Finance & Admin Assistant

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP’s values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

Background

The Centre is an innovation that seeks to respond government demands for technical support to strengthen their national capacities and knowledge on sustainable school feeding and to support them in the design and management of healthy and sustainable national school feeding and other hunger programmes. For more information, visit https://centrodeexcelencia.org.br/en/.

At WFP Brazil, we are looking for talented professionals to support our Finance and Administration team in Brasilia. As Finance Admnistration Assistant, you will work under the general supervision of the Centre´s Director and reports directly to the Finance and Administration Associate, and indirectly to the Finance Officer.

Duties and Responsibilities

Accountabilities: Within delegated authority, the Finance and Administration Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Monitor payable, advance and other receivable items taking necessary action to ensure adequate registration and settlement in corporate systems. Prepare necessary cash receipt and journal vouchers as applicable.
• Initiate payment processing, review information uploaded in the system, guide staff about the referred documents and ensure payments have all proper documentation and approvals throughout the entire flow of payment process (deriving from Procurement, Travel, Human Resources or from other sources);
• Verify vendor claims and contracts for accuracy and conformance with WFP finance rules and regulations; perform claim verifications against documentation to ensure that purchases/services are properly authorized and that the goods have been received or services rendered and ensure timely recording and processing of vendor invoices;
• Assist in monitoring status of expenditures and allotments through WFP corporate systems, record variations, update and consolidate budget tables for all office grants when needed.
• Prepare monthly expenditure and income forecast tables to support informed decision-making regarding replenishment of the local Imprest Account.
• Perform bank reconciliation and maintain relevant General Ledger Accounts. Bring any discrepancy or inaccuracy to the attention of the supervisor, initiate and follow up corrective actions.
• Extract and input data from various sources in administrative, human resources, procurement and other WFP corporate systems to support preparation and submission of monthly and annual reports packages to HQ.
• Assist in the preparation of budget, accounting, financial and statistical reports for internal use and for donors, as required; Guide and train colleagues from other areas in the office engaged in analysing/translating financial reports into narrative.
• Assist in setup and implementation of proper accounting procedures, systems and internal controls;
• Provide guidance and on-the-job training to other staff, to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards.
• Draft or prepare correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant financial, administration and audit matters; Set up, classify and maintain eletronic and physical  files;
• Review and maintain updated data of corporate systems for: fixed assets, fleet management system and premises administration to ensure that all information entered is accurate.
• Review and support travel related processes.
• Negotiate terms of contracts with service providers and other stakeholders, when applicable.
• Process monthly payroll in cross-functional systems by collecting supporting documentation, reviewing budget, spreadsheets, overtime reports, entitlements and, migrating consolited files. Support overall activities of Human Resources Unit.
• Backstop colleagues in the Finance and Administration Unit and perform other related duties as required.

Expected Results:

Produces organized, quality technical and/or procedural work with well documented records conforming to required format and with well analyzed data. Demonstrated competence in required processes where actions are interlinked with other entities or interaction requested with specialized staff; General processes are completed using full knowledge and understanding of a body of rules, practices, policies and procedures, or quality technical support is provided to specialized activities.

Critical Success Factors:

Sound judgment; ability to extract, interpret, analyze and format data and to resolve operational problems. Ability to work with minimum of supervision; to supervise and train support staff; and to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. Ability to work with accuracy under time constraints and pressure; to deal patiently and tactfully with staff members and others and to have a high sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.

All WFP Employees are expected to demonstrate the competencies and standards of behavior aligned with our core values and defined in the WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK, namely:

•             Leading by example with integrity,

•             Driving results and delivering on commitments,

•             Fostering inclusive and collaborative teamwork,

•             Applying strategic thinking,

•             Building and maintaining sustainable partnerships.

Minimum qualifications:

Education:

University degree in Economics, Accounting, Mathematics, Administration, Foreign Trade or related areas.

Experience:

At least three years of progressively responsible clerical work experience in general administrative work including at least two years in the field of finance, accounting, budget, audit or another related field.

Knowledge:

Experience utilizing computers, Microsoft package, in special spreadsheets. Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Language:

Fluency in both oral and written communication in Portuguese and English.

Desired qualifications:

Advanced studies degree in one Economics, Accounting, Mathematics, Administration, Foreign Trade or related areas.

Previous experience in the UN system and general knowledge of UN system financial policies, rules, regulations and procedures.

Knowledge of banking systems (national and international).

Negotiation skills.

The candidate must have Brazilian Nationality or be legally authorized to work in the country.

Functional Capabilities

Internal Controls & Compliance – Demonstrates basic knowledge of internal controls, risk management, and monitoring mechanisms and their applicability to WFP’s critical activities.

Performance Budgeting, Analysis & Reporting – Demonstrates participation in business planning efforts by developing basic project-level budgets and forecasts, incorporating information from various sources as appropriate to monitor KPIs.

Resource Management – Demonstrates ability to track and compile reports on HQ and Field staffing and resource usage on a project-level basis.

Financial Mgmt. & Accounting Principles – Applies knowledge of financial and accounting principles and practices to ensure compliance with WFP policies, applicable procedures and accounting standards.

Remuneration package

For this position, the incumbent is entitled to a gross monthly salary of BRL 7,326.89. WFP also pays the local social security plan (INSS). The contract includes a co-participative international health insurance plan to the employee and dependents (spouse and children), and a death and disability plan to the employee.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org or hr@joboptimizers.com in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.