Vacancy Announcement- Budget Specialist (Polio), P-3, Temporary Appointment, 6 Months, Abuja Nigeria #135795

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up! 

For every child, the right to an advocate

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children’s rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally – click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

Click here to experience our country through the perspective of our colleagues by clicking on this Link

Purpose of the post:

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Health Manager/ Polio Team leader the Budget Specialist will be responsible for tracking, analyzing and reporting income and expenditures for Polio and other programmes, including donor contributions and will be accountable for analyzing the needs, preparation, management and monitoring of contributions, involving all sources of funds across outputs contributing to the overall management of funds in the health section.

How can you make a difference?

Tasks:

• Integrate and analyze potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a wide variety of sources.
• Identify key, high-level trends across data sets.
• Recognize subtle inter-relationships among multiple issues and sees the potential effects on the overall system or process.
• Make logical, rational, well-reasoned and defensible judgment from the analyses.
• Liaise with RO/HQ (ORPG Rapid Response Team) and technical colleagues to dialogue and constantly inform the section chief on policies and guidelines on budget management.
• Use integrated knowledge on Polio response and other programme areas to discuss at partnership level and within UNICEF; to solve immediate problems but also place them into a wider context to come up with recommendations for the whole system.

• Support the program assistants to align contribution management with health and HIV programme outputs and strategies and develop medium to long-term plans for effective budget management contributing to the overall governance of the Section.
• Develop capacity building plans for strengthening the overall budget management of the section.
• Develop and revise the Health and HIV section budget, contribution and financial strategies with the sections vision and staffing structure ensuring it is coherent and meaningful.
• Influence the Resource Mobilisation strategies based on budget trend analysis for the section.

3. Contribution management (Polio Surge and OBR budget planning, Budget allocation, monitoring)

• Participate in the development of the budget-related components of the Health and HIV section workplan including Polio, annual management plan, Resource mobilization and Partnership Strategy, including donor proposals.
• Monitor compliance and inform relevant output managers to ensure that fund management objectives and targets are on track, and that staff are aware of donor conditions.
• Ensure timely allocation of new grants to respective outputs in line with approved budget breakdown and donor conditions.
• Monitor grants expiry dates and in dialogue with the output managers and the section chief find solutions for proper utilization aligned with results.
• Monitor the utilization of regular Resources and Other Resources and produce regular updates for the Section.
• Support the capacity development of section staff to improve the description of expenditures that appear in financial reports.
• Retrieve information on costs of programme elements, such as staff and related costs, from automated files and compile them in standardized and customized reports.
• Enable an institutional memory within the section through development and maintenance of record keeping of OR allocations forms and emails related to RR allocation.
• Collect and analyze budget and financial data for programme/project planning, management, monitoring and evaluation purposes.

4. Management of financial dashboard reports and Polio staffing quarterly dashboard

• Monitor allocation and expenditures trends; generate, prepare and share with members of the management team the financial progress reports adapted from VISION and bring to the attention of the Programme & Planning Specialist any deviations or delays for corrective measures.
• Prepare and timely submit monthly Management Indicator reports to the meetings of management team, including analysis on key programme indicators.
• Follow-up on agreed action during presentation of management reports.

• Support the preparation and review of financial reports to donors to ensure alignment with VISION reports and adherence to donor templates and guidelines.
• Prepare financial reports related to contributions in close coordination with the related programmes.
• Support the preparation and review of budgets in donor funding proposals in line with UNICEF financial rules and regulations.
• Support the preparation of budget related documentation and analysis as related to the fundraising function including income analysis and fundraising gaps.
• Support producing the Financial SitRep for the Emergency appeals.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• An advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Statistics, Engineering, Business Administration, Finance/Accounts Management, or a related area of study is required.
• A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: programme finance and budget management, operations, monitoring and reporting, public affairs, programme management, resource mobilization, external relations, or other relevant area is required.
• Experience in managing donors and partnerships and multi-year grants is required and experience in polio and immunization grant management is also required, and experience working with UN agencies is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required

Temporary Assignment:

UNICEF staff members holding fixed term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to  Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to internal staff only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member’s original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (1)

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1)

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (1)

(4) Innovates and embraces change (1)

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

(6) Thinks and acts strategically (1)

(7) Works collaboratively with others (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with 

UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.