Chief of Section, Finance and Budget

The Department of Operational Support (DOS) was established to provide end-to-end operational support, advisory services, and other solutions to operating entities across the Secretariat, including departments, offices away from headquarters, peace operations, and regional commissions. The Division of Administration (DOA) in New York provides administrative support functions (human resources, budget, finance and general administration) and facility management and commercial services to entities at United Nations Headquarters. It also provides financial operational services to entities across the globe. As Common Administrative Platform, the Division comprises the OneEO, the Financial Operations Service (including OnePayroll), and the Facilities and Commercial Activities Service. The CAP started its transition phase on 1 January 2026 as part of the UN80 reform initiative, which aims to consolidate common administrative functions across Secretariat entities into unified service platforms. This position is located within the Financial Operations Service of the Common Administrative Platform (CAP) at United Nations Headquarters, under the Division of Administration (DOA) in the Department of Operational Support (DOS). The Chief of Section, Finance and Budget, will report to the Chief of the Financial Operations Service.

Within delegated authority, the Chief of Section, Finance and Budget, will serve as the Chief of the Accounts Payable Section. Programme plan:

• Plans, organizes and manages the preparation of the programme plan and its revisions on the basis of departmental submissions, taking into account recommendations and decisions of specialized intergovernmental bodies.
• Proactively supports relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in the review of the programme plan and its revisions; secures approval from the General Assembly.
• Ensures legislative mandates are accurately translated into programme budgets. Budget preparation:
• Plans and coordinates review of budget submissions.
• Reviews, analyses and finalizes cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements from (a) Departments/offices at Headquarters and in the field, including programmatic aspects; (b) peacekeeping operations; ensures compliance with the programme plan and other legislative mandates.
• Coordinates the preparation of budget submissions from managers.
• Reviews, analyses and finalizes programme budget/financial implications to the Security Council statements in light of additional mandates.
• Provides substantive support and guidance to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in their budget review; secures approval from the General Assembly. Budget administration:
• Manages/issues allotments, authorizes sub-allotments, including redeployment of funds when necessary, ensuring appropriate expenditures.
• Monitors expenditures to ensure that they remain within authorized levels.
• Administers and monitors extra-budgetary resources, including review of agreements and cost plans, ensuring compliance with regulations and rules and established policies and procedures.
• Authorizes payment to Governments for settlement of certified death and disability, contingent-owned equipment and letters-of-assist claims; determines average monthly troop strengths, establishing amounts reimbursable and initiating payments for reimbursement to troop-contributing countries.
• Oversees the review and finalization of budget performance reports; monitors variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
• Provides advice and support to relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies in the review of budget performance reports; secures approval from the General Assembly. Finance:
• Administers and approves New York and field payments.
• Administers and approves payments relating to staff advances (training and travel), contractual workers and compensation claims, medical, dental, and group life insurance premiums, third-party payments, Troops and COE reimbursements.
• Evaluates existing methods and introduces new measures as required to ensure effective and efficient accounts payable operations. Undertakes special reviews of operational objectives and related financial policies and procedures affecting the Organization’s financial systems. Takes the lead in designing and implementing required changes.
• Plans, integrates, and coordinates the work of supervisors responsible for portions of the finance programme; monitors achievement of objectives.
• Provides compliance with Financial Regulations and Rules as regards established disbursement procedures and the timely reconciliation of expense and balance sheet accounts.
• Provides authoritative advice, financial interpretations, adaptations and corrective actions in response to audits and other queries to ensure adherence to UN Financial Regulations and Rules, Staff Regulations and Rules, Administrative Instructions, Bulletins, and Circulars.
• Leads business process re-engineering, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives, including optimization of ERP systems and workflows, specifically the Accounts Payable (AP) module and its integration with other Umoja modules such as Supply Relationship Management (SRM), Asset Accounting (AA), General Ledger (GL), Cash Management and Treasury, and Travel Management (TM). General:
• Provides advice and guidance, including training, to Headquarters and field staff on budgetary and financial policies and procedures, including results-based budgeting.
• Participates in inter-departmental meetings and/or technical survey missions on matters related to resource requirements, programming and budgetary issues.
• Keeps up to date on documents/reports/guidelines that have a bearing on matters related to programme and/or peacekeeping budgets, ensuring compliance with intergovernmental recommendations and decisions as well as with United Nations policies and procedures.
• Provides accurate documentation and document retention related to staff members’ salary records and finance files. Delivers excellent client service.
• Prepares/finalizes reports for intergovernmental bodies and for management on budgetary issues, and correspondence, including guidelines and instructions.
• Prepares official documentation to troop-contributing countries concerning reimbursements from the United Nations.
• Reviews and analyses financial policies and procedures, makes recommendations for changes and/or modifications.
• Exercises delegated financial authority and ensures compliance with UN Financial Regulations and Rules, IPSAS, and internal control frameworks.
• Ensures that verification, checking, and control routines are always enforced and that their integrity is upheld.
• Represents the Secretary-General in meetings of legislative organs; represents OPPFB or Division in inter- and intra-departmental meetings.
• Plans, organizes and manages staff and work programme; plans and discusses individual work programmes with staff and evaluates their performance.
• Leads team members’ efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate, and share the data they need.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned.

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget management and financial administration of resources. Proven analytical skills and ability to provide technical advice in budget management to managers. Ability to manage a programme in a field operation and formulate new strategies and approaches to budget management issues. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Able to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors 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. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance, accounting, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Not available.

A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in finance, accounting, budget, or business administration is required. At least 5 years of experience with business development and enhancement of the finance and budget modules including Accounts Payable and payroll accounting of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is required. At least 5 years of experience with data analytics and building complex financial data models is required. Experience working with the United Nations or a large global organization’s systems and procedures, Staff and Financial Regulations, and Rules and procedures is desirable. Experience providing advice to senior leadership, including in supporting business process improvements, is desirable. Experience in coordinating with internal and external auditors is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Applicants who have reached the mandatory age of separation are not eligible to apply for job openings to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must meet the applicable geographical or lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy, taking into account that selection to the post may itself constitute a qualifying move, in accordance with the relevant administrative issuances. Staff members are encouraged to ensure that all qualifying geographical or lateral moves are accurately reflected in their applicant profile. Please refer to ST/AI/2025/2 on the Staff selection system for more details. Individual contractors and consultants (Non-Staff Personnel) who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. At the United Nations, 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. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations 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. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.