Partnerships Finance Coordinator WoS

Finance & Economy

Overview

Oversee financial leadership and partnership management for humanitarian programs.

You have:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or any related field.
• Minimum 5 years of financial work experience in a non-profit setting.
• At least 3 years of supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of funding from OFDA or USAID.
• Strong project management, coordination interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication in both English and Arabic are required.
• Willing to travel within the Middle East region.

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria - more than half of the country's population - are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Partnerships Finance Coordinator is responsible for providing financial leadership and management that the country program has the appropriate financial structure and systems in place to support the partnerships strategic and ambitions. This position is responsible to ensure effective partnership agreement finance management, including timely advances/payments to partners to ensure program and service continuity in accordance with partnership agreements, and timely action to resolve any challenges with financial management. The Partnerships Finance Coordinator acts as the focal point for financial and compliance aspects of the Partnerships Department, including ensuring high-quality financial monitoring and support of the partners in WoS. Under the support of the Finance Director, the Partnerships Finance Coordinator will actively develop and roll out all initiatives related to capacity building of partners in collaboration with the partnership team and the finance staff. This position reports directly to the Finance Director for Whole of Syria, with an indirect reporting line to the Deputy Director of Partnerships.

Responsibilities :

Strategic Partnerships Financial Management

• Ensure the office consistently promotes and effectively uses IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) and that partnership decision-making and action is driven by IRC’s partnership principles.

• Actively participate in the Partnership Working Group to foster cross-departmental collaboration and streamline partnership management under the guidance of the Senior Management Team (SMT).

• Ensure IRC’s structuring, recruitment, staff development, and performance management processes for finance partnership roles are guided by PEERS and IRC’s principles, skills and approaches.

• Collaborate with ESMT colleagues to strengthen IRC’s internal capacity for partnership, focusing on the six core building blocks for partnership success: self-assessment; defined and resourced roles across all departments; partnership working group; partnership training; stakeholder analysis; and collaborative design.

• Coordinate financial project support interventions between IRC and partner colleagues.

• Identify bottlenecks and breakdowns in partner financial management procedures to improve and ensure efficient financial management compliant with IRC and donors’ rules and regulations.

• Coordinate closely with the Finance, Budgeting & Reporting, Grants, and program departments to ensure smooth, accurate, and timely submissions regarding partner proposals, budget realignments, financial reports, and spending plans. Highlight and communicate any major issues or challenges promptly.

Financial Partnerships Management:

• Participate in partner’s proposal review and modification process focusing on sub-awardee budget (both budget and budget narratives); review in coordination with Partnerships Coordinator Syria, Partnerships Senior Manager and Partnerships Managers and technical coordinators.

• Support the provision of guidance notes to current and potential sub-awardees for use of appropriate templates, overall budget drafting and submission as part of calls for proposals sent to potential partners. Depending on nature of call, provide appropriate level of support current and potential sub-awardees to ensure proposal budgets and budget narratives meet IRC and donor requirements within set deadlines for submission.

• Ensure effective partnership agreement finance management, including timely advances/payments to partners to ensure program and service continuity in accordance with partnership agreements, and timely action to resolve any challenges with financial management. Follow up with IRC HQ and partners confirm transfer and receipt of payments respectively.

• Supervise the verification of partners’ financial reports and supporting documentation, ensuring that expenses are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the approved budget and align with donor’s regulations. Communicate findings to partners and ensure timely follow-up to provide solutions and documenting the findings. Reviews must be based on partner risk and sampling or review of full documentation, as required.

• Ensure proactive communication with the partners about the submission of their financial reports according to the terms of their sub-awards. Ensure tracking of the partners submission of financial reports, communicating delays to the Deputy Director of Partnerships Syria.

• Review and validate spending plans from partners against reported expenditures, following-up with sub-awardees as needed.

• Ensuring that the sub-awardee financial reports are approved (signed) by the appropriate authority within IRC, preparing the Journal Voucher, fully coded and post it to the system. Respond to questions that arise from the Syria finance team and IRC HQ regarding submitted financial reports.

• Ensure the financial monitoring and spot check visits to sub-awardee offices is conducted according to IRC requirements and standards.

• Ensure monitoring visit plans drafted and submitted ahead of visits to review and share monitoring visit reports in a timely manner to partners, related Program team, and Partnerships Director Syria.

• Reconciling the partnerships advances on monthly basis, reports to the Deputy Director of Finance on all over-due, unliquidated advances, update on monthly basis all tracking sheets for sub-grants finances.

• Ensure that a sound, accurate and organized archiving system is in place, both hard and soft (electronic) copies for all financial reports and their supporting documents.

• Work with Partnerships Director Syria and Finance team to collaborate internal and external audit to ensure proper compliance with all regulations and to ensure that all sub-awardee files in hard and soft copy are 100% audit ready at all times.

• Review all sub-awardee budget modifications (both budget and budget narratives) in coordination with technical coordinators, and Partnerships Manager ensuring clear action points for follow-up are communicated.

• Ensure Partnership Capacity Analysis (PCA) is conducted for all new potential partners, as well as update the PCAs for all existing partners, on an annual basis. Report to the Deputy Director of Finance and the Partnerships Director WoS on the findings and provide recommendations for improvement. Support in developing risk management action plan and suggest corrective actions to address/mitigate risks identified during the PCA process.

• Contribute to Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings, including to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, capturing effective financial practices for future partnerships.

Capacity Sharing

• Measure training progress by conducting pre and post evaluation of financial capacity building initiatives.

• Support Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) implementation efforts (When applicable)

• Provide (or delegate) Financial training and mentoring support to partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen the Finance systems and capacities that are responsive to the needs of the partner (rather than replicating IRC’s systems and policies).

• Assist in the development of Financial specific partner support plans in collaboration with the Senior Capacity Sharing Manager.

People Management

• Coach, train, and mentor staff to enhance their technical capacity and professional development.

• Ensure adherence to IRC’s Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures among staff.

• Provide assistance with requests from IRC headquarters as directed by the Partnerships Director Syria

• Support the recruitment process by valuing partnership experience and skills equally to technical skills.

• Promote and utilize guidance and tools that support appropriate recruitment of partnership skills and approaches aligned with IRC's 4-R staff recruitment process, PEERS, IRC Way, and RESCUE100.

• Collaborate with HR and Talent Development Manager to deliver capacity building to HR staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or any related field. • Minimum 5 years of financial work experience in a non-profit setting with at least 3 years of experience in supervisory role, Experience in managing and handling partners’ projects funded by major institutional donors will be preferrable. • Knowledge of associated with funding from OFDA or USAID. Knowledge of EU, UN, or DfID rules and regulations will be a plus. • Strong project management, coordination interpersonal and negotiation skills, and a demonstrated ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork, in a cross-cultural context. • Strong remote management skills required.

• Diplomatic and strong acumen in establishing positive working relationships with employees and all other stakeholders to maximize cooperation and productivity.

• Excellent presentation and training skills and proven track record in developing capacity of staff.

• The ability to work under pressure and with employees from all levels.

• Willing to travel within the Middle East region.

• Hard-working, sharp, and detailed oriented.

• Experience working with databases and/or other tracking systems.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct.

• Credible written, presentation and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information effectively and solid experience providing training and staff development.

• Validated sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to effective resolution.

• Excellent management and interpersonal skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork, in a cross-cultural context.

• Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience.

• Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior level management and all other partners to maximize cooperation and productivity.

• Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop is a must.

• Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to complex matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

• Excellent written and oral communication in both English and Arabic are required.

• Travel: 30% to field sites in Syria and Turkey as well as attending regional and global workshops and meetings.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Deputy Director of Finance

Position directly supervises: Senior Partnerships Finance Officers

Indirect Reporting (If applicable): N/A

Key Internal Contacts: Head of Teams (especially, Partnership Director, Deputy Director - Programs and the Deputy Director - Finance), Budget Holders and Finance department

Key External Contacts: IRC partner organizations

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.

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Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: rescue.org