Compliance & Risk Officer

Job purpose and context

Since its establishment in 2018, MSF Lebanon has transitioned from a regional hub to a recognized institutional entity, focusing on Lebanon's medical, communications, human resources, operational support, and advocacy potential. The team has made substantial progress in rooting MSF in Lebanon and the MENA region, building its identity and Arabic voice, and contributing to the development of its international mobile workforce. MSF Lebanon has defined the following three overarching strategic pillars:

1. Institutional Rooting, ensuring that key target audiences recognize and accept MSF as a well-known, credible, trustworthy, and independent medical humanitarian organization in Lebanon and the wider MENA/WANA region.

2. Operational Support, providing relevant technical and strategic support to operations, benefiting from the expertise and resources available in the region.

3. Movement Contribution, launching and supporting initiatives to optimize resources and improve intersectional collaboration in and from the MENA/WANA region to enhance MSF operations.  

Today MSF Lebanon consists of a Human Resources team with a core mandate to secure and develop a mobile workforce from the region deployable to  MSF operations worldwide, a Communications team that provides communication advisory and capacity to meet MSF’s institutional and support operational communication needs, a Finance, Compliance and Support team who is responsible for the financial reporting and operational legality of the BO together with intersectional facility management ; a Medical Support Unit with specialty in Epidemiology and Public Health Policy Advocacy, in addition to a growing operational support team including a decentralized medical unit (MEMU) that is focused on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in MSF’s global portfolio in addition to a regional technical support team (METSU).

MSF Lebanon comprises of around 50 staff (including decentralized positions) from which most of them are located in Beirut with a smaller team in Cairo.

The Compliance and Risk Management Officer is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining comprehensive policies, procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across finance, accounting, IT, logistics, procurement, and facility management functions. This role also ensures the establishment and maintenance of a robust risk management process to mitigate potential risks and ensure compliance with internal and external standards.

The main objective of the work under this position is ensuring that MSF Lebanon operates in the most efficient, compliant and stable manner on its back office and services components. A key deliverable will be the development of a comprehensive operating manual for MSF Lebanon that outlines and governs all its Finance, Support and Compliance processes and functions.

Accountabilities

Under the direct supervision of the Finance Director the Compliance and Risk Officer will be tasked with the following:

Policy Development:

• Collaborate with department heads and other stakeholders to draft, review, and update policies for finance, accounting, IT (Data Protection), logistics, procurement, and facility management.
• Ensure policies are aligned with current laws, regulations, and industry best practices.
• Communicate policies to relevant stakeholders and ensure understanding and adherence.
• Ensure all policies and procedures are documented in a comprehensive detailed and clear operating manual, available in both an online format and a physical copy, to be updated and printed annually.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of compliance and risk management legislation in Lebanon and monitor developments to ensure alignment with local regulations.

SOP Creation:

• Develop detailed SOPs for all back-office functions to ensure consistency, efficiency, and compliance.
• Regularly review and update SOPs to reflect changes in regulations, policies, or operational processes.
• Lead on the drafting of SOPs for internal and external finance and accounting reporting.

Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure all back-office functions comply with MSF Lebanon and the wider MSF movement policies and best practices.
• Ensure MSF Lebanon has among its tools solid and compliant set of contracts to use for the implementation of its activities.

Risk Management: Maintain a risk register and regularly update it with new risks and mitigation measures.

Training and Education:

• Design and deliver training programs on compliance policies, procedures, and risk management.
• Ensure all staff are aware of their compliance responsibilities and are equipped to fulfil them.
• Provide ongoing support and guidance to staff on compliance-related matters.

Audit and Reporting: Develop and track corrective action plans to address audit findings and prevent recurrence.

Key Interactions

Internal stakeholders: Accounting Manager, IT & Support Officer, Finance Director, and Finance. Accounting and Support Units accross MSF and particularly the UK and  International Office.

External stakeholders : Audit firms.

Job Requirements

Language: English, with functional knowledge of Arabic. French is a plus.

Competencies:

• Commitment to MSF’s Principles, level 2.
• Analytical Thinking, level 3.
• Behavioral Flexibility, level 2.
• Results and Quality Orientation, level 3.
• Service Orientation, level 2.
• Teamwork and Cooperation, level 3.

Knowledge :

• GDPR, Safeguarding.
• In-depth knowledge of compliance and risk management.

Functional Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in conducting risk assessments and developing risk management strategies.
• Capable of planning and running projects in parallel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively convey compliance and risk-related information.
• Precision and thoroughness in reviewing documents, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to adapt complex policies to the Lebanese context.
• Independent and organized.