Org. Setting and Reporting
UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The Senior Contributions Officer reports to the Head External Relations Services Section, (P4). The incumbent of this post provides direct supervision to a number of professional and/or general services staff members.
Responsibilities
Plans, develops and manages the operations of the Contributions team, including managing the preparation and maintenance of accurate and updated records and data analytics on Agency-wide donor contributions (regular and special contributions, solicited, pledged or contributions received from public and private sources). Oversees the preparation of tailored reports and donor contributions data for specific internal and external audiences, including mid-year Emergency Appeals Report, Annual Operation Report, Annual Financial Statements, Working Group Financing UNRWA (WGFU) and UNRWA’s website
manages the preparation of contribution data to support the External Relations and Communications Department (ERCD) outreach efforts and inputs to governing bodies (AdCom) reporting / response to queries such as, historical contribution information and trends, comparative statistics, donor ranking and contribution charts and dashboards
prepares and ensures up to date records and contribution statistics for ERCD inputs to the Agency Resource Mobilization Strategy (RMS) and MidTerm Strategy (MTS), including updated tables for Multi-Year Agreements, funded Priority Projects, comparative tables and charts.
Works closely with the Finance Department (Treasury, Accounts and Budget Divisions) to ensure appropriate recording of Agency contributions and reconciliation of records; oversees the Agency’s donor funding reports (forecasts, confirmed and received) including cash inflow in coordination with Partnerships Division and certifies accuracy of donor contributions records as needed; plans and manages the month-end and year-end closure activities, including closure instructions, time schedules and activities; follows up on related activities with concerned parties to ensure timely preparation of contribution status and relevant reports.
Provides Agency-wide guidance and recommendations to ERCD, Field Offices and Finance Department on contributions pledged, received and in the pipeline; provides advice and recommends corrective actions to amend recordings, where necessary; follows up on all contributions received at Fields and Headquarters.
Participates and significantly contributes to the development of ERCD’s work plan and provides performance evaluation tools; initiates, reviews and coordinates amendments, as necessary, to various reports, Finance Manual and Finance Technical Instructions used Agency-wide in view of the new contributions related to ERP processes; reviews all aspects of the Grant Module/REACH and participates in the development and implementation of improved systems and procedures.
Liaises with the relevant staff to respond to ad-hoc queries from donor representatives and missions on contributions, such as receipts for contributions, bank details, relevant statistics and other relevant information; requests, as necessary, additional information from Departments, Field Offices, Representative Offices, National Committees to maintain accurate and up-to-date records and statistics of the Agency’s contributions; provides immediate support to ERCD staff for meetings with representatives of donors, and participates in such meetings when required.
Ensures the recording of contributions is in line with donor requirements, including working closely with the Partnerships Division and Senior Projects Officers at HQs and Projects Officers at the field level to obtain necessary information; follows up on forecasted pledges and disbursement dates for recorded contributions, including monitoring contribution receivables.
As the Financial Tracking Service (FTS) focal point, manages submission to OCHA/FTS, concerning the Agency’s humanitarian contributions and ensures the accuracy of FTS reported figures; oversees compiled information regarding Field Offices and Budget allocation of emergency appeals contributions, follows and requests FTS to make amendments when necessary, in case of mis-reporting by other parties.
Acts as ERCD focal point for internal and external audit requests, including providing input, preparing replies and providing supporting documents in addition to compiling replies from other ERCD divisions.
Competencies
UN Core Values of lntegrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Default managerial competencies may apply. Functional i. Planning and organizing ii. Applying Technical Expertise iii. Deciding and Initiating Action Leadership (as applicable) i. Leading and Supervising ii. Delivering Results
Education
An advanced university degree from an accredited educational institute in business administration, information technology or other related discipline.
Work Experience
An advanced university degree in business administration, information technology or other related discipline is required. At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in finance/budget, bookkeeping and accountancy, including at least three years at a senior level is required. Experience with database packages, queries, data import/export and producing reports, spread sheet applications and ability to write macro functions and perform statistical analysis is required. Working knowledge of ERP system, MS-Access, Excel and Word is required.
Excellent command of written and spoken English is required Prior experience with a UN organization, NGO, or donor government is desirable. A course in accounting is desirable. Are you currently residing in Duty station. Please specify your current location. It is required. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples. Do you currently hold a contract of 1 year or more with UNRWA? If yes, please confirm whether you have completed your mandatory probation period is required. Indicate your current involvement in any outside activities, as it is required.
Including but not limited to employment, independent contractor/freelance consultant, board member (corporate, academic, etc), expert group, lobby, public speaking/writing (article, book, blog, social media etc), teaching, conferences, training, press statement, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising/donation for non-UNRWA entity, running for public office, role in political party or orgs, owning business, work for gov./NGO/private company/charity, UNRWA partner/vendor, full/part-time, paid or not.
A “yes” answer doesn’t necessarily lead to exclusion from future work at UNRWA, yet misrepresentation in providing accurate/complete info can lead to disqualification/termination of appointment, if hired.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English and Arabic are required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).
Required Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
English | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III
Arabic | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III | UN Level III
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
The incumbent may be asked to travel throughout UNRWA’s five fields of operation based on operational requirements. Grade and Salary: Grade 17 Monthly basic salary JD 1156.60 plus special occupational allowance (SOA) of 69.9% of the basic salary (SOA may change from time to time). The salary may be subject to a reduced work schedule.
The Agency will not assume responsibility or accountability to support or facilitate the issuance of work permit in Jordan, and without a valid work permit, the appointment may be rescinded.
The incumbent may be required to travel in the Agency’s area of operations.
The incumbent may be required to work outside normal duty hours and on call basis. Preference will be given to registered Palestine refugees and candidates assisting the Agency to meet its commitment to gender parity. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system Inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All university degrees must also be stated where applicable.
Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions including Arabic will not be considered. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointments to the same post or a similar post, when the need arises. Equivalency: Equivalency may apply for this post.
NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reasons of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending.
UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions.
The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org
United Nations Considerations
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity.
All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity.
This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts.
Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira.
For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines.
Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.