IRC - International Rescue Committee
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Requisition ID: req50922
Job Title: Finance Coordinator, Occupied Palestinian Territories
Sector: Finance
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: No
Location: Ramallah, occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT)
Work Arrangement: In-person
Job Description
The IRC began planning to reopen an oPt country program in mid-2022 and launched an emergency response in Gaza in October 2023. The organization is currently supporting a network of local partners in both Gaza and the West Bank to sustain critical health, protection, food security, cash, education, and early childhood development interventions. The IRC is also deploying emergency medical teams to provide surge clinical capacity in hospitals and other health facilities.
The IRC is working to scale its emergency response while building a longer-term oPt country program in parallel. This effort is being jointly managed by the Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a view to eventually transition the country program fully under the MENA region.
Position overview
As a senior member of the Country Program, the Finance Coordinator will be required to act in the absence of Deputy Director Finance and provides the 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. The Finance Coordinator will support the DDF and contribute to the development of the Country Program’s strategic and operational plans and be accountable for ensuring and monitoring delivery against the financial plans through targeted and comprehensive financial analytical review. The Finance Coordinator is responsible for the overall policy compliance and management for the financial and accounting management of the Country Program. Emphasis will be placed on financial management practices, partners management and systems that are compliant with US and local laws, adhere to donor requirements, and are conducive to effective implementation of programs.
As the Finance Coordinator, s/he will have responsibility to support the Deputy Director, Finance for all aspects of strategic and operational finance in the Country Program, acting as one of the primary finance business partners to programs and operations. S/He will collaborate closely with the Programs and Operations Leads to ensure acceptable levels of performance of cross departmental business policies and procedures and collectively troubleshoot and develop solutions.
Based in Palestine (Ramallah, West Bank, oPt), the Finance Coordinator will report to the Deputy Director, Finance.
Major Responsibilities:
The Finance Coordinator assists the Country Office Deputy Director, Finance by managing the accounting and finance functions, responsible for ensuring that the day-to-day accounting operations and financial management functions are performed in accordance with IRC and country office policy and procedures.
The Finance Coordinator’s responsibilities include general controllership, staff training, partnership management, treasury, budget functions, and compliance.
1) Responsible for review and finance verification for documents and vouchers submitted to finance, to ensure that:
•The IRC policies and Donor regulations are adhered to.
•Perform financial review of Travel Authorization, Advances ensuring compliance with IRC policies and procedures.
•Expenses are allowable, allocable, and reasonable per specific Donor regulations.
•The charging codes for payments submitted are correct.
•The calculations are correct (this includes the test of the mathematical accuracy of invoices, receipts, and supporting documents to payments).
•The relevant supporting documents are attached.
•Work closely with the grant’s coordinator, Partnership team, and programs to ensure partner management complies with the PEERs manual (selection, capacity building, reporting, monitoring and verifications, and the working group, etc.)
•Coordinate the finance department activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by New York and donors. (Donors reports and month-end closing). Ensure all month-end required journals are reviewed and approved before posting and sharing and run the monthly closing checklist.
Cash/Bank – Processing and Treasury
•Supervision the processing of bank and cash transactions and ensure internal control procedures are followed for all cash disbursements, receipts, and transfers, including Internet banking
•Liaison with bank officials to resolve problems or facilitate improved service.
•Review internal controls and disbursement processes to ensure proper management of cash and bank accounts.
•Review safeguards for cash and cheques kept in the office; ensure controlled access, security, and safety.
•Ensure that cash received, including incoming funds transfers, are receipted and accurately recorded.
•Perform bi-weekly and monthly cash counts and reconciliations; address any differences.
•Review cash projection submitted by the field office and ensure timely cash transfer to the field
•Supervises all country office bank relations and bank account activities, including negotiation of fees, interest, and currency exchange rates.
•In compliance with IRC policy, establish 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 for all sites and informs the Deputy Director, Finance immediately on any difference.
•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 a current basis accurate forecasts of cash requirements for meeting future spending, including commitments entered and which obligate IRC to future spending.
•Advise the Deputy Finance Director on the Cash Transfer Requests to New York and ensure field office Cash Transfer Requests are made on time, and appropriate balances are maintained to facilitate grant implementation.
•Ensures developing and implementing a plan to minimize the country’s foreign exchange exposure to currency gains and losses.
•Assist the Deputy Director, Finance in the supervision and the collection of contractual and other receivables
Cash Forecasting and projections
•Ensure that the country program cash forecasts and CTR reports are accurate by working with the Finance team to assist in developing accurate cash forecasts of program activities needs
•Monitoring cash usage and requirements and advises the DDF of possible unusual activity or requirements
Payroll
•Review national payroll for completeness and consistency and ensure all statutory deduction is captured as per Palestine law and ensure all employees is captured as per IRC policy.
•Review the preparation of the monthly international and national staff payroll accounting entries including salary allocations.
•Liaison with the accounting and tax advisor in Palestine to ensure compliance with income tax and other related tax regulations
Training and Staff Management:
•Develop and implement a training program for the country’s international and national finance staff to ensure staff development and minimize IRC’s exposure when staff are absent or depart.
•Maintains current job descriptions for all positions within the finance group.
•Assist in providing training and support for the country office program and operational staff on the IRC Finance policies; accounting procedures, and requirements; assist the staff in finance-related issues and activities.
•Coach, train, orient, and mentor staff to strengthen their technical capacity, exchange knowledge within the team, and provide professional development guidance.
•Provide integra users/members with capacity support, information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and achieve team/organizational objectives.
•Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented performance reviews.
Other responsibilities:
•Provide constructive feedback and counsel on appropriate career paths and professional development of finance staff.
•Promote and monitor staff care and well-being; approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.
•Preparation of written field trip reports after the field office visit, for review by the DDF, which identifies key issues during the field trip visits and provides follow-up recommendations for improving control processes or procedures.
•Review financial data submitted by the field to identify weaknesses or problems facing finance staff to discuss further with DDF to recommend corrective action.
•Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements through payroll and all other payments.
•Serve as the secondary liaison with IRC NY after the Deputy Director, Finance, on all finance, accounting, grant budget management, and cash management matters.
Reports and Budgets
•Assist the finance Budget function staff in preparation of draft Donor reports for review by the DDF
•Analysis of budget to actual spending to identify problems in accounting or compliance
•Assist in the review of the country’s Operating Budget to ensure data is accurate, complete, and maintained
•Assist in the development and preparation of cost allocation processes for the allocation of support costs
•Review of budget to actual charges and commitments to ensure maximum utilization of budgeted amounts.
Balance Sheet Accounts
•Monitor the follow-up of the staff, vendor advances, and other balance sheet items before the end of the month.
•Ensuring differences or discrepancies are brought to the attention of the DDF and Finance staff with appropriate action is taken
•Recommending standard formats for reconciliations and/or procedures to improve the underlying accounting, control, or processing of transactions to minimize errors or omissions.
Integra ERP system Processing
•Assisting in the Country Financial monthly reports closing procedure with preparation and reviewing reports for posting to the financial system.
•Perform financial review of Invoice journals, Payments journals etc., ensuring adequacy of supporting documentation and compliance with IRC policies and procedures.
•Performing the posting of entries, ensuring proper controls are enforced, and appropriate systems in place to maintain all required supporting documentation are attached to each journal.
•Produce required monthly and ad hoc reports, including the country program’s monthly financial management report.
Other:
•Assist the DDF in internal and external audits.
•Review controls and monitor compliance with established procedures.
•Perform any other task requested by the Deputy Director, Finance
•Step in to cover any of the Deputy Director, Finance
Job Requirements:
• Master’s degree in accounting, Finance, and Economics or equivalent
• Significant experience and at least five (5) years in a similar position
• Have good experience working in development or humanitarian intervention, including at least five years of living experience, and working in the field concerned with developing countries and countries in transition.
• Knowledge of donor procedures such as ECHO, SIDA, EU, USAID, CDCS, etc.
• Knowledge of ERP-based systems (Microsoft Dynamics 365)
• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimum technical support.
• Ability to work and manage a team and be committed to staff training and development.
• Ability to operate effectively in a complex environment.
• Ability to identify appropriate priorities and respond effectively to multiple simultaneous needs.
• Good knowledge of English and Arabic (good writing and oral communication skills)
• Excellent organizational skills
• Pro-active and autonomous
• Proven interpersonal skills enabling him/her to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds.
• Courtesy and good written and oral communication
• Act with integrity while conducting business in the name of IRC and strictly adhering to the IRC Way.
• Proficiency with computer tools
Languages:
Professional fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic is required.
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