TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

Enterprise Resources PlanningSAP Finance Expert, Jordan

BACKGROUND

UNRWA is implementing a new Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) system that will fully support the needs of the Agency and enable the effective management of human, financial and physical resources.

The ERP SAP system implementation project has a defined 2 year implementation timeframe. The new system will cover the core business areas of finance, procurement, inventory management, grant management and human resources, and is expected to be completed by Dec 2014.

To ensure the tight delivery schedule is achieved the project is hiring external specialists for the role of the ERP SAP Finance Expert.

Description of Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of this role is to contribute to the delivery of the workplan of the Finance Stream throughout the realization and go-live phases of the ERP implementation.

The incumbent will assist the Stream Lead in the implementation activities related to the Finance Stream of the UNRWA SAP-ERP project, dealing with internal and external interlocutors including to achieve the objectives set.

  1. Functional Analysis and System Design
  • Prepare ERP functional specifications as directed by the Stream Lead;
  • Document and review the processes mapped and revise when needs arises;
  • Support the delivery of technical specifications through the provision of expert advice for all Finance related matters;
  • Support the delivery of Finance related custom developments as directed;
  • Develop and conduct Finance related Test Cases as directed based in the defined test scenarios for integration test, User Acceptance Tests and User Profile test;
  • Support and deliver the ‘Go Live’ Finance implementation as directed
  • Produce checkpoint reports when requested by the ERP Finance Stream Lead.
  • Identifying data to be migrated from old legacy systems in coordination with Data Migration Team and with guidance from the each functional stream leads
  • Working with Data Migration team in the Mock Loads verifications
  1. Management of the Workplan, issues and risks
  • Advise the ERP Finance Stream Lead of any issues and risks associated with assigned work package of deliverables.
  • Advise the ERP Finance Steam Lead of any deviations from the plan, recommend corrective action and help prepare any appropriate Exception / Change Plans.
  • Deliver assigned Work Package requirements and submit to Finance Stream Lead for review and approval.
  • Ensure that all assigned issues are properly reported to the ERP Finance Stream Lead and documented in the PMO Issue Register.
  1. Coordination with other project streams on OCTM activities
  • Coordinate with the ERP stakeholders as necessary to deliver assigned tasks.
  • Prepare end user support materials as require;
  • Support the Finance end user training under the supervision of the Stream Lead and in collaboration with ERP Change Management Team and the PMO;
  1. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

  • Advanced universitydegree in Management, Project Management, Financial System Management or relevant discipline;
  • University degree in financial management, public or business administration, information system management with focus on finance modules or a related discipline such as education or social science in combinations with SAP FI Certification.
  • A minimum of eight years of experience with a specific focus on SAP Finance Consultancy.
  • Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Competencies

  • Experience in facilitating work groups and achieving agreement;
  • Demonstrated ability to apply good judgment; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; ability to cope with multiple tasks effectively;
  • Ability to work under difficult conditions; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations;
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for gender and diversity;
  • Proven ability in establishing effective internal and external work relationships at all levels;
  • Ability to identify client needs and to provide solutions.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

  • The duration of the assignment will be 9 months (extendable subject to the needs of the project), subject to a probation period of 3 months.
  • Formal review of work performance and quality of the deliverable will be carried out on a monthly basis against the set targets, which will be agreed upon at the outset of the assignment, within one month from the starting date.
  • The all-inclusive fee will depend upon the candidate's qualifications, experience and the level of expertise (starting at USD 10,000 monthly rate).

APPLICATION PROCESS

Each applicant should submit a cover letter (maximum one and a half page) explaining how she/he meets the above-listed competencies and a UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via clearly indicating the title of this consultancy “ERP SAP Finance Expert” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 22 September 2013(late applications will not be considered).

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.