Head of Finance for the Middle East

Country Program: Syria, Lebanon, Iraq
Duty station: Erbil, Iraq
Line Manager: Country Director for Syria and Iraq
Start Date: As soon as possible or based on agreement

About the role:

The position is line managed by the Country Director (CD) for Iraq and Syria and is technically and methodologically supported by the Financial Advisor for the Middle East as well as the Regional Head of Systems and Operations (ReHOSO) for the Middle East based in the HQ. In close coordination with the Area Directors (AD), Program Directors (PD) and Area System Directors (ASD), the Head of Finance plays a key role in leading the financial management in the region. He/She provides technical support and guidance to the Finance Managers (FM) and the finance department teams, has a responsibility for the mission coverage, financial planning, cash-flow, preparation of project budget and financial reports.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Regional economy

• Responsible for overall country program economy (preparation and review of coverage table, budget, uncovered and their regular update, cash flow and cost efficiency monitoring, FX rate risk, etc.)
• Provide regular updates to Country Management and HQ on the mission economy
• Consolidates and supervises the preparation of the Monthly Money Request
• Ensure accurate budgeting, planning and allocation of the HQ and International Staff costs
• Monitor the sustainability of the country program and flags potential financial risks to the Country Management

Project Financial Management

• Supervises and coordinates the budget creation during proposal preparation, is responsible for the budget review and validation before submission to donors
• Sets up effective system for financial planning and forecasting, makes sure the forecasting meetings take place regularly, facilitate the meetings if necessary
• Reviews and validates the financial reports during donor reporting, reviews it before submission
• Bears overall responsibility for accurate, punctual and complete accounting data at project closure stage – coordination with Northwest and Northeast Syria accounting teams and FMs to make sure the data are final
• In cooperation with other mission staff, supports and encourages the cooperation among different departments (security, M&E, logistics, program, finance, HR, etc.) on project financial management and other related financial issues

Compliance and systems oversight

• Ensures compliance with each donors funding from financial part and provide technical summary on each project regarding each donors’ specific financial requirements
• Highlights any potential compliance issues to AD/ ASD/ PD and CD.
• Provides technical input/guidance in developing and/or updating current financial guidelines (such as financial security guidelines, SoPs for specific activities in collaboration with other mission staff)
• Supports the adoption of correction measures in reaction to external and internal audits

Team Management

• Provides technical support and guidance to the Finance Managers and their teams in the region
• Provides effective leadership to the staff directly line managed in Erbil
• Coordinate with other mission staff to establish an effective capacity building strategy in financial areas, provides and/or coordinates trainings on financial matters

Requirement for the role:

• Experience with financial management of grants funded by the US (DRL, BHA, etc.), European (EuropeAid, ECHO) as well as bilateral (Swiss) donors in an international humanitarian&development organisation
• Prior experience working in a financial management role in the international assistance context for at least 3 years
• Prior experience with working with MS Dynamics Navision

PIN offers:

• Working environment in a well-established country programme with international environment
• Salary based on PIN salary scale: 3 500-3 700 EUR including per diems on consultancy contract
• Capacity development
• Accommodation in PIN’s guesthouse on People in Need’s expenses
• Shared access to a car fleet for travel within base (Erbil)
• 25 days of paid leave annually
• Reimbursement of travel expenses to the country of residence once per every 6 months of completed work, plus regional flights of up to 500 EUR twice per year according to People in Need’s policy
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure
• Psychological consultation available on line
• Travel medical insurance with 24/7 medical help desk

How to apply:

Are you interested in this position? Send us your CV and short cover letter (in English) via this link. Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

People in Need staff are expected to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need Code of conduct and key policies (available at: www.peopleinneed.cz/policies).