Program Budget Management Specialist

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

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

The Planning, Budget and Evaluation Department (PBE) is in charge of PAHO’s strategic planning, budget management, performance assessment and evaluation. PBE leads the development of the Organization’s Strategic Plan (SP) and biennial Program and Budget (PB), and implementation of PAHO’s evaluation policy. It leads the operational planning process, including the elaboration of organizational entities’ Biennial Work Plans (BWP), and the Performance Monitoring and Assessment (PMA) process to measure progress towards the goals, objectives and results in the Strategic Plan and Program and Budget; and coordinates and oversees implementation of corporate evaluation efforts to enhance accountability, learning and development across the Organization, within a framework of Results-Based Management (RBM). PBE also allocates resources to programs and monitors implementation throughout each biennium. The PBE Department reports regularly to PAHO’s Executive Management and Governing Bodies and to WHO for the Region of the Americas, on planning, budget and performance matters, and coordinates the assignment and use of resources within the PAHO Secretariat.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general supervision of the Director, Planning, Budget and Evaluation (PBE) and the direct supervision of the Chief, Budget (PBE), the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

Strategic advice and support:

1. Support the entity in the overall program management functions; engage in corporate efforts for strategic and operational planning, budgeting and resource coordination;
2. Conduct analysis, and provide advice and support to the Unit in all areas related to the Program Budget development and implementation cycle, including the development and implementation of the biennial work plan (BWP);
3. Support preparation for, and participate in inter-programmatic and cross-organizational working groups, PBE’s management meetings and other internal and external fora, as directed;
4. Support the unit in the management and follow-up of special initiatives and projects;

Program Budget management:

5. Support the development of the PAHO Program Budget; collaborate in the development and management of procedures and tools and estimate resource needs; support engagement in workshops or briefings to staff in the Organization regarding Program Budget development; assist with the preparation of Program Budget documents, including relevant data, information and materials, as well as onboarding and learning materials related to Program Budget Management for internal and external staff;
6. Provide support for the development and updating of reports for monitoring and analyzing the implementation of the Program Budget, ensuring quality and timeliness, and reconciliation with financial and programmatic reports; participate in the performance monitoring and assessment processes; contribute to the development of tools and guidelines, briefing to staff at Headquarters and country offices, elaboration and analysis of PB implementation reports for presentation to the governing bodies and all relevant materials deemed necessary;
7. Coordinate the monitoring and updating of all Web Portals related to the Program Budget, including the information necessary to maintain its content and design;
8. Support Program Budget operations as necessary and contribute to the continuous development of the PBE processes in the PASB Management Information System (PMIS); make recommendations to improve existing processes and procedures that the PMIS supports;
9. Review project proposals and Agreements, ensuring that these are aligned with the Organization’s program of work and priorities;
10. Provide knowledge management and communications services to the entity, including management of web site(s), online media presence, presentations, etc., in support of the entity’s program of work;

Administration of PBE:

11. Serve as PBE’s HR Partner and/or Finance and Compensation Partner within entity in PMIS;
12. Provide support to the PBE Department for the management and control of financial, human, and physical resources. Monitor and analyze financial/non-financial data to assess options for solutions to financial, administrative and human resources issues;
13. Support the development and monitoring of PBE’s Biennial Work Plan (BWP), including analysis of data and preparation of regular reports for internal and external use;
14. Oversee the financial management systems of the entity; prepare budgetary forecasts; establish control and report structures by monitoring commitments and ensuring the processing of obligating documents that adhere to operational plans;
15. Oversee all human resources staffing actions including staff and contingent workers; collaborate in the preparation of the HR Plans; coordinate and assist with processes for recruitment of personnel assigned to the entity;
16. Provide guidance on administrative and financial rules and regulations, practices and procedures, and other administrative processes and services. Ensure compliance with the internal control framework of the Organization;
17. Represent the entity and liaise with other offices of the Organization regarding administrative matters and provide inputs and recommendations;
18. Work in close coordination and interaction with the entity’s Administrative Assistants;
19. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: A bachelor’s degree in one of the health or social sciences, business administration, management, international relations or any other field related to the functions of the post, from a recognized university.

Desirable: A master’s degree in public health, business administration, public administration or a related field would 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: Seven years of combined national and international experience in the fields of strategic planning, budget, finance, or administration.

Desirable: Experience working for any UN organization would be an asset. Working in functions related to the health development sector would be an asset.

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. - 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 to 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: Shares knowledge - Shares information openly with colleagues and transfers knowledge, as needed.
• Knowing and managing yourself: Manages stress/Invite feedback/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 feedback to improve knowledge and performance; shows self- awareness when seeking and receiving feedback; uses feedback to improve own performance. 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: Deliver quality results/Take responsibility - Challenges self and team to deliver high quality results, in line with Organizational goals. Welcomes challenges to produce new results. Shows awareness of own role and clarifies roles of team members in relation to project’s expected results. Consults counterparts as required and takes responsibility for work of own team. Demonstrates a good understanding of the impact of team’s and own work on external and internal counterparts. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for work of team and sets an example, while explicitly articulating lessons learnt for own and team’s benefit.
• Ensuring effective use of resources: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well - Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.

Technical Expertise:

• Practical knowledge of results-based management concepts and tools and their applications, especially related to outcome formulation and indicator development.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of international technical cooperation, with emphasis on the negotiation and management of international cooperation programs and projects.
• Mature judgment, strong technical, analytical and conceptual skills; demonstrated ability to assess, analyze, synthesize and provide recommendations on key technical issues.
• Ability to integrate managerial and technical inputs into recommendations for decision-making processes; ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment.
• Ability to create and advocate innovative approaches to facilitate and enhance project management capacity, as well as monitoring of these processes.
• Excellent organizational and analytic skills combined with strong professional oral and writing skills including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of English or Spanish with a working knowledge of the other language. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook. At least two years’ experience working directly with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems would be an asset.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

US $62,120.00 post adjustment

Post Adjustment: 49.6% of the above figure(s). This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

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 committed to workforce diversity.

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

PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (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. Benefits for internationally recruited staff may include home leave, travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, education grant for dependent children, assignment grant and rental subsidy.

Candidates appointed to an international post with PAHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

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

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 organization purposes.