Associate Director, Finance Policy & Contract Readiness

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 25 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Job Description

IRC’s strategic plan, S100, calls out the ambition of accessing more “long-term funding” in order to reach more people with better quality programs. One such source of funding is multi-year commercial contracts, which represent a significant and growing portion of the business development pipeline.

At the same time, the IRC is currently implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Management system across the Finance, Supply Chain and Grants Management functions in all IRC locations. Project Integra will retire several existing systems, bringing them into a cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 environment. Integra is the largest investment in systems that the IRC has ever made and will change the way we work. Integra in itself is not the only major change to IRC’s approach to Finance as all Finance policies and procedures are being updated and additional complementary systems to Integra are being implemented (e.g. Kariba, Power BI and Cost Allocation to name a few).

For these reasons, IRC is undertaking a major initiative to consolidate, integrate and overhaul its finance manuals into a more comprehensive and concise Finance Policy Framework with corresponding procedures that reflect the strategic direction and needs of the organization as a whole and will result in more reliable consolidated information. Additionally, IRC has defined a number of initiatives to ensure it has the financial systems, policies and acumen to responsibly implement commercial contracts.

The Associate Director, Finance Policy & Contract Readiness is responsible for leading the Finance Policy Framework initiative and for strengthening IRC’s overall finance policy environment in addition to assuring IRC’s ability to manage the financial aspects of commercial contracts. These initiatives will lead to value optimization, efficiency and effectiveness for the IRC, and ultimately greater service delivery to those in need.

The role reports to the Controller with technical reporting to the Director of Global Finance Transformation. This position works closely with Finance, AMU, Partnerships as well as CRRD and RAI program teams.

Major Responsibilities

· Lead and manage the mapping and rationalization of current finance department policies and procedures, organizing them into one, coherent, user-friendly reference system. Do so with a view to clarifying and strengthening inter- and intra-department linkages.

· Lead the development and documentation of a comprehensive, continuous, collaborative cycle of review, update, approval and communication of department policies, procedures, and tools. This will include establishing a regular schedule of communication of annual priorities for financial policy and procedure changes.

· Provide technical leadership and training to field offices and contract management teams for the implementation of financial policies and procedures.

· Coordinate with other divisions & outside agencies to integrate, negotiate and resolve policy and procedure issues that may arise.

· Conduct an ongoing assessment of IRC’s current ability to execute the financial aspects of commercial contracts and identify areas for improvement. This should include an audit of current processes and procedures in terms of FAR and CAS compliance.

· Develop, implement and oversee risk management systems, tools and controls for commercial contracts.

· Design and deliver processes to eliminate or mitigate potential non-compliance of FAR in terms of allowability and CAS in terms of allocability of cost.

· Develop and disseminate guidelines for what cost can be billed under contracts and mechanisms for tracking unallowable expenses.

· Work closely with AMU and Partnerships teams to present recommendations and implement solutions.

· Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement and innovation that values learning and a commitment to quality.

· Implement plans that result in successful adoption and achieve measured improvements in finance operations.

· Drive collaboration and knowledge sharing at all levels of the organization to break down silos and achieve the best results for transformation and optimized execution.

· Represent the Controller and Director of Global Finance Transformation at key internal and external forums on topics relating to finance knowledge management and commercial contracts.

· Track and analyze success metrics and provide regular updates on status and progress.

· Facilitate the development and delivery of plans, goals, objectives and priorities for the Finance department and proactively identify other duties as needed.

Job Requirements

· Proven working experience on US government Contracts as a Financial Adviser, Controller, Finance Director, Specialist, or relevant experience.

· Proven experience and knowledge in FAR and CAS requirements.

· Familiarity with federal regulations regarding acquisitions and accounting.

· Ability to analyze financial data and to provide appropriate data-based advice.

· Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Accounting or CPA or equivalent.

· At least 6 years of experience within NGO/Corporate Finance environment using ERP systems.

· Skilled at facilitating cross-functional projects in an efficient yet collaborative manner.

· Excellent written / verbal communication skills, and follow-up skills.

· Written and spoken proficiency in English.

· Strong analytical skills and creative problem-solving skills.

· Sophisticated MS Excel skills.

· Excellent writing, presentation and facilitation skills.

· Willingness to travel to IRC country offices.

· Able to work with diverse teams in diverse locations, engaging their input and dedication to success.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

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