, only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).The list can be accessed through the link:http://www.whed.net/.PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/ and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience:

Essential: Five years of experience in budget, finance and/or administrative work, or four years of experience in budget, finance and/or administrative work, and one year of specialized training at the college, university level towards a declared major in business administration, budget, finance or related field, or two years of experience in budget, finance, and/or administrative work, and two years of specialized training at the college, university, or business school level towards a declared major in business administration, budget, finance or related field

SKILLS:

PAHO Competencies:

·Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

·Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others/Deal effectively with conflicts - Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve results; encourages cooperation and builds rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the teams’ successes and shortcomings. Identifies conflicts in a timely manner and addresses them as necessary; understands issues from the perspective of others; does not interpret/ attribute conflicts to cultural, geographical or gender issues.

·Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences:Relate well with diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity - Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

·Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking/Write effectively / Share knowledge - Quality and quantity of communication targeted at audience.Listens attentively and does not interrupt other speakers.Adapts communication style and written content to ensure they are appropriately and accurately understood by the audience (e.g., power-point presentations, communication strategies, implementation plans).Shares information openly with colleagues and transfers knowledge, as needed.

·Knowing and managing yourself:Remain productive /Manage stress/Continuously learn - Remains productive even in an environment where information or direction is not available, and when facing challenges; recovers quickly from setbacks, where necessary. Manages stress positively; remains positive and productive even under pressure; does not transfer stress to others. Seeks informal and/or formal learning opportunities for personal and professional development; systematically learns new competencies and skills useful for job; takes advantage of learning opportunities to fill competencies and skill gaps.

·Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently / Deliver quality results/Take responsibility - Prioritizes work and makes planning/Organizational adjustments as necessary; seeks clarification from supervisor on timelines, as needed. Uses feedback and inputs from supervisor to achieve results. Produces quality results and has frequent discussions with supervisor to achieve results. Is action-oriented and sees tasks through to completion. Shows understanding of own role and responsibilities in relation to expected results.Solicits and accepts direction and guidance from supervisor and team members and takes responsibility for own work and actions, as appropriate.

Technical Expertise:

·Knowledge of program budget, and control.

·Knowledge and understanding of accounting concepts and principles.

·Ability to write/originate routine and non-routine correspondence and reports in English and Spanish.

·Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and carry out financial/accounting processes, such as: monitoring budget and accounting activities, developing operational standards and procedures manuals, determining priorities, adjusting, or identifying new internal procedures, etc.

·Skills in planning, organizing, evaluating, problem-solving and decision-making of routine office management processes.

·Highly proficient in data analysis and visualization, with expertise in leveraging IT tools like Excel to research, organize and present complex information through data driven charts and graphics and engaging presentations.

·Effective oral and written communication in a business environment; ability to work with a variety of diverse groups in a tactful and effective manner; effectively handle multiple assignments; and establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external partners using principles of good customer service.

·Ability to analyze, optimize and improve daily workflows proposing innovative solutions to drive efficiency and productivity gains.

·Ability to handle sensitive information with appropriate discretion.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English and Spanish.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Demonstrated ability and knowledge of Microsoft Excel is important, and other IT skills such as Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are also considered essential. Ability to work and/or understand Power BI would be an asset.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

USD $50,792.00

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Local Recruitment)

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

A written test may be used as a form of screening.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance).Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan, and health insurance scheme.

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

Administrative/support positions in Washington, D.C. are open to Washington, D.C. metropolitan area residents only. Candidates must be U.S. Citizens or hold a Permanent Resident Alien card (Green Card).

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration.A written test and/or interview will be held for this post.The post description is the official documentation for organizational purposes.