Finance Assistant

This is a hands-on operational finance role that combines transaction processing, budget monitoring, financial controls, reporting, and client support to ensure the smooth financial management of UNICEF Innocenti's activities in Florence. The role supports globally recognized research, innovation, and evidence generation within a collaborative international environment.

Responsibilities

• Reviews and processes invoices, payments, travel claims, advances, and other financial transactions.
• Uses SAP and UNICEF corporate systems to ensure transactions are recorded correctly and on time.
• Verifies supporting documentation and follows up on issues.
• Tracks spending against budgets and grants.
• Reviews commitments and outstanding balances.
• Supports budget planning and provides financial information to help managers make decisions.
• Performs reconciliations and maintains financial records.
• Supports month-end and year-end closure activities.
• Helps ensure compliance with UNICEF financial policies, procedures, and audit requirements.
• Responds to finance-related queries from programme and operations staff.
• Advises colleagues on processes, documentation requirements, and financial procedures.
• Helps resolve payment and transaction issues.
• Prepares recurring and ad hoc financial reports.
• Analyses financial data and identifies discrepancies or areas requiring corrective action.
• Supports audits and management reporting.
• Develops SOPs, guidance notes, and job aids.
• Contributes to efficiency improvements and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Uses digital tools, including AI-enabled tools, to improve operational effectiveness.

Requirements

• Completion of Secondary Education is required.
• Minimum five years of clerical experience in finance and accounting is required.
• Strong project management, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Confidence in using digital tools and adapting to new technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Suite products (MS Excel, MS Word, PowerPoint) is required.
• Proficiency in English and Italian is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
• Professional and/or university courses related to financial management, business administration or related field of work are highly desirable.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle or similar is a strong asset.
• Relevant experience in the UN system/UNICEF is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and their practical application to enhance operational efficiency, data analysis, and business processes is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

• Clerical Finance Experience
• Accounting
• Project Management
• MS Excel
• MS Word
• Power Point
• ERP Systems
• SAP
• Oracle
• Financial Reporting
• Budget Monitoring
• Financial Control
• Client Support
• Digital Tools Adaptability
• Artificial Intelligence Tools
• Data Analysis
• Business Process Improvement

Languages

English, Italian