Grade: NOA
Vacancy no.: DC/SARAJEVO/NO/2023/03
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Application deadline (midnight Sarajevo time): 14 November 2023
Job ID: 11362
Department: RO-Europe and Central Asia
Organization Unit: DWT/CO-Budapest
Location: Sarajevo
Contract type: Fixed Term
Contract duration: 1 year renewable
Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.
In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.
The following are eligible to apply:
*The recruitment process for National Officer positions is subject to specific local recruitment and eligibility criteria.
The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.
Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given. Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.
*Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade. The entry level salary for this position is 57,381. (Bosnian Mark) yearly.
The position is located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, being part of the ILO Decent Work Team/Country Office for Central and Eastern Europe (DWT/CO-Budapest). DWT/CO-Budapest provides technical support and guidance related to the ILO agenda in 19 countries of Central and South Eastern Europe (for more see www.ilo.org/budapest).
The ILO is implementing the EU project \"Support to Local Employment Partnerships - Phase II\" (LEP II) funded by the European Union. The project aims to contribute to more and better decent work opportunities in local communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will foster sustainable, partnership-driven labour market frameworks at the local level for an increased access to formal employment. By the end of the project, 26 local employment partnerships should deliver activation and labour market integration programs in line with specific local needs.
The National Project Finance Officer will assist the Project Coordinator under the overall supervision of the Employment Specialist of DWT/CO-Budapest and will undertake the below mentioned duties.
Reporting lines
The National Project Finance Officer will report directly to the LEP II Project Coordinator and work in coordination with the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Central and Eastern Europe in Budapest (DWT/CO-Budapest), with the Employment Specialist of DWT/CO-Budapest as higher-level chief. Cooperation with the relevant ILO HQ departments might be required.
Main duties and responsibilities
1.Provide professional services for the effective delivery of the Office’s financial services. Administer day-to-day financial operations ensuring full compliance with financial rules and regulations, policies, procedures and applicable standards and integrity and consistency of data in all financial transactions, recording and reporting. Oversee the work of and provide guidance to staff performing finance-related work.
2.Provide substantive support in the continuous analysis and monitoring of the financial situation of the Office. Provide regular management reports to support informed financial decision-making.
3.Coordinate preparation of operating and project budgets, review budget submissions, review and process requests for budget revisions, analyse and report on budget approvals, monitor expenditures against allocations and analyse variances. Liaise with concerned managers to strengthen budget management and take corrective actions, when required.
4.Assist in monitoring the implementation of activities in accordance with project documents, donor agreements and costed workplans. Identify bottlenecks and propose corrective action. Prepare, analyse and evaluate information from financial records and provide data and information for the preparation of financial reports in accordance with the terms and conditions of donors and financial rules and regulations of the Office.
5.Follow-up on internal and external audit recommendations and draft responses to audit inquiries and observations for consideration of supervisor.
6.Keep abreast of changes to applicable standards and best practices. Share knowledge and provide guidance to implementing partners. Organize and conduct training for implementing partners and staff on finance issues. Draft lessons learned and best practices in finance, as well as guidelines and standard operating procedures, as required.
7.Monitor the implementing partners’ efficiency and effectiveness of work methods and processes and make recommendations for improvements. Liaise closely with implementing partners, staff and managers to ensure effective and smooth service design and delivery, recommending improvements on interrelated processes.
8.Work in close collaboration with implementing partners to design and revise project financial plans as well as preparation of the budget proposal revision, considering different approaches and alternative methods, management, problem identification and problem resolution, especially for the parts of the Project supporting the institutional and capacity development of implementing partners.
9.Review, verify and analyze progress and final financial reports and other data for clarity, consistency and completeness and monitor the progress of Project activities. Follow-up on delayed documents, clarify information, and answer questions about clearance and processing requirements to support successful completion of agreed activities.
10.Assist in the programming and control of resources of the project, prepare budget estimates and expenditure forecasts by analysing and monitoring situation of resources as compared to planned activities and making recommendations for remedial action. Identify problems, propose solutions and actions.
11.Lead in the preparation of briefs, background information, financial reports and periodic progress reports and statistical data on status of the overall activities of the Project.
12.Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Project Coordinator and ILO National Coordinator.
University degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in a field relevant to the job.
Minimum of two years of professional work experience in finance or accounting. Proved experience in EU funding projects would be an asset.
Technical requirements: Good knowledge of financial monitoring of grant schemes.
Excellent knowledge of the Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian language and a good knowledge of English.
Competencies
• Good knowledge of financial and accounting principles and concepts.
• Knowledge of methods and techniques for designing and assessing quality and efficiency of process execution.
• Knowledge of programme and budget, project administration and evaluation concepts and procedures
• Knowledge of the office’s financial rules and regulations
• Good knowledge of the context and challenges for the project financial management
• Strong analytical skills and ability to justify requirements and approaches to problem resolution and good drafting skills
• Good ability to interpret project financial information and to identify and analyze problems with implementation
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Ability to clarify information
• Demonstrate collaborative and team work experience and ability to work effectively with a multicultural and interdisciplinary team as well as work on his/her own initiative
• Ability to work independently, quickly, precisely, and take initiative and responsibility
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet the deadline
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, web-browsers and database applications
• Ability to deal with people with tact and diplomacy.
Recruitment process
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. To apply, please visit the ILO Jobs website. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.
Fraud warning
The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.