Overview
The Finance Officer (S2) will lead the Finance Unit, overseeing financial operations, reporting, and staff supervision in compliance with OSCE rules and regulations.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading the Finance Unit, including Accounts, Treasury and Budget, maintaining overall control of the Office’s financial operations.
- Examining and approving high-value payment vouchers.
- Developing, implementing, and monitoring financial reporting systems.
- Designing regular reporting mechanisms for budget implementation.
- Assisting in preparing the Office’s budget for the unified OSCE UB proposal.
- Monitoring expenditures and reviewing additional resource requests.
- Coordinating budgetary matters with the OSCE Secretariat, including handling Extra-Budgetary Contributions (ExB).
- Serving as Focal Point for Performance-Based Programme Budgeting (PBPB) and alternate to CFA for accounts and obligating documents.
- Preparing draft responses to internal and external audit inquiries and ensuring corrective actions are implemented.
- Analyzing financial risks and developing risk management guidelines.
- Ensuring compliance with national legislation and internal control requirements.
- Supervising Finance Department staff, including Budget, Treasury, and Accounts Units.
- Monitoring performance, establishing workflows, providing guidance and ad hoc training.
- Addressing complex issues to ensure efficiency, client orientation, and professional development.
- Advising on banking arrangements, cash replenishment, and cash-flow management.
- Ensuring timely authorization and processing of cash and bank transactions, including salaries and transfers.
- Overseeing cashier services to guarantee accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with internal controls.
- Preparing draft reports and documents for submission to policy-making organs.
- Providing guidance to Programme Office staff on financial matters.
- Evaluating subordinate performance.
- Ensuring effective information exchange and support for decision-making on financial operations.
Required Experience
- Supervisory and management experience.
- Strong interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.
- Good oral and written communication skills.
- Knowledge and experience working with computerized financial systems, including word processing, spreadsheets, and database software.
- Experience providing guidance to staff and advising management on financial operations and risk management.
- Minimum of six (four years with a relevant second-level degree) years of progressively responsible professional experience in administration, budget, accounting, or finance, including experience in an international organization.
- Experience in the use of computer applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, and database software.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Knowledge and experience of using enterprise financial management applications (e.g., Oracle, SAP).
- Proven experience in managing financial operations, including budgeting, treasury, accounts, and reporting, in compliance with established rules, regulations, and internal control systems.
- Experience supervising and guiding finance staff, including performance monitoring, workflow management, and capacity-building activities.
- Ability to prepare, analyze, and review financial reports, budget proposals, and reconciliations accurately and in a timely manner.
- Ability to operate ERP systems and standard Windows applications, including Word processing and email.
- Cultural sensitivity and sound judgment.
- Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.
- Demonstrated ability and willingness to work effectively as a member of a team with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, gender, and diverse political views while maintaining impartiality and objectivity.
- Previous international field experience.
- Leadership skills.
- Previous experience in an international environment or operational missions, in a management position.
- Experience using enterprise financial management systems such as Oracle, SAP, or equivalent.
- Experience of working in the Central Asian region and/or knowledge of the region.
Qualifications
- First-level university degree in finance and accounting, business administration, or economics, supplemented by additional courses in finance/accounting.
- Certification from a recognized professional accountancy institution, such as Certified Public Accountants (CPA) or Chartered Accountants (CA), would be considered an asset.
