Business Support Assistant (Budget & Programming and Finance)

The Business Support Assistant will support day-to-day budget monitoring and grant analysis under the supervision of the Programme Policy Officer and Project Coordinator. The role involves budget plan reviews, financial performance monitoring, fund management, and compliance with WFP financial policies to optimize resource utilization and support operational effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the review of budget plans, monitoring and analysis of project financial performance and make recommendations in compliance with WFP financial policies and procedures and best practices to support financial analysis and optimisation of resources.
• Provide basic analysis on fund and grant balances and refer to the supervisor discrepancies, to support maximum fund utilization and decision-making process.
• Contribute to pipeline management facilitating efficient monitoring to prevent and address pipeline breaks and maximise operational effectiveness.
• Enter accurate data in the corporate systems within the established deadlines, to enable easy access to information and support planning and decision-making.
• Compile data and provide basic analysis, maintain accurate records and files and prepare periodic and ad hoc reports for further reviews, to support accuracy and efficiency of information presented to internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain communication with a number of individuals regarding project funds management matters and related processes to clarify any discrepancies and optimise use of funds.
• Provide guidance and on-the-job training to other staff in budget planning, fund management and operational planning, to support continued development and consistency in services delivered.
• Follow standard emergency preparedness practices, to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy needed resources to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.
• Provide procedural and technical support to staff within the areas of finance and budget, to ensure compliance with WFP financial policies, rules and regulations.
• Support the development and implementation of financial policies and procedures, and assist in setup and implementation of proper accounting procedures, systems and cash controls.
• Monitor the daily cash position in order to optimize the use of surplus cash and maximize returns on investment through the liquidity portfolio.
• Monitor the centralised registry system in order to process all payments to internal staff and invoices to external suppliers in a timely manner and in accordance with WFP standards.
• Contribute to the preparation, implementation and monitoring of budgets, monitor expenditure and budget forecasts, to ensure that relevant future funding requirements are met.
• Co-ordinate with other teams in order to ensure that all financial and administrative services are being performed efficiently and in line with the needs of the wider team.
• Monitor account balances and process financial transactions in an accurate and timely manner, to avoid the occurrence of an overdraft.
• Monitor and analyse general ledger accounts to initiate and achieve corrective actions.
• Compile data from the WFP database and systems to assist in generating and analysing financial reports on a monthly basis.
• Allocate tasks to other support staff, provide guidance and on-the-job training in management of financial resources (e.g. managing the petty cash/sub-imprest account, review and analyse vendor and balance sheet accounts, etc.), to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards.
• Remain on stand-by and follow standard emergency preparedness practices to meet immediate emergency requirements for further service on the job and in the field.
• Any other task in line with the position level and expertise.

Requirements

• Completion of secondary school education (grade 12). A post-secondary certificate in the related functional area.
• A minimum of 5 years of prior experience in budget monitoring, finance, preferably in the UN or other INGOs.
• Previous experience supporting the preparation and management of budgets.
• Experience in providing assistance in monitoring budgets/resource plans/pipelines/supply chains.
• Experience assisting with budget management and budget allotment related issues and systems.
• Experience working with auditors and other third-party vendors.
• Knowledge in the use of system for budget management and allocation, preferable in SAP.
• Fluency in both oral and written communication in English and Urdu.

Skills

• Budget Monitoring
• Finance
• Budget Preparation
• Budget Management
• Resource Planning
• Supply Chain Monitoring and Evaluation
• Audit Coordination
• Vendor Management
• SAP
• Financial Performance Management
• Fund Management
• Compliance with Financial Regulations

Languages

English, Urdu