Finance Assistant

Job Posting Organization:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security. Established in 1945, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide, employing thousands of staff dedicated to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The organization focuses on transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, ensuring that no one is left behind. FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to its strategic objectives and operations, emphasizing the importance of better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all.

Job Overview:
The Finance Assistant position is a crucial role within the FAO Shared Services Centre located in Budapest, Hungary. This role involves undertaking finance-related support activities that are of medium complexity, ensuring that processes are executed with quality, transparency, and consistency. The Finance Assistant is expected to have a deep understanding of financial policies, procedures, and practices, providing procedural guidance to other staff members as necessary. The incumbent will work autonomously, demonstrating initiative and responsibility while organizing their work effectively. The position requires maintaining a wide range of contacts within the organization and providing experienced coordination and delivery of finance support processes and services. The Finance Assistant will also play a proactive role in achieving the unit's mandate, impacting the efficiency and effectiveness of the services provided by the team.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Finance Assistant will be responsible for a variety of key functions, including reviewing source documents for completeness, accuracy, and validity. They will extract transaction details from the integrated financial system for analysis and verification, investigate errors, and take corrective actions as necessary. The role involves supporting continuous improvement efforts by participating in the testing and implementation of new financial process automations. The Finance Assistant will monitor transactions to ensure due diligence is performed, prepare worksheets, and assist in the preparation of reports by compiling and consolidating data from various sources. Additionally, they will draft correspondence, respond to queries, evaluate ongoing financial support requirements, and adapt service provision to meet changing needs. The incumbent will also provide procedural guidance and training to junior finance support staff and perform other duties as required.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a secondary school education as a minimum requirement. They should have at least four years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, cash management, and/or asset management related support work. A working knowledge of English at proficiency level C is mandatory. Candidates should also have very good knowledge of MS Office applications and office technology equipment. It is important that candidates are nationals of Hungary or possess an existing visa/work permit and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of application.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position is a secondary school education. This foundational education is essential for understanding the basic principles of finance and accounting that the Finance Assistant will apply in their daily tasks.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of four years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, cash management, and/or asset management related support work. This level of experience is necessary to ensure that the Finance Assistant can effectively handle the complexities of the role and contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the finance support processes.

Languages:
A working knowledge of English at proficiency level C is mandatory for this position. Additionally, it is desirable for candidates to have intermediate knowledge (level B) of another FAO official language, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, which would enhance their ability to communicate within the organization and with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is classified under the General Service Staff category, which means that candidates must be nationals of Hungary or possess an existing visa/work permit. The role is expected to be full-time, and candidates must reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of application. This ensures that the Finance Assistant can travel daily between their residence and the workplace without significant barriers. The role may involve additional training and development opportunities as part of the FAO's commitment to knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.