SARC Finance & Administration Support – Swiss Red Cross

SARC Finance & Administration Support – Swiss Red Cross

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is an independent humanitarian organisation of public utility, is permanent and continuous, and has a legal entity and enjoys financial and administrative independence.
SARC was founded in 1942 according to the decrees No/540/ 1942 and No/117/ 1966 which regulate the Organisation’s work. It was recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva (ICRC) in 1946, and is committed to upholding the Geneva Conventions and the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies.

Vacancy opening date: 15/03/2023

Vacancy closing date: 26/03/2023

Interested candidates are requested to send their updated CVs in English which must be PDF file only, otherwise will be rejected

To hrrecruitment@sarc-sy.org E-mail,

Subject “SARC Finance & Administration Support – Swiss Red Cross”.

Any resume without subject will be automatically rejected.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Incomplete file or application in a language other than English will be rejected

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent is seeking to recruit a:

SARC Finance & Administration Support – Swiss Red Cross
(based in SARC Head Quarter Abou Remmaneh, Damascus, Syria)

escription

Purpose of the Job

The Finance and Administration Officer will be on a SARC contract seconded to SRC. He/she will report to SARC on all contractual and human resource-related aspects of their work. While he/she will be reporting to the SRC Country Representative on all technical aspects of their work.

The main purpose of this position is to maintain a good financial management system and internal controls to ensure that project spending is maintained in accordance with the SRC’s financial management policies, national regulations, and internationally accepted Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Reporting to the SRC Country Representative the Finance and Administration Officer will work closely with the SARC finance and accounting teams to ensure proper financial management of the joint SRC/SARC projects as stated in the Project Agreement between the SRC and SARC.

The Officer supports the SRC Country Representative on all aspects of financial planning, budgeting, financial monitoring & controlling, and financial reporting on a regular basis. He/she will also assure that the SRC Country Coordination Office’s budget planning, accounting, financial monitoring and reporting are carried out in an efficient and transparent manner.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

1) Financial Accounting and Reporting on SRC systems

1. Maintain up to date the accounting system, ensuring that all financial transactions are properly documented, correctly coded, and entered into the accounting system as per SRC’s policies and procedures and according to the SRC’s approval and authorization competencies

1. Verify and check financial documents on the regularity of the transactions. All irregularities are to be reported directly to the SRC country coordinator
2. Provide SRC HQ with accurate, complete, and timely monthly financial reports for the SRC Country Coordination Office and for the SRC-funded projects as per the SRC HQ monthly reporting guidelines and instructions

1. Coordinate with all the SRC project implementing Partner Organization/s in reviewing their project fund requirements, monthly financial and accounting reports as per the SRC HQ fund requests and reporting guidelines and instructions
2. Provide the SRC Country Coordinator with analytical financial reports on Budget versus Actuals Variance on a monthly basis for the Country Coordination Office and the SRC-funded projects
3. Process fund requests based on SRC templates, ensuring uninterrupted availability of funds for SRC Country Coordination Office business activities and SRC-supported projects

2) Working With Partners:

1. Along with the SRC Country Representative, implement and review a system of internal controls for the SRC Country Coordination Office and for the SRC-supported projects as agreed in the Project Agreement
2. In coordination with the SRC Project Coordinator, follow up on issues raised by SRC and SARC related to project expenditures
3. In coordination with SARC, follow up and reconcile all Balance Sheet positions including the working advances to staff members, external parties, and project implementing Partner Organizations on a monthly basis
4. Informs the SRC Country Representative of all financial and administrative challenges faced with the partners

3) Audit Management

1. Support the SRC Country Representative in engaging an independent external audit firm to conduct annual financial audits
2. Manage and organize necessary audit documentation for annual audits for the Country Coordination Office and support the SRC Country Representative to prepare management responses to the auditor’s findings and recommendations
3. Review external audit reports and management letters and implement the recommendations made by the external auditor to comply with existing laws and regulations to maintain transparency and efficiency in the financial management

4) Support SRC Country Representative and Project Coordinator in financial monitoring of the SRC-funded projects on a regular basis to ensure that the funds have been used as agreed in the approved budgets, operation plans, and the Project Agreements

5) Support the SRC Country Representative and Project Coordinator in formulating a Country Coordination Office budget and project budgets (including budget revisions) according to the SRC’s budget structure and budget templates

6) Review SRC Country Coordination Office’s financial management controls and compliance measures to prevent, any conflict of interest, breaches of conduct, and potential fraud and corruption

7) Support SRC Country Coordinator in assessing financial risk management by appraising existing internal controls environment and risk management activities. This process may include: (a) financial monitoring visits to project locations (b) reviews of project implementing financial management systems

8) In coordination with the SRC Project Coordinator, support the administrative processes needed to ensure travel into and within Syria for SRC personnel, including support for visas, residencies, hotel booking, and vehicle movements.

9) Ensure that the SRC Country Coordination Office’s assets are maintained and inventoried on a regular basis for their safety and availability for uses

10) Perform any other assignments within the job duties and responsibilities given or delegated by the SRC Country Coordinator as per the organization’s mandate, professional capacity, and the organization’s policies and procedures.

Required skills and experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Financial Management, Business Administration, or related field of studies, preferably with professional experience working in the international Humanitarian & Development organization managing projects funded through international donor agencies and managing grants, audits, and financial management
• Proven experience in the field of financial management, formulating project budgets, competent in communicating financial plans and actuals to both the finance and non-finance project management team
• Good knowledge of accounting standards and accounting practices prevailing in the country, understanding of the financial systems of the project country in particular related to the activities of I/NGOs
• Excellent IT skills in particular in computer-based double-entry accounting systems, Microsoft Office Applications (i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), etc.

Be able to adapt to the situation, and able to work under highly stressful conditions

• Respect deadlines
• Excellent planning, management, and coordination skills, with the ability to organize a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities
• Experience working in a multicultural and multi-national team is an added advantage
• Good and diplomatic verbal communication and interpersonal skills as well as an acceptable level of written communication skills in English, with fluency in Arabic
• Knowledge of the Red Cross’ fundamental principles and the Red Cross Movements is an added advantage