ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT, New York City

Org. Setting and ReportingThe United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) was established in 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide retirement, death, disability, and related benefits for staff of the United Nations and other member organizations of the Fund. UNJSPF administers benefits of more than 90,000 beneficiaries residing in more than 190 countries, paid in 18 currencies, and services more than 130,000 participants who work in the 25 member organizations of UNJSPF. The Fund has offices in New York (United States) and Geneva (Switzerland) and two liaison offices in Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand), respectively. The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund-Pension Administration (UNJSPF-PA) comprises about 282 staff from diverse countries and cultures, based across four prominent duty stations (New York, Geneva, Bangkok, and Nairobi). We are a career employer offering unique opportunities for growth within the United Nations system. Our office is located in the heart of Manhattan, within walking distance from the Grand Central Station hub, in a state-of-the-art facility (the One Dag Hammarskjöld building). Visit for more details. This position is located in the Accounts Section of the Pension Administration of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF). The Accounts Section monitors the pension contributions and the benefit overpayments, performs bank reconciliation, and conducts periodic financial reporting. The incumbent reports to the Accountant. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Accounting Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: • Performs a wide range of office support and administrative functions. • Responds or drafts memoranda, responses to routine correspondence and other communications to UNJSPF member organizations, participants and beneficiaries in various geographical locations/countries; uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports. • Monitors, examines and processes schedules related to pension contribution remittances from member organizations using Integrated Pension Administration System (IPAS). • Assists in the processing of pension contribution reporting from UNJSPF member organizations. This includes, amongst other things, calculating, inputting, and checking pension contributions for correctness and communicating discrepancies to supervisors. • Generates a variety of reports using IPAS. • Assists in recording, analyzing and reconciling accounting transactions and bank accounts with transactions in various currencies. • Manage and consolidate large documents (MS Word) and financial tables (Excel) with attention to details. • Proofreads documents and edits texts for accuracy, grammar, punctuation and style, and for adherence to established standards for format. • Updates and maintains distribution lists; monitors responses from the distribution list, prepares and distributes status reports. • Maintains files (both paper and electronic) and databases for work unit. • Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making. • Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Performs other duties as assigned. Competencies• Professionalism: Knowledge of the Organization’s financial rules and regulations as well as accounting policies and practices. Ability to maintain accurate records, interpret and analyze a wide variety of data. Ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies and other problems using MS excel and equivalent. 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. • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve Organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • 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. EducationHigh school diploma or equivalent. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to one (1) year for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Relevant experience in the United Nations System or similar international organization is desirable. One year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult for details).