UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to of learning
Syria continues to face one of the most complex emergencies in the world. Unprecedented humanitarian needs are compounded by displacement inside the country and across its borders, extensive destruction of civilian and social services infrastructure, devastating impacts on the economy, and most importantly, the breakdown of the social fabric that stitched the country together for decades.
Today, 90 per cent of people in Syria live in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. Families have had their resources depleted, with limited employment opportunities, skyrocketing prices, and shortage of basic supplies. For most people, the current socio-economic challenges represent some of the harshest and most challenging circumstances they have faced since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.
In 2024, 16.7 million people needed humanitarian assistance. This is the highest number of people in need ever recorded in Syria since 2011. The number of children in need - more than 6.5 million - has increased by seven per cent in the past year alone. The COVID-19 pandemic, the hike in the price of commodities triggered by the overall global economic situation is further compounding the dire situation.
Political transition, economic instability, and security concerns continue to impact recovery efforts. UNICEF remains committed to upholding children's rights, striving to create an environment where children are protected, valued, and empowered.
For information on the work of UNICEF, please visit UNICEF Syria.
How can you make a difference?
Under the supervision and guidance of the Chief of Field Office, the Administrative & Finance Associate is responsible for executing a broad variety of procedural and specialized administrative tasks for the respective section requiring in-depth knowledge of UNICEF administrative procedures, processes and policies. In addition, will be responsible for providing a variety of specialized tasks in finance functions, ensuring accurate and timely delivery that is in compliance with UNICEF financial rules and regulations, whilst demonstrating the capacity to research, adapt and evaluate irregular cases, and also to recommend improvements to process delivery and design.
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:
Operation Budget Monitoring
- Monitors budgets and financial expenditures of the Field Office (FO), ensuring compliance with FO plans.
- Provides support on budget revision/preparation, implementation status, determination position of funding utilization, operational, and financial closure.
Human Resources
- Support the recruitment process through coordinating logistics arrangements as required.
- Support new staff orientation as needed.
Procurement
- Maintains up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters.
Communications & Workflow
- Facilitates the communications and workflow of the organizational unit to enhance the efficiency and timeliness of operations and outputs.
- Manages incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails and telephone calls.
Calendar/Meetings/Correspondence Management
- Maintains office calendar and arranges meetings
- Takes minutes of meetings, ensuring accuracy, attention to detail and coherence.
Events/Logistics
- Supports capacity development activities and conferences by making the logistical arrangements, through engaging with facilitators, caterers and hosts.
- Arranges times through liaising with participants over availability.
- Liaises with budget focal points and section over costs and needs.
Travel
- Provides travel assistance to staff members in section for travel arrangements and entitlements based on the organization’s rules and policies. Liaises with relevant travel focal points to ensure that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel.
- Briefs/de-briefs staff members on issues relating to related administrative matters such as Travel Authorizations, security clearance, and documentation procedures.
- Extracts, inputs, maintains, and verifies correctness of travel records in the organization’s travel system to ensure accurate transactions related to travel costs and staff travel.
Invoice Processing
- Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval and, thereafter processing in VISION.
- Uploads electronic files and verifies results to destination system.
- Responds to client transaction status and other inquiries.
Supplies/Equipment
- Supports management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating inventory of items.
- Monitors and supervises adequate and appropriate use of supplies. Ensures that services and maintenance of premises are in accordance with organizational standards.
- Arranges for the purchase and timely distribution of office supplies.
Attendance
- Maintains and updates a system which monitors the absence of staff.
Finance
- Advise and assist on all aspects related to preparation of reports, compilation of data and answering queries on pledges recorded, funds received, adjustments made to ensure financial compliance, accuracy and completeness of data for its inclusion into statement of accounts and adjustment of budgets. Advise units of discrepancies and assist to resolve differences in their records.
- Maintains financial records and monitoring systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports.
- Selects and enters data from a wide variety of documents, verifying and ensuring accuracy by checking sources, making necessary calculations and assuring inclusion of all relevant data.
- Prepares recurring reports as schedules and special reports, as required for budget preparation, audits or other reasons.
- Close year-end account and assist in the preparation of year-end reports related to accounts receivable, accounts payable, prepayment, deposits, NEP and leave balances, etc.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: [
Specific Admin and Finance Associate GS-6.docx]
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education:
- Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
- Professional/university-level courses in Accounting and Finance/ Business administration are considered an asset.
Work Experience:
- A minimum of 6 years of relevant clerical experience in the field of administration or finance is required.
- A bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position may replace three years of related work experience. A master’s degree may replace an additional two years.
Skills:
- Training and experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint; knowledge of integrated management information systems required.
- In-depth knowledge of UNICEF organizational structure, administrative policies, and procedures.
- Organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities.
- Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with visitors.
- High sense of confidentiality, initiative, and good judgment.
- Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
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
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 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.
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.
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 advance 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.
