Background/IRC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC reaches over a million children annually with education and child protection programs in 25 countries around the world.
Years of war in Syria have pushed millions from their homes and into poverty, and millions more have become refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and further afield. Equally complex is the emergency in Iraq, where waves of fighting and displacement have overwhelmed infrastructure and services and pushed communities to the brink. The economic, social, and health effects of these dual crises have changed the entire region. In the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq) IRC responds to displaced people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives.
Sesame Workshop and IRC have won the inaugural MacArthur Foundation 100&Change competition, a $100 million grant to make measurable progress toward solving a significant problem. The Sesame Seeds program is embarking on a life-changing, five year intervention to bring vital early learning and nurturing care to more than nine million children and families affected by the ongoing civil war in Syria. Among other activities, the program will create multimedia programming for children affected by the conflict. Together with the Sesame Workshop, we will develop a pliant platform to reach young children and their caregivers wherever they are and measure how we impact their lives. For more information, please visit: http://refugee.sesameinternational.org/.
Reporting to the Project Coordinator, the Finance Manager will be responsible for overall financial management of the MacArthur 100&Change initiative and will be instrumental in quality financial practices and analysis.
The Finance Manager is responsible for the following key objectives:
•Execute Regional Financial and Budget management – Including management of regional sub-awards
•Maintain oversight of the project’s accounting operations and ensure compliance with IRC and regional office policies and procedures
•Develop tools and processes for tracking financial performance of the project across regional and country budgets to meet IRC and donor requirements
•Serve as focal point for Best Use of Resources Analysis execution
Major Responsibilities Include:
•Execute regional and partner financial management
oDevelop and revise annual project budgets with inputs from the region, HQ, and 4 countries
oPrepare regional and HQ annual project spending plans, and update on a timely basis
oExecute quarterly spending report consolidation and ongoing financial management (e.g., monitoring of budget to actuals)
oIn liaison with Logistics department, prepare commitment lists every month for financial obligations already entered into but not captured in financial reports
oOversee the financial sub-award management for regional partners, including disbursement management and tracking
oReview financial reports from Country Programs and Regional sub-grantees
oPrepare quarterly donor financial reports, ensuring reported information in accurate and compliant with donor rules, regulations and reporting requirements
oLiaise with Sesame workshop finance staff as necessary for technical matters
oAssist in the implementation of Finance policies, procedures and systems
oAssist Jordan CP hosing the regional Database in the monthly reconciliation of regional balance sheet Items and the preparation of reconciliation reports.
•Maintain oversight of the project’s accounting operations and ensure compliance with IRC and regional office policies and procedures
oReview all Purchase Orders and Purchase Requests for proper coding and budget adequacy
oParticipate in tenders and review tender documents
oReview all payment documents for proper and adequate back up
oVerify completeness and accuracy of all accounting documents
oCheck sub-grantee reports and arrange payments to them with Finance Supervisor check and Project Coordinator approval
oCheck and analyze expenditure transactions for accuracy, make adjusting entries with proper supporting documentation and approval when applicable and submit revised spreadsheet to his/her Regional Finance Supervisor for final review. Keep track of subsidiary ledgers for advances, receivables and payables
oPerform budget recoding as needed and raise any potential issues (grant spending, compliance, etc.) with supervisors to ensure timely preemptive or corrective actions
•Develop customized tools and processes for tracking financial performance of the project across regional and country budgets to meet specific IRC and donor requirements
oDevelop and ensure use of systems for tracking progress against budget at the country and regional levels including master budget documents
oProvide training to program staff on finance tools and processes specific to project financial management
oProvide support and training to program staff on financial management issues identified as trends within/across countries
•Serve as focal point for Best Use of Resources Analysis execution;
oEnsure country and regional budgets are prepared and capable of executing regular Best Use of Resources (BUR) analysis based on agreed-upon metrics
oRun analysis and generate reports and recommendations
oSupport country programs to execute BUR analysis
Key Working Relationships:
•Position Reports to: Project Coordinator, MacArthur 100&Change
•Position Indirectly Reports to: Regional Finance Director
•Position supervises: Coordinates closely with the Regional Finance Manager
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
•Internal: Regional, country, and HQ staff for the MacArthur 100&Change project; Partnership Staff; Grants Management staff
•External: Sesame Workshop finance staff and regional partners
Requirements:
•Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Advance Diploma in Accounting from recognized College/Institution
•Minimum of three years of accounting experience; NGO or project- based accounting experience preferable
•Computer literate with significant experience in excel, accounting package knowledge (SUN system) will be an added advantage.
•Effective communication skills, both written and verbal
•Fluency in English
•Ability to prioritize among multiple tasks and make decisions
Working Environment:
•Standard office work environment
•Position is based in the IRC Regional Office in Amman, Jordan
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, 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.
IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.
