Senior Finance Analyst

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organization comprised of 192 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It is guided by its Strategy 2020, which voices our collective vision and determination to move forward in tackling the significant challenges that confront humanity in the present decade. The vision of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies to prevent and alleviate human suffering and thereby to contribute to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during, and after disasters and crises and health emergencies. The Federation is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional and country offices throughout the world. The Secretary General leads the IFRC Secretariat, which provides the central capacity of the International Federation to serve, connect, and represent National Societies. The Secretariat’s focus includes providing support to the IFRC governance mechanisms, setting norms and standards, providing guidance, ensuring consistency, coordination, and accountability for performance, knowledge sharing, promoting collaboration within and respect for the RCRC Movement, and expanding engagement with partners. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in three main business groups: (i) Partnerships, including Movement and Membership; (ii) Programs and Operations; and (iii) Management. The Secretariat has five regional offices, as follows: Americas (Panama City); Africa (Nairobi); Asia and Pacific- AP (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); the Middle East and North Africa-MENA (Beirut). As one of the five decentralized Regional Offices, the MENA Regional Office supports 17 National Societies to strengthen their humanitarian and development efforts, helping them to remain partners of choice within their country and sustainable and accountable for their actions. The position is in the Regional Finance and Administration Unit.

Job Purpose

The Senior Finance Analyst is responsible for ensuring a high level of financial control by providing financial management support and advice to the offices located in the Regional assigned by his/her line manager.  The main areas of his/her roles can be summarized as follows:

Risk Management and Internal Controls

Financial Management and Controllership

Field return feedback and documentation check

Financial Systems

Financial Reporting

Treasury Management

Training

Relationships with other stakeholders

National Society Development

Others

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent shall:

Support the Head of Finance and Administration in ensuring the internal control environment of the Region.

Ensure full compliance with the IFRS and the Federation’s finance policies, procedures, and guidelines overall in the Region.

Perform quality control checks to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data.

Maintain a filing system for all documentation related to all offices within the Region.

In the absence of the Head of Finance and Administration, when requested, assume responsibilities for the Regional Finance and Administration Unit.

Any other tasks assigned by the Head of Finance and Administration.

Risk Management & Internal Controls

Ensure that a rigorous internal control environment is maintained, including ensuring proper segregation of duties.

Monitor compliance with financial policies, procedures, processes, and the appropriate use of tools.

Support the implementation of audit recommendations.

Review monthly original supporting documents from the country cluster or country offices

Participate in the design, development, and analysis of financial policies, processes, and procedures as requested.

Financial Management and Controllership

Support IFRC region finance staff in the financial month and close year-end process, including ensuring meeting the deadlines.

Provide the finance validation on agreements, cash pledges, contracts, memorandum of understanding, and other requests ensuring compliance with the contract approval procedure

Provide the finance validation to income-related transactions such as income modifications, the closing of projects, and the reimbursement to donors.

Provide the finance validation to the supplementary service draft invoices.

Support IFRC field finance staff and project managers in the validation of the operations and program budgets.

Validate the accuracy of financial data included in the budgets and ceiling before loading into the financial systems

Monitor, highlight, and notify to finance staff or project managers about relevant variances between actual expenditures vs. budget lines.

Closely monitor on a proactive basis of the financial KPIs included in the monthly financial management reports.

Follow up with the finance staff to ensure actions to minimize risks.

Prepare financial analysis information to share among different stakeholders such as Head of Country Clusters, Country offices, program staff, and finance staff.

Participate in meetings with the Heads of Country Clusters, Heads of Offices, Coordinators, Managers, and Unit staff to present the financial analysis

Assess projects from the risk management perspective to make an initial diagnostic and recommendations of the project managers, monitor the progress of the advice, and implement internal controls to avoid, minimize, mitigate or transfer the risks.

Field return feedback and documentation check

Monitor monthly closing of each country office by reviewing the balance sheets, checking the exception reports, and validating the financial data.

Screening thru monthly original supporting documents and field returns from country office and feedback if there were any discrepancies or anomalies

Follow up all the recommendations and findings provided until they implement them.

Financial Systems

Provide technical advice and ensure all financial systems are used adequately by the country finance staff

Ensure the adequate maintenance of the financial system (e.g., projects’ opening and closing, data, reports, and others.)

Processing of the international payroll through the on-line system (when it is necessary)

Monitor the update of the codes allocated to the local staff in the payroll system

Financial Reporting

Validate financial reports for management purposes.

Work closely with the finance staff to ensure timely and accurate submission of donor reports.

Review and validate donor-specific financial reports.

Support program/ operations and year-end audits, including preparation of financial statements in compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Treasury Management

Ensure field offices submit accurate and timely cash requests as necessary and that they manage cash and foreign currency balances in the most efficient manner.

Validate the cash request analysis and submit the payment request to Geneva Treasury

Transfers are done on a timely basis

Ensure Cash Disbursement Guidelines (CDG) threshold authorization is maintained and respected by the staff member of the country cluster or country offices.

Review and validate the bank account modification requests.

Review cash and bank account balances to minimize foreign exchange volatility on cash held in the country cluster, country offices, and field operations.

Provide technical advice and to monitor the internal controls in the treasury function of the regional, country clusters, and country offices in the region

Training

Provide training to the finance and non-finance staff in the region.

Relationship with other stakeholders

Provide clarifications or additional supporting documentation to the auditors

Be the focal point for the communication between the field staff and the Geneva Finance Department

Inform Head of Finance and Administration about the overall financial status of the portfolio under her/his responsibility

National Society Development

Support and actively encourage member National Society development in matters of financial expertise.

Others

Carry out field missions to country clusters, country offices, and emergency operations locations to assess the well-functioning of the finance, accounting, and administrative functions

Deploy to emergency operations locations to provide technical support in financial and administrative related matters during the initial phase of the operation

Education

Professional qualification in finance or accounting (preferably Chartered Accountant) - Required

Advanced skills in computers (Windows, spreadsheets, word-processing and accounting packages, email, and internet - Preferred

Experience

Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in a relevant position - Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in a relevant position - Required

Experience in budget preparation and control - Required

Experience of working with accounting systems – Required

Experience of analyzing and preparing financial data and its interpretation – Required

Experience of managing and providing accounting services – Preferred

Experience of supporting staff - Preferred

Experience in training staff - Preferred

Knowledge, skills and languages

Well developed interpersonal skills - Required

Management of self and others - Preferred

Excellent command of computers (e.g., accounting software package, and MS Office Software) - Required

Able to prioritize and meet deadlines - Required

Results focus and accountability - Required

Time management skills - Required

Fluently spoken and written English and Arabic - Required

Good command of French - Preferred

Other languages – Preferred