Finance Director

Project Background:

The USAID/Lebanon Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Activity facilitates the export of Lebanese goods and services to generate foreign exchange through investments and Business and Investment Enabling Environment (BIEE) reforms that simultaneously promote job creation, income generation and improved livelihoods throughout the country.

TIF has three objectives:

(1) Increased exports of Lebanese goods and services.

(2) Investment facilitation leading to increased domestic investment.

(3) Improved business and investment enabling environment.

Position Description:

The Finance Director will oversee TIF’s project finance team ensuring adherence to DAI policies and procedures and USAID rules and regulations.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Management

• Responsible for providing training, guidance and direction to project Accounting/Finance staff.
• Responsible for gaining comprehensive knowledge of project’s Field Operations Manual (FOM), implementing financial management systems in compliance with the FOM, and conducting regular on-going review of project policies, procedures and/or practices to identify any inconsistencies with the FOM and provide the Chief of Party with options and recommendations for resolution.
• Responsible for providing training to staff on finance procedures and documentation requirements.

Financial Reporting

• Oversees status of financial management activities (i.e. monthly and quarterly reporting in conjunction with DAI’s Home Office support team).
• Responsible for ensuring that any/all contractual financial reporting requirements are identified and complied in a timely and accurate manner.
• Oversees all local tax reporting procedures and submissions.
• Reviews monthly reconciliation reports.
• Develops and submits other project reports and based on registration requirements to local authorities.
• Reviews partner/vendor payment schedules and obligations.
• Provides annual budgets of expenditure as well as quarterly forecasts against budget statements (accruals, pipelines, etc.) as applicable.

Audit

• Manages preparation of internal and external audits, in coordination with Bethesda/W Internal Audit Department.
• Supports responses and actions to internal audit comments.
• Conducts ongoing review of backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and full compliance with all regulations and the Field Operations Manual (FOM).
• Ensures adequate backup documentation is uploaded to relevant system according to set deadlines.
• Ensure compliance with local and national laws on registration, annual reporting, and statutory requirements (tax remittances, social security contributions, etc.)

Policies & Procedures

• Ensures that accounting policies and practices are carried out in accordance with GAAP standards; project internal controls are established and implemented in accordance with DAI policies, USAID rules/regulations and the terms of the contract.

General Accounting/Financial Management

• Reviews wire requests for field project implementation.
• Conducts regular cash flow analyses to ensure availability of funds and the accurate maintaining of bank balances.
• Oversees the timely processing of invoice.
• Oversees and checks the Petty Cash process.
• Ensures proper segregation of duties within the Finance/Accounting Department.
• Manages banking relationships and coordinates periodic updates for checking account signers.
• Reviews and approves bank reconciliations performed by the field accountant.
• Reviews project cost data prior to submitting Oracle data reports to DAI Washington.
• Establishes guidelines for maintaining sub-grant and other partnership files and activities as applicable.
• Ensures non-billable expenses are thoroughly reviewed and are kept to a minimum, also educates staff on the principals of allowable vs. unallowable costs.
• Ensures that foreign taxes paid, if any, are tracked, recorded, and reported to USAID in accordance with ADS guidelines.
• Reviews and oversees all petty cash accounts and/or bank accounts.

Travel Advances & Reimbursements

• Follows and maintains procedures to ensure accurate and timely payment of travel advances, reimbursements for staff and partner travel.
• Maintains procedures to ensure accurate and timely reconciliation of travel advances.
• Reviews outstanding advances and aging reports for accuracy.

Payroll

• Oversees the overall payroll process.
• Serves as backup for payroll processing when applicable.
• Analyzes taxes and ensures appropriate withholding of taxes from payroll.

Financial Systems

• Oversee and monitor use of field accounting system (FAS), cloud software for backup documentation, DAI’s operations system (TAMIS), etc.
• Communicates with home office system support teams on system or operations troubleshooting technical issues.
• Trains finance staff on financial systems/accounting knowledge gaps.
• Overseas the process that the voucher files are scanned and uploaded to DAI’s System for the Electronic Archival of Financial Documentation – Sharepoint

Supervisory Duties

• Trains, supervises, and mentors employees.
• Plans, assigns, and directs work; appraises performance, addresses and resolves problems.

Qualifications:

• B.A. Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or equivalent. Advanced degree MBA, CPA or equivalent preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant experience and progressive responsibility in finance and accounting at the mid-level of an organization
• Five+ years of finance experience with USAID or other donor programs (preferred).
• Experience leading and managing the financial aspects of USAID projects, including a demonstrated understanding of applicable finance-related USG contracting regulations (preferred).
• Accuracy in working with large amounts of data.

• Experience supervising staff.
• Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints.
• Experience with enterprise accounting software, and Microsoft office suite.
• Demonstrated knowledge of internal controls and audit processes (e.g.  procurement, local subcontract agreements, etc.).
• Demonstrated report writing skills in English is required.
• An articulate individual who possesses excellent communications and personnel management skills and who can relate to people at all levels of an organization.
• An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards and appropriate professional image
• An extremely well organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus
• Previous experience with DAI policies, procedures, and systems (TAMIS, etc.) preferred but not required
• Fluency in English is required.