UNWFP - Beirut - Budget and Programming Officer NOB

- This position is open to qualified Lebanese candidates only.

-  Women and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

- Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

This Vacancy Announcement will close on 26 October 2022 at 11:59 PM Rome Time.

Contract Duration: 12 Months (Renewable based on business need and performance)

Organizational background

Assisting more than 90 million people in 123 countries and territories each year, the World Food Program (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies partnering with governments, and providing common services that allow the entire humanitarian community to save lives in emergencies and build the resilience of food insecure people and communities. 
As the international community has committed to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition by 2030, one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat. Food and food-related assistance lie at the heart of the struggle to break the cycle of hunger and poverty.

WFP Lebanon provides humanitarian assistance to nearly 1.1 million vulnerable persons, in the form of unrestricted assistance in-kind and cash-based transfers. WFP Lebanon also provides food assistance in the form of snack and fresh food to school aged students and their families. This support is designed to improve the students’ health and make them and their families more motivated to pursue the children’s right to education.
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

To know more about WFP’s mission, please check the below video:https://www.facebook.com/WorldFoodProgramme/videos/10154930622760178/

Organizational Context: The incumbent will report to the Head of the Budget and Programming unit in WFP Lebanon Country Office

Job Purpose: To deliver budget and resource analysis and programming activities and/or provide support in HQ/Regional Bureaus, partnering with managers to apply best practice approaches that support the efficient, effective, and compliant utilization of funds.

Key Responsibilities (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

Within delegated authority and under the direct supervision of the Head of the Budget and Programming unit, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

• 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 optimize resources.
• Monitor and provide advice on fund utilization, 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 maximize operational effectiveness, following standards and processes, and providing advice on resource allocations based on severity of pipeline shortfalls using relevant pipeline tools.
• Create operational pipelines to support management, activity managers on decision-making.
• 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 analyze 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.
•     Perform other related duties, as required.

Standard Minimum Qualifications:    

Education:Advanced University degree (i.e. Master's degree or higher) in Business Administration, Finance, Economics or another relevant field, or First University degree in a relevant field (i.e. Bachelor’s degree) with additional years of related work experience.

Experience: At least three (3) or more years of postgraduate professional experience (after completion of Advanced University degree) in related field of budget, accounting and finance or, five (5) years or more after completion of First University degree.

Language:  Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Arabic. Knowledge of French language is an added advantage.

Desirable Knowledge and Skills:

• 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 supports implementation of operations.