Budget & Programming Officer at World Food Programme (WFP)

Job Description

The World Food Programme is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.

JOB PURPOSE

To deliver budget and resource analysis and programming activities and/or provide support in HQ/RBs, partnering with managers to apply best practice approaches that support the efficient, effective and compliant utilisation of funds.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Contribute towards the development of plans, processes and procedures ensuring compliance with wider budget programming policies and WFP standards. Create and review project budget plans and monitor ongoing project performance against budget, ensuring adherence to guidance and policies, and providing financial analysis and advice to optimise resources. Monitor and provide advice on fund utilisation, and advance financing, loan and borrowing/repayment and refinancing arrangements; alerting Country/Regional Directors to approaching deadlines for unassigned funds and potential resource shortfalls/surpluses, and proposing appropriate solutions. Monitor and provide advice on actions related to project closure and resource transfer. Monitor the resource pipeline to maximise operational effectiveness, following standards and processes, and providing advice on resource allocations based on severity of pipeline shortfalls using relevant pipeline tools. Support the preparation of food-demand plans to support management and usage of corporate Global Commodity Financial Facility and provide information to guide RB/HQ decision-making when multiple projects compete for the same stock. Create and review budget and project documentation, and ensure relevant resource data is recorded in internal systems for reference, in line with WFP standards and procedures. Collate and analyse data for the preparation of accurate and timely reports, to enable informed decision-making and consistency of information presented to senior management and external stakeholders. Proactively contribute ideas to senior officers for improvement to systems, techniques, tools, processes and procedures to better monitor and manage budgets and funds. Support the capacity building of WFP staff in budgeting, fund management and operational planning through answering queries and updating training materials, manuals and guidelines. Represent the unit at internal meetings/committees/working groups as required, in order to obtain and provide information from a budget and resource programming perspective. Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries. Follow standard emergency preparedness practices and contribute to technical recommendations and guidance and monitoring the management of financial risks. Other as required.

STANDARD REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses. Language: International Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese. National Professional: Fluency (level C) in English language and the duty station’s language, if different.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

Has contributed to the development of operational or office related budgets. Has contributed to the production of planning/budgetary reports or other analytical reports to support decision making. Has demonstrated a broad understanding of WFP’s financial architecture and how it support implementation of operations.