Assistant (Accounts)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Budget and Finance Office (BFO) at IARC is notably responsible for all financial services such as payments to suppliers and collaborators, payroll/stipend payments, payments of staff benefits and entitlements, travel advance/reimbursements, etc. and managing IARC accounts in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) and WHO/IARC Financial Regulations.

The purpose of this new temporary position of Assistant (Accounts) is to provide additional support in the areas of budget and finance within BFO, in particular as regards the processing of payments, transactions relating to revenue recognition under IPSAS, financial closure and vendor maintenance.

Note:

- This newly created temporary position is established for an initial duration of six-months. Extension is possible beyond the initial 6-month period, subject to ongoing need and available funding for this position.

- In light of the evolving Covid-19 situation, and subject to exigencies of service, this position can be carried out remotely, in part, from the selected candidate’s home in the Lyon area, under the force majeure teleworking provisions of IARC’s teleworking policy applicable at this time during the pandemic.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the guidance of supervisors, the Assistant (Accounts) will carry out the following key duties in a highly collaborative team setting:

1. Processes payments:

• Checks financial reports of collaborative research and partner agreements (CRAs) and brings to supervisor's attention problematic cases;

• Prepares and posts payments to be made to partners in the consortium agreements where IARC is a Coordinator;

• Prepares and post payments of APWs.

2. Processes transactions accordance to IPSAS:

• Records Account Receivables and revenue from Participating States based on the budget approved by the Governing Council;

• Records Account Receivables and revenue from donors based on signed donor agreements and in coordination with internal stakeholders;

• Assists in posting accounting entries related to inventory management (recognition, sales, disposals, etc.), PP&E depreciation, and sale of assets.

3. Supports the final financial closure of grants and projects:

• Processes refunds to donors, write off, and other accounting related to the final closure of grants and projects;

• Maintains central repository for all write off cases.

4. Be a focal point for vendor maintenance:

• Creates and updates all vendor records; ensure accuracy of information maintained in SAP system to avoid delay payments;

• Maintains central filing for support documents used for vendor creation or changes of key information.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

- Graduation from secondary school or equivalent complemented by subsequent training in accounting or finance at the BTS level (or higher).

- Formal or on-the-job training in IPSAS or IFRS.

- Formal or on-the-job training in SAP or other ERP system(s).

Desirable:

- Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in accounting or equivalent of DCG (“Diplôme de comptabilité et de gestion”); and/or

- A professional designation in Accounting such as Chartered Accountant (CA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or "Expert-Comptable" qualification.

Experience

- At least three years of general accounting experience.

- Prior experience carrying out general accounting duties using IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards).

Skills

- Knowledge in IPSAS and IFRS.

- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining accuracy.

- Excellent organizational skills and ability to work as a member of a team.

- Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in multicultural environment.

Use of Language Skills

- Expert knowledge of either French or English and at least an intermediate knowledge of the other language are required.

- Ability to provide unofficial translation of a routine nature for accounting documents (from French to English and/or English to French) would be an asset.

REMUNERATION

The fixed remuneration for the above position currently amounts to EUR3145 per month, and is expressed net of income tax but before deduction of the employee share contributions for mandatory participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and in the Organization’s private insurance plans covering health, accident, illness and disability. Net paid salary after deduction of these contributions amounts to approx. EUR2700 per month.

Other benefits include 6 weeks of annual leave and allowances for dependent family members.

Employment status is that of international civil servant.

Note: due to the legal status of WHO/IARC as an international organization, its staff do not contribute to and do not generate benefits in French mandatory schemes for health insurance (“assurance maladie”), pension (“assurance vieillesse/retraite or unemployment (“Pôle-Emploi”) throughout their period of employment with the Agency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• We only accept applications submitted via our online recruitment tool (applications for this position should be filled out in English and include a cover letter in English). Application profiles should include the details of all work experiences to date (including paid internships).

• This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons residing in the local commuting area of Lyon.

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted for assessment and interview (to be held remotely).

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

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int

• WHO/IARC is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO/IARC has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.