Regional, Senior Finance Analyst

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.”  The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

Job Purpose

The Senior Finance Analyst is responsible for ensuring a sound financial control through the appropriate oversight to ensure compliance with IFRC policies, procedures, and processes, training, and to advise the finance staff in the region

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Internal Controls

• Ensure that a rigorous internal control environment is maintained, including ensuring proper segregation of duties.
• Supervise the compliance with financial policies, procedures, processes, and the appropriate use of tools.
• Monitor the timely implementation of audit recommendations within the finance and administration function.
• Review monthly original supporting documents from the country cluster or country delegations and report the respective findings to the Heads of the country, cluster, or regional office.
• Communicate technical orientation related to existing or revised financial policies, processes, and procedures as requested.

Financial Management

• Provide feedback to the IFRC region finance staff regarding the financial month and the year-end close reviews within the established timetable.
• Review, provide feedbacks, and validate cash pledges, and budgets proposals.
• Validate income-related transactions such as income modifications, the closing of projects, and the reimbursement to donors.
• Validate the supplementary service invoices.
• Validate the accuracy of financial data included in the budgets and ceiling before loading into the financial systems.
• Monitor, highlight, and notify to the finance staff, and Head of Delegation about relevant variances between actual expenditures vs. budget lines.
• Review, and communicate to the finance officers any deviation identified in the financial key performance indicators (KPIs) every month. 
• Advise the finance staff on how they can implement the appropriate actions to minimize risks.
• Prepare financial analysis information to share among different stakeholders such as Head of Country Clusters Delegations, Country Delegations, program staff, and finance staff as per demand.
• Participate in meetings with the Heads of Country Clusters Delegations, Heads of Delegations, Coordinators, Managers, and Unit staff to present the financial analysis, if needed.

Field return feedback and documentation check

• Review the monthly closing of each delegation (e.g., the balance sheets, movement of funds, exception reports, and other financial reports to verify the accuracy of the accounting and the financial data).
• Prepare and review every month a sample of documents and field returns from delegations and communicate any discrepancies or anomalies.
• Follow up all the recommendations and findings provided through the monthly checklists until the delegations’ finance staff implement them.

Financial Systems

• Advise and train the delegations’ finance staff in the adequate use of all financial systems.
• Provide the adequate maintenance to the financial system (e.g., projects’ opening and closing, data, project managers’ names, reports, and others.)
• Update the data of the international staff payroll through the on-line system.
• Review the update of the codes allocated to the local staff in the payroll system.

Financial Reporting

• Validate financial reports as per IFRC policies, and procedures, IFRS, and donor requirements.
• Work closely with the finance staff to ensure timely and accurate submission of donor reports.

Treasury Management

• Supervise the timely submission of the delegations’ cash request analysis, as necessary.
• Advise the delegation’s finance staff on how to manage cash and foreign currency balances in the most efficient manner.
• Validate the cash request analysis before submitting the payment request to Geneva Treasury
• Monitor that the Cash Disbursement Guidelines (CDG) including the threshold authorization is maintained at all the delegations with IFRC bank accounts. This post should verify the adherence to the CDG by the delegations’ staff.
• Review and validate the bank account modification requests.
• Advise and monitor the internal controls in the treasury function of the regional, country clusters delegations, and country delegations in the region.

Training

• Train 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

• Train member National Societies in matters of financial expertise.

Others

• Carry out field missions to country clusters, country delegations, and emergency operations locations to assess the well-functioning of the finance, accounting, and administrative functions (20 percent)
• Deploy to emergency operations locations to provide technical support in financial and administrative related matters during the initial phase of the operation (at least one month during medium and high scale operations)
• Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals
• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

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. - Required

Experience

• Minimum of 5 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. - Preferred
• Fluently spoken and written English and Arabic. - Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, or Spanish). - Preferred 

Competencies, Values and Comments

Competencies:

• Communication
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Judgement and decision making
• National Society and customer relations
• Creativity and Innovation
• Building Trust

Values:

• Respect for diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Accountability

IFRC provides equal employment opportunities