Senior Finance Officer

Senior Finance Officer

Job Description and Requirements

FUNCTION & POSITION:

Senior Finance Officer

LOCATION:

Amman, Jordan

REPORTING TO:

Finance Manager

OVERALL PURPOSE:

Working as an important member of a diverse team who are committed to serve the world’s most vulnerable with practical and compassionate care the Senior Finance Officer supports many of the financial activities of the programme.

On a day-to-day basis the Senior Finance Officer carries out a variety of accounting functions required to ensure that the financial needs of the programme are met and that all financial transactions are carried out and recorded accurately, timely and in accordance with donor, HQ and Medair Jordan guidelines

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

In Jordan, approximately 85% of Syrian refugees are living in host communities where they are renting accommodation and trying to survive without the level of services offered in formal camp settings. Medair is working to help support host communities and refugee families who are not living in camps through providing cash, NFI, shelter, health and nutrition support to meet essential needs of the most vulnerable and increase their protection and resilience.

FUNCTIONAL LINKS

Internal:

• Heads of Departments (Including Project Managers)
• Finance Team
• GSO Finance Team (including Finance Specialist and Partner)
• Other Medair management, project, and support staff

External:

• Local authorities (Income tax department, Social Security department, etc)
• Banks

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Finances and Accounting
• Carry out the day-to-day accounting functions of the programme including, but not limited to:
  • Managing and handle in-country cash, ensuring sufficient amounts are available at all times and that necessary security measures are in place and are being followed
  • Conducting regular cash counts and bank reconciliations, verifying amounts held and reporting any discrepancies
  • Paying supplier invoices either directly or in conjunction with colleagues and in accordance with agreements made
  • Supporting colleagues in cash handling and financial transactions, providing coaching and guidance as required
  • Ensuring all financial transactions are carried out in accordance with the Medair guidelines and procedures and any donor requirements
  • Enter financial transactions timely in Medair’s financial accounting system

• Support with BVA related queries and creation of project and base budgets
  • All expenses and budgets are entered with donor eligibility in mind
  • All expenses are charged in line with Shared cost allocation tool (including fair share)
  • Monthly BVA meetings are held with budget holders and/or appropriate delegated staff.

• Carry out the weekly & monthly accounting functions of the programme including, but not limited to:
  • Produce accurate and reconciled accounts within the agreed timeframe (weekly and monthly), including the compilation and finalisation of weekly expense for designated cash and/or bank accounts.
  • Oversee the reconciliation process of finance staff and notify Finance manager when not done
  • Ensure all suspense (prepayment, staff, advances, etc.) are fully reconciled every month
  • Paying staff salaries and allowances as agreed, ensuring that all required statutory deductions are made and subsequently paid to the appropriate authorities
  • Ensure all documentation related to monthend and year end closing is completed

• Cash needs forecast and weekly cash requests
  • Gather cash need forecast from Budget Holders
  • Review template for accuracy and completeness. Should be consolidated in the monthly cash needs forecast for the Country Programme, ensuring that money is transferred between banks, the safe, and electronic account in a timely manner

• Making sure that staff are budgeted and charged to the correct donors (through timesheets and labour reports)  Be aware of donor guidelines and budgets and make sure that coding of expenditures is correctly done

• Responsible for ensuring all financial data is imported in the finance system on a fortnightly and monthly basis
• Responsible for maintaining audit tracker and responding to all audit requests and queries within agreed deadlines, providing all information required by local legislation, donors, HQ, or other bodies
• Lead on all staff trainings and meetings on finance related topics
• Support the Finance team to properly liaise with programme teams to ensure cash assistance (IRIS, mobile wallet, cash, etc.) is transferred to beneficiaries in a timely and efficient manner.
• Support and review local partners’ financial reports, when requested, and follow up where needed to ensure that Finance Procedures are followed to fulfil obligations to Medair and donors.
• Support Finance Manager in strategy planning, achieving strategic goals for the department by regularly reviewing the ‘Country Strategic Objectives’ and, together with the FM,implementing a plan
• Deputise for the FM where needed
• Report immediately any possible fraud or theft to the Finance Manager

• Staff management
  • Manage the Finance Assistant and Finance Officers for finance related tasks including day-to-day management, training, appraisal, etc.
  • Promote effective teamwork throughout the whole team.
• Administration
  • Ensure a clear and transparent paper trail is adhered to for all financial transactions and that all filing and archiving is in line with Medair and donor requirements which follows international accounting standards.
  • Timely monthly scanning of all financial transactions
• Communication
  • Maintain open and frequent communication, where applicable, with the Finance Manager, Management and the HQ Finance Staff concerning all financial issues
  • Ensure colleagues are informed of the required finance procedures, and be available to answer any finance related questions and to provide coaching and guidance as necessary

• Quality Management
  • Adhere to all financial internal controls by using and promoting the Medair Finance Manual of Procedures and other operating procedures, ensuring that all standardised formats are used and guidelines are followed
  • Treat personal-, financial- and programme data with confidentiality

Remain flexible to assist in other duties or other tasks as required.

QUALIFICATION / EXPERIENCE:

Educational Qualifications

ESSENTIAL:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or equivalent

DESIRABLE:

• Master degree in accounting or other relevant related field
• Subscription to accounting certification body

Work Experience

ESSENTIAL:

• 2 years’ experience at officer level

DESIRABLE:

• 3 years of experience in a not-for-profit organization (e.g. international NGO)
• Experiencing managing staff

Languages

ESSENTIAL:

• Excellent Arabic.
• High level of written and spoken English

DESIRABLE:

• Excellent English

IT / IM:

ESSENTIAL:

• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Word Outlook and PowerPoint).

DESIRABLE:

• Experience of working with different accounting packages.

Competencies

Motivation

ESSENTIAL:

• Enjoys a challenge, works hard to achieve objectives, compassionate.

DESIRABLE:

• Enjoys a challenge, works hard to achieve objectives, compassionate.

Customer service

ESSENTIAL:

• Creates an environment to support effective customer (programme staff, other support staff) service

DESIRABLE:

• Develops systems, procedures, tools and routines to continuously improve service delivery

Team Building

ESSENTIAL:

• Team-player with good inter-personal skills, cross-cultural understanding, and clear communicator (skilled in oral and written communication)
• Encouraging, supportive

Adaptability and dealing with stress and opposition

ESSENTIAL:

• Capacity to work under pressure and manage personal stress levels
• Able to prioritize work to meet deadlines. Creative, open-minded, flexible, self-learner.
• Willingness to be stretched professionally & personally
• Respectfully addresses problems openly with others despite opposition Willing to take a stand on critical issues

DESIRABLE:

• Refers others for professional support upon reaching the limits of own ability
• Manages others effectively under situations of stress and pressure
• Adapts behavior to perform effectively amidst continuous change

Technical expertise

ESSENTIAL:

• Excellently organized and structured Good attention to detail, accurate Problem solving ability
• Experience in dealing with banks
• Knowledge of humanitarian context and donor standards and requirements

DESIRABLE:

• Takes immediate action to address any significant deviations from standards

Management and leadership

ESSENTIAL:

• Efficient in managing work
• Leadership skills and a supportive and consultative management style
• Makes decisions consistently at the right time, based on best available evidence and analysis, within the limits of own authority

DESIRABLE:

• Ensures that people are treated with dignity and respect, even in situations of conflict or difficulty

JOB COMMITMENT

Working Location: Amman and field visits as needed.

Starting date: May 2023

Duration of commitment: 8 months – this position is conditional on funding.

Professional references will be checked before offering this position to the successful candidate The successful candidate must be legally allowed to work in Jordan

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