Accounting Assistant

Organisational Setting and Reporting The United Nations Secretary-General is responsible for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF). The Secretary-General has delegated this responsibility to the Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the UNJSPF (RSG). The RSG heads the Office of Investment Management (OIM), which manages a $60+ billion multi-asset class, global investment portfolio, about 85% of which is actively managed in-house. Asset classes under management comprise global equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, timber and commodities. OIM's staff are all based in New York but come from over 30 countries. For more information please visit OIM's website at https://oim.unjspf.org/. This position is located in the Operations Section of OIM. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Accountant (Tax), and general guidance of the Accountant and Chief, Operations Section. Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Tax Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

Scrutinizes source documents for completeness, accuracy and validity of tax expense.
Investigates erroneous tax charges and takes appropriate corrective actions.
Ensures that accurate and complete accounting, reporting and internal control systems related to direct and indirect tax are functioning and that all relevant records/documents are maintained.
Assists in identifying methods to operationalize United Nations privileges and immunities in ration to tax on investment transactions.
Communicates with custodian and tax advisors regarding missing documentation or any other issues related to tax discrepancies.
Reconciles and reviews tax accounts and ensure proper procedures have been followed.
Extracts details of income, expenditure, assets and liability from accounting system in order to analyze and verify accuracy and validity.
Assists in compilation of data into financial statements.
Assists with the monitoring of tax expenditures to ensures they remain within authorized levels.
Prepares worksheets and assists with the preparation of financial statements.
Audits various accounting transactions to ensure correctness and adherence to relevant financial regulations and rules or practices.

Provides guidance and training to colleagues as required.
Supervises other General Service staff as required.
Drafts/prepares memoranda to various offices, departments and overseas offices.
Responds to queries from auditors, staff members and third parties.
Performs other duties as may be required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge in the use and application of the Organization's financial regulations and rules as well as accounting policies and practices. Ability to extract, interpret, and analyse a wide variety of data and to resolve data discrepancies and other problems. Ability to research, understanding and implement tax laws relevant to International tax-exempt organization. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.
Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Education High school diploma or equivalent. Work Experience A minimum of seven years of experience in accounting, finance or related area is required. A minimum of three years of progressively responsible professional experience in monitoring tax expenses, preparation of tax returns, and/or analysing tax laws is required. Experience using word processing and spreadsheet applications, including functions like pivot tables, lookup functions, creating graphs is required. Experience of working on tax related matters of International tax-exempt Organizations is desirable. Experience in the process of reclaiming tax withheld on investment income in multiple tax jurisdictions is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special Notice

This position becomes available on 01 January 2021.
Appointment at the United Nations is subject to mandatory adherence to the United Nations Financial disclosure Programme. An appointment to the Office of Investment Management (OIM) of the UNJSPF additionally requires compliance with the rules and regulations pertaining to OIM's Code of Ethics, Personal Securities, Gift and Hospitality policies.
This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule
4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.
Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Staff members who were granted a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment as a result of having passed a predecessor test recognized by the Office of Human Resources Management, and who have continuously held such appointments, are not required to take the new test.
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

More Information and Application details. Deadline for Application: 07 August 2020