Deputy Director Finance

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC worked in Haiti from 2010 through 2016, initially launching an emergency response to the earthquake and later delivering child protection, water and sanitation, health, women’s protection and empowerment, and economic recovery programs in Port-au-Prince and beyond. Even with the closure of its country office in 2016, the IRC has continued to provide operational, technical, and financial support to a small number of Haitian NGO partners, including in response to the 2021 earthquake. Haiti was identified as one of 20 countries at greatest risk of a major new—or significantly worsened—humanitarian crisis over the year ahead in IRC’s 2023 and 2024 Emergency Watchlist given its political instability, gang violence, rising food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks that could drive rapid escalation of the humanitarian crisis. In early 2023, IRC re-opened its Haiti operations and scaled up its emergency response with a fully partner-led response in Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities. The focus has been on neighborhoods highly affected by gang violence as well as limited access to healthcare and services for survivors of violence and/or cholera hotspot issues. IRC is also engaging with partners in the Artibonite and Ouest Departments to service unmet needs in those areas.

The IRC Emergency Humanitarian Access Unit (EHAU) led the initial emergency responses and support establishing a country program that can be fully transitioned under the Latin American (LATAM) region.

Scope of work

As a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the Deputy Director Finance (DDF) provides financial leadership and management necessary to ensure that the Country Program has the appropriate financial infrastructure and systems in place to support the strategic vision and mission of the organization.

They will play an active role in the formulation of strategic and operational plans for the country programs, taking ownership of ensuring and monitoring the delivery of financial plans through detailed financial analysis. The DDF holds overall responsibility for establishing policies and leading the financial and accounting aspects of the Country Program. The focus will be on implementing financial management policies, practices, and systems that align with local laws, US regulations, and donor requirements, while also facilitating the efficient execution of the country programs. They will collaborate closely with the Deputy Directors of Programs and Operations to ensure acceptable levels of performance of cross departmental business policies and procedures and collectively troubleshoot and develop solutions.

They will act as the principal finance business partner to the SMT and Country Director (CD), Regional staff as well as conforming to IRCs financial control environment and CFO standards and objectives.

Based in Port -au-Prince, the DDF will have dual reporting to the Country Director and the Regional Finance Director, including straight-line accountability to the Global Chief Finance Officer.

Overall responsibilities

Financial Controllership:

• Ensures that all policies and procedures follow IRC and funding source policies, procedures, and requirements.

• Establishes in-country finance policies, systems, and procedures, and directs their implementation.

• Closely monitors all financial activities, and keeps the Country Director advised of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance.

• Ensures monthly balance sheet reconciliations are completed on a timely basis and the final reconciliations and trial balances are reviewed with the Country Director.

• Provides country management and program staff with monthly budget-versus-actual expenditure reports and analysis for all grants and unrestricted funds.

• Manages the finance department activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by headquarters and donors.

• Identifies requirements for and develops reporting formats to aid in the management of country operations and grant expenditures.

• Directs the preparation of and approves all donor financial reports in respect to accounting, legal and contractual requirements and ensures the review of such reports by the Country Director and Regional Controller prior to submission.

• Develops, schedules, and performs or supervises the completion of country internal control audits, and initiates actions necessary to correct internal control weaknesses.

• Facilitates and co-ordinates external, internal, donor or government audits

• Oversees the protection of the country’s assets (cash, inventory, NEP (Non Expendable Property)) through the enforcement of internal control policies and procedures.

• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.

• Principal liaison with IRC HQ on all finance, accounting, grant budget management, and cash management matters.

Treasury

• Supervises all country office bank relations and bank account activities including negotiation of fees, interest, and currency exchange rates.

• In compliance with IRC policy establishes country policies regarding cash holding limits, cash movements and foreign currency holdings.

• Oversees the timely preparation, review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations.

• Establishes country policies on advance payments, credit terms, and use of bank payment instruments.

• Designs, implements, and monitors systems, procedures and reporting necessary to maintain on current basis accurate forecasts of cash requirements for meeting future spending, including commitments entered and which obligate IRC to future spending.

• Supervises the preparation of Cash Transfer Requests to New York and ensures that appropriate balances are maintained to facilitate grant implementation.

• Ensures the development and implementation of a plan to minimize the country’s foreign exchange exposure to currency gains and losses.

• Supervises the collection of contractual and other receivables.

Reporting, Budgets, and Forecasting:

• Oversees the preparation and revision of grant proposal budgets.

• Assists in the preparation and maintenance of the country’s Operating Budget; including preparation of budget guidelines to assist program managers in formulating budgets.

• In compliance with donor requirements and IRC policy develops the “Shared Program Costs” and “Overhead Costs” budget and recommends a methodology for allocation to grant budgets.

• Prepares the annual and monthly cash budgets based on approved funding.

• Presents and facilitates the review of budget vs Actual expenditures with the Country Director and program managers.

• Ensures preparation of and approval of all donors’ financial reports in respect to accounting, legal and contractual requirements prior to submission.

Training & Staff Management

• Establishes a finance department roles and responsibilities matrix; outlines relevant job descriptions; recruits and maintains adequate numbers of qualified staff to perform finance functions for the country program.

• Ensures comprehensive and constructive performance reviews are completed on a timely basis and facilitates discussion of performance and career options with all country finance staff.

• Develops and implements a training program for the country’s international and national finance staff to ensure staff development and minimize IRC’s exposure when staffs are absent or department. Maintains current job descriptions for all positions within the finance group.

• Oversees training and technical support to country program, logistics and administrative staff for skills improvement in the areas of accounting, reporting and internal control.

Key working relationships

Internal

• Reports to the Country Director

• Supervises the finance team

External

• Communicates with the Regional Controller

• Represents the country office with Banking Managers, local government staff (taxation and regulation related) and External Auditors.

Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance with a recognized professional certificate in accounting such as CPA/ACCA, and/or a master’s degree in accounting.

Experience:

• Minimum three years of managerial experience in the financial area of a non-profit organization or five years of managerial experience in finance in an international commercial organization.

• Extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet, and database programs.

Skills and Abilities:

• Good written and verbal skills in French and English language.

• Comfortable in being a proactive member of the top-management team. Must seek to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the appropriate level of management.

• Able to function effectively in a complex work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements

• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support.

• Good communication skills that function across a diversity of cultures.

• Good at role of facilitator and team player in solving problems.

• Committed to staff training and development.

Working Environment: IRC’s office in Port-au-Prince with local travel to partner project sites as security and access permit.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.