Treasury Officer/Associate Accountant

Principal Functions

Under the general direction of the Head of the Budget and Finance Branch, and specific supervision of the Head of Accounts and Reporting Section and in accordance with the OPCW Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity/Gender Equality, the Treasury Officer/Associate Accountant performs the following duties:

Responsibilities

• Manage the investments of the OPCW surplus funds in the regular budget, trust funds and other funds, keeping the highest standard with regard to capital preservation, liquidity and rate of return of the invested funds, and in accordance with all Financial Regulations, Rules and Directives.
• Review all transactions affecting the OPCW cash holdings, ensuring that the method of outgoing payments is appropriate and the most efficient method with the least costly bank fees.
• Ensure incoming funds are recorded properly into the organisation's accounts.
• Analyse, on a daily basis, the organisation's cash position to ensure that sufficient funds are available and the rest is invested for optimum returns.
• Analyse short- and long-term cash inflows and outflows and prepare cash flow forecast reports to meet operational requirements.
• Review cash management procedures to ensure that the organisation's funds are secure and that strong internal controls are in place to prevent loss and fraud.
• Make proposals for the organisation's investment policy and recommend changes to the policy when necessary.
• Collect and analyse financial information regarding interest rates, banks' credit ratings, and foreign currency requirements and their exchange rates, reporting this information to the Investment Committee regularly along with the performance of the investments of the OPCW.
• Act as Secretary of the Investment Committee (IC), preparing and coordinating the regular Investment Committees and following up on the implementation of the IC's recommendations.
• Manage the daily treasury operations and execute payments to ensure that the areas of responsibility are being accomplished efficiently and effectively.
• Prepare the daily bank position, cash flow forecast, and monthly investment and cash reports.
• Manage the banking relationships of the OPCW and the Provident Fund and review and maintain the contracts with banks.
• Liaise with UNDP to ensure the cash collections and returns of external events.
• Act as a bank signatory of the OPCW and execute the electronic payments of the OPCW and the Provident Fund.
• Interact with internal and external auditors regarding their audit observations.
• Send instructions to the financial institutions managing the Provident Fund and provide support to the Head of the Finance and Accounts Branch in her/his role of Secretary of the Provident Fund.
• Serve as Alternate Associate Accountant, ensuring continuity of accounting operations and assisting in the preparation of the IPSAS based financial statements, including by reconciling balances of Cash and Cash equivalents as per the format prescribed in the OPCW accounting policies.
• Perform other duties as required.

Knowledge and Experience

Education

• Essential: An advanced university degree in Business Administration, Accounting or Finance. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience (minimum 4 years) may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• Desirable: Membership of a recognised professional accountancy body or association of financial/investment advisors.

Experience

• Essential: Minimum of 2 years (with an advanced degree) or at least 4 years (with a first level university degree) of related experience in cash management, banking or accrued accounting. Knowledge of electronic banking and financial software. Proven supervisory and communication skills.
• Desirable: Knowledge of practices within the UN common system is desirable.

Skills and Abilities (key competencies)

• High level of integrity.
• Good knowledge of cross-border banking operations, investments and currency markets.
• Proven communication skills: Ability to prepare management reports and to make effective presentations.
• Keeps abreast of the latest technology in banking and treasury areas.
• Discretion, tact, accuracy, and an eye for details are required.
• Personal qualities should include the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues from many different countries and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to plan and coordinate complex projects or programmes; complete assigned work within allocated time and supervise and monitor the work of others.
• Ability to analyse and interpret financial data, maintain accurate records and provide authoritative advice.
• Ability to handle large volume of work and make timely decisions under stressful conditions.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English is essential and a good working knowledge of one of the other official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is desirable.