Finance Officer Syria – Contracted by Syrian Arab Red Crescent

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.

The IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

This position is part of the IFRC Syria Country Delegation Finance and Administration Unit.

Job Purpose

The incumbent supports the operational and appeal budget processes, financial reporting, accounting, treasury management and budget monitoring activities, ensuring compliance with IFRC financial policies and procedures and providing financial support to programme and operations teams.

The position holder works with the program/operations team to oversee regulatory compliance as it pertains to banking, taxation, and other financial regulations in Syria.

IMP Info: This position forms part of the IFRC Syria Country Delegation but will be contracted, and managed directly by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). The vacancy is being advertised by the IFRC solely to facilitate outreach and attract qualified applicants in Syria.

All applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions and requirements outlined in the corresponding vacancy announcement on the Syrian Arab Red Crescent careers platform: https://sarc.sy/finance-officer-with-ifrc/

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Policies and Procedures

• Have a deep understanding of the financial Federation policies and procedures
• Advise project staff in the appropriate interpretation of the financial procedures and policies
• Provide feedback to project managers on documentation submitted with incorrect coding or inadequate supporting documentation
• Provide feedback to their line manager about improving the existing policies, processes, or procedures.

Financial Reporting

• Support the finance and administration coordinator in performing a periodic review of the transactions booked to the projects while ensuring the accuracy of the transactions entered the accounting system. This will facilitate the preparation of financial reports.
• Support the finance and administration coordinator in monitoring the donor reports list to send the reports to the donor before the due dates.
• Support the finance and administration coordinator in verifying that the transactions have been processed according to the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) and the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross) policies and procedures, and donors’ requirements. It is also essential to ensure that the donor requirements have been met.
• Support the finance and administration coordinator in providing information about reports to the finance analysts to meet with other departments to discuss the overall situation of the financial reports of your respective portfolio.
• Support the finance and administration coordinator in preparing income or expenditure reallocations with the project manager's approval to ensure that the reports can be sent to the donor accurately.

Budgeting

• Provide technical support and advice to the project managers and programme staff during the preparation and revision of budgets.
• Provide an analysis of actual expenditures vs. budgets, with a respective analysis of the variances (if any) and recommendations.
• Coordinate the expenditure reallocations when it is necessary to align planned expenditures vs. the budget lines
• Prepare outlooks in terms of the estimated expenditures of a project to complement the information provided to the project manager

Validation of transactions

• Ensure that all the transactions related to their portfolio are validated following the policies and procedures.
• Ensure all accounting transactions are appropriately authorized and documented by original and valid supporting documentation. Provide feedback to the project managers when findings have been identified in terms of documentation that does not meet the requirements or transactions that are not within the approved budget
• Follow up with the project manager or unit staff on the timely submission of documents within the expected dates.
• Coordinate the submission of monthly account statements to the staff to reconcile the balances and obtain the reimbursement or the settlement of the liability

Treasury

• The position will be responsible for the monthly cash request analysis submission
• Ensure there are sufficient funds in the Country Delegation
• Manage appropriately the transfers of funds between bank accounts to minimize foreign exchange risks due to currency revaluations
• Prepare periodic cash flows
• Preparation of bank account reconciliations
• Conduct petty cash counts (surprise or planned)
• Ensure that daily, weekly, and monthly petty cash counts are being done.
• Conduct emergency funds counts (surprise or planned)

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Shared Office and Service Costs

• Support the finance and administration coordinator in providing technical support to the project managers during the preparation of the shared office and service costs budgets
• Support the finance and administration coordinator in gather the required data to fill in the calculation spreadsheet

• Support the finance and administration coordinator in coordinating the revisions, when it is required.
• Support the finance and administration coordinator in providing the interpretation of the management report to each related project manager with a related project

Accounting verification

• Review the accounting transactions booked in the accounting unit at least weekly to ensure that they reflect adequate coding, clear descriptions, the correct document codes, the correct document dates, and the absence of duplicate entries.
• Verify that all the transactions are recorded to the books daily.

Balance Sheet items review and reconciliations

• Ensure the amount that was counted in the petty cash or emergency fund is the same as per the Balance Sheet. The bank account reconciliation should show a match with the balance shown in the books.
• Ensure that the finance officers provide reconciled account statements of the outstanding balances of staff or National Societies
• Ensure that other balance sheet items are reconciled (e.g., prepayments, guarantee deposits, supplier balances, etc.)
• Coordinate that corrections are done on a timely basis

Month-end closed routines

• Coordinate all the routines related to the month's end (e.g., booking of provisions, forecasts, etc.).
• This position is responsible for the month's closing within the established dates.
• Conduct the preparation of the delegation checklist

Financial Analysis

• Prepare ad-hoc financial analysis per the projects' demand under their portfolio.
• Interpret financial indicators to project managers and provide quality advice to increase performance or minimize or mitigate risks.
• Coordinate with the relevant finance teams the provision of documentation and responses for the internal and external audit.
• Review draft Management Letters/internal audit reports and advice on appropriate, after consultation with the regional head of finance and administration
• Follow-up on implementation of Control Deficiencies/Performance Improvement Observations resulting from external and internal audit reports, and provide timely reports of update
• Pursue the professional growth of the staff

Relationships with other stakeholders

• Liaise with PM and unit staff to provide effective services to contribute to the achievements of the plan and budget.
• Liaise with the assigned FA to get advice, orientation, support on technical matters and provide feedback to the findings observed in the monthly field returns, accounting, and financial matters.
• Liaise with the FO to get support to accomplish the tasks and overall objectives and keep her/him informed about progress or challenges.
• Liaise with the Regional HoF and Admin to highlight urgent matters, provide solutions, and ensure compliance with the IFRC policies, procedures, and processes as well as with the IFRS.
• Support auditors in terms of clarification or providing supporting documentation.
• Liaise with the Risk Management Delegate to monitor the identification of risks, classification, and implementation of mitigation actions (when necessary)
• Liaise with the member NS on financial related matters.
• Conduct briefing and debriefings with unit staff

Education

Relevant university degree in accounting or finance-related area - Required

Professional qualification in accounting (Chartered accountant, CPA or equivalent) - Preferred

Experience

Required

• At least three years of professional experience in a finance or accounting department
• Experience in plan and budget, financial analysis and statements, reporting and treasury management, external financial audit.
• Experience working in multicultural environment.

Preferred

• Minimum of 3 years work experience with an International Organisation, international non-governmental organization, NGO and/or government development agency.
• Experience working with the International Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement.
• Experience working within finance teams

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Service minded, ability to work collaboratively and provide effective support.
• Result-oriented, ability to lead transitions within a matrix management structure.
• Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity with internal and external stakeholders.
• Good representation, negotiation, interpersonal, time management, and communication skills.
• Advanced skills in computer productivity applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards or equivalent.
• Understanding of internal control and treasury management concepts.
• Financial management skills.
• Service minded, ability to work collaboratively and provide effective support.
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants.
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values.
• Fluent spoken and written English and Arabic

Preferred

• Advanced knowledge of financial management and reporting applications (e.g., ERP)

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust

IFRC Disclaimer

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

If you appointed to or undertake a role within IFRC, whether as staff, staff on loan or secondees, you will be subject to the organization's Code of Conduct, which is available here and on our website.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which include prior professional conduct checks and review of criminal records. IFRC will request a conduct check from all prior employers for a period of 5 years, including but not limited to employers who like IFRC participate in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. For more details on the Scheme, please see ont-style: italic;">THE MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE SCHEME — SCHR.

IFRC ensures equal employment opportunities!