Finance Assistant - UNHCR FTA - G4 - P.N.10023316 - Beirut, Lebanon

There are currently more than one million Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon, which makes Lebanon the highest refugee-hosting country per capita in the world. There are no approved camps in the country, and refugees are living in more than 1,700 locations across the country. The refugee response is led by the Government and local actors, supported by the international community.

As the designated lead agency in the refugee response, UNHCR has established a sector-based structure in Beirut and in the field. The structure brings together over 100 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and other affected populations. The Lebanon national response falls under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), whereby UNHCR guides the refugee response and UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.

The UNHCR operational response in Lebanon is the largest for the organization. Media attention and the frequency of influential high-profile visitors is high. The Office are located in Beirut, Zahle, Tripoli, Tyre, and Qobayat.

The Finance Assistant is normally supervised by the Finance Officer or the National Finance (or Admin) Officer who defines work objectives and provides regular advice and guidance. The incumbent’s workload and the assignments will remain under constant scrutiny and direction of the supervisor. The incumbent also refers to UNHCR Manuals and relevant policy papers on financial issues.

The incumbent assists with the processing of financial transactions. S/he keeps frequent contact with staff at various levels in the office and with bank officials and suppliers to exchange information.

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)

• Financial transactions and reconciliations are processed in line with relevant policies and procedures.

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)

• Assist newly arriving or departing international staff members on opening/closing bank account; process their entitlement upon assignment.
• Compile and verify budget and accounting data by checking files, calculating expenditure and estimating projections.
• Issue PO and non-PO vouchers including monthly salaries of UNHCR national and international staff, daily subsistence allowance to staff going on official missions, cost of air-tickets, requisitions of goods and services based on agreements with the suppliers, office running common cost, rental and salary advances, lease agreements of UNHCR offices, etc.
• Process on-line bank transfers ensuring that bank accounts of staff and suppliers are complete.
• Liaise with other functional units who work closely with Finance Unit on relevant issues.
• If applicable, may be required to assist in the preparation of the VAT refund submissions and monitoring of the reimbursable amounts.
• Maintain efficient and timely archiving system of physical and electronic files to ensure that all documents are accounted for.
• May be assigned as the custodian of the office petty-cash.
• Draft routine correspondence.
• Perform any other related tasks as required

Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)

• Verify that the financial transactions are correct and in accordance with UNHCR rules and procedures.
• Have access to confidential data and information.