The primary role of the Finance Manager is to ensure complete and accurate financial data records and proper documentation are maintained by the country office (CO). S/He coordinates the processing of all financial data in the system, application of CARE’s accounting and financial policies and procedures and prepares and submits accurate financial reports to all stakeholders in a timely manner to assist management in meeting donor compliance and other statutory requirements. S/He participates actively in the management of the day-to-day financial operations at CO level by supervising a variety of accounting activities including vendor payments, cash receipts, payroll journal entries, accrual and other adjusting journal entries as well as account reconciliation, support of audit preparation, budget and forecast activities.
The Finance Manager will also be responsible for the review and approval of certain transactions in the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable and cash management. S/He will participate actively in forecasting CO cash needs, performing treasury transfers and determining if new accounts/banking services are required. The position will also play an internal compliance control function, and conduct periodical review of program compliance against donor and CARE rules and requirements. The position will closely work with program staff and other stakeholders in the proposal development process also work with donor/CI members in developing, negotiating and finalizing awards/IPIA. He/She will also ensure grant start up processes are completed. The Position will assist in Monthly budget variance reporting and analysis.
At the discretion of the Country Director the Finance Manager will assume some or all of the Finance Controller’s responsibilities when the Finance Controller is absent.
The Finance Manager profile includes: very strong accounting and finance knowledge, analytical skills, attention to details, ability to work effectively under time pressure, strong business partnering skills with ability to influence CO senior staff, team player, proactive individual with ability to offer structured guidance, ability to ensure that the right priorities are set for the accounting team, good training and leadership skills.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:
Responsibility #1: Supervision of direct Reports
- Provide functional and direct supervision to Finance Coordinator, and Grants Officer in the Amman office CARE Syria office and
- Mentor, Coach, train and support the finance teams at all Hub levels
- Developing and implement staff development plans for Amman based Finance team
- Ensuring regular and timely Performance management & Assessment (APAA) is carried out for Finance staff
- Facilitating and providing basic training, technical support and guidance to the program staff, particularly budget holders, for skills improvement in the areas of budget approvals, reporting, and internal controls.
- Promote wellness, safety and model gender equity and diversity
10% Time
Responsibility # 2: Recording of financial transactions and Balance sheet management
- Ensure that the financial transactions are recorded on a timely basis, and that this are accurate, complete and reliable, and in accordance with GAAP
- Review and approve relevant disbursements, receipts, adjusting entries and ensure compliance with donor regulations, CARE Accounting policies and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for CARE Syria
- Review all CARE Syria financial transactions to ensure compliance with CARE and Donor procurement and accounting procedures. Request for adjustments where required and document these
- Oversee the sub-ledger reconciliation process to ensure that GL sub-ledger accounts match the details in their related modules
- Supervise the coding of national and international staff salaries according to the approved Personnel Activity Reports "PARs".
- Prepare, review for other hubs staff accruals/settlements of all benefits and allowances provided to National and International Staff as per current HR Policies and Procedures Manuals, and International Employee Handbook.
- Ensure that all expenditures, including those of implementing partners are justified and substantiated adequately.
- Coordinate and supervise the collection of contractual and miscellaneous receivables from all stakeholders
- Supervising or performing all balance sheet account reconciliation’s on a timely basis
Ensuring differences or discrepancies are brought to the attention of the Finance Controller and that appropriate action is taken.
25% Time
Responsibility # 3: Quality Review of Reporting and Analysis
- Lead the month Close procedure for CARE Syria
- Coordinate the timely recording and submission of all month close requirements. Ensures accuracy of all monthly closing reports performed by the SSC, contact SSC for any discrepancies and ensure full documentation of these report in the CO filing system.
- Recommending standard formats for reconciliation’s and/or procedures to improve the underlying accounting, control or processing of transactions to minimize errors or omissions.
- Reviews and monitors certain accounts/ expense reports and sub-grants receivables, and follows-up with area/Hub finance officers
- Ensures that all records/documents in all locations/Hubs are filed as per procedures.
- Support in the preparation and review of Management reports and Master Budgets for CSCO and Hubs
20% Time
Job Responsibility #3: Treasury Management
- Oversee the day-to-day cash management – receipts, disbursements and currency management of the entire CO bank accounts
- Supervise the Amman office banking arrangements and ensure adequate liaison with principle bankers through CARE Jordan Finance teams.
- In compliance with CARE policies and procedures and in consultation with the FC and Area Directors ensure implementation and review of location specific policies such as authorization limits, cash holding limits, cash movements, credit terms, advance payments, e.t.c
- Designing, implementing and monitoring systems and procedures necessary to maintain accurate forecasts of cash requirements for meeting future spending, including commitments
- Monitor and provide appropriate follow up actions for collection of donor receivables or settlement of donor payables in a timely manner.
15% Time
Job Responsibility # 4: Facilitate key G&C program and financial processes from proposal development stage, monitoring, reporting and close out.
- PRE-AWARD
- Contribute to the development of grant proposals, in close cooperation with teams, (Program, finance, operations/logistics, and human resources) to ensure all grant proposals meet quality assurance criteria, that budgets are cost effective, accurate and realistic with the technical proposal.
- If needed, assist and guide budget holders for the revision of their project budgets.
- Coordinate the review and finalization of awards/IPIA with appropriate country office staff.
- Coordinate the preparation of grants long/short form checklists, which will enable identification of exceptional items which require approval by SMT, RMU / HQ, and Facilitate submission of the same to RMU or HQ when required.
- Supervise Fund code/PID/AID set up in CARE’s financial systems ensuring that budgets are correctly entered to facilitate both internal and external monitoring of expenses
AWARD PERIOD
- Prepare and/or supervise the preparation of required donor financial reports and ensure timely review by FC and submission to key stakeholders
- If applicable monitor Match/Cost share requirements and provide periodic progress
- Provide pro-active diagnosis for potential problems/issues including non-compliance issues and raising to appropriate management level for resolution where required.
- Participate in meetings to discuss ongoing and future programs.
- CLOSE-OUT
- Assist in grant close out processes, including final donor reports preparations, cash settlements etc.
- Ensure all grants related documents & information are appropriately collated for future audits and verifications.
15% Time
Responsibility #5: Audit support
- Working with Finance Controller and other departments to support Audit
- Facilitate any external and internal audits
- Assist with the implementation of Audit findings
- Use the Audit findings to develop training requirements for CO staff
10% Time
Responsibility #6: Other duties
- Handles a number of other daily requests as needed.
5% Time
QUALIFICATIONS
- Education Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Desired:
- MBA/Financial Management or CPA
- Experience
Required:
- At least 5 years of accounting experience.
- Experience in budgeting, budget monitoring, and financial reporting
- Extensive experience in analyzing and applying differing requirements and regulations.
- Experience in capacity building/training and working with implementing partners
- Prior experience in supervising the work of other staff members
-
Desired:
- Three years of experience working for NGOs or similar not-for-profit organizations; knowledge of donor financial reporting/management requirements
- Prior Knowledge of PeopleSoft
- Managerial Know How
This position requires Related managerial know-how: Operational or conceptual integration or coordination of activities that are relatively homogeneous in nature.
D. Skills Required
- Excellent understanding of fund accounting principles and processes.
- Good written and oral communication skills in Arabic and English.
- Good computer skills in MS Word, Excel spreadsheets, internet and database software programs relating to accounting.
- Problem solving skills (solution-oriented)
Other desired skills:
- Human relations skills
The Human Relations Skills for this position are designated as Basic: courtesy, tack and effectiveness in dealing with others in everyday working relationships, including contacts to request or provide information.
- Competencies:
CARE Core Competencies:
- Respect - Behaving in a manner that reflects a true belief in and appreciation for the dignity and potential of all human beings. Gaining other people’s confidence and setting an environment of trust and openness.
- Integrity - Maintaining social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles inherent to CARE.
- Excellence - Setting high standards of performance for self and/or others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed; ensuring interactions and transactions are ethical and convey integrity.
- Diversity - Promoting, valuing, respecting and fully benefiting from each individual’s unique qualities, background, race, culture, age, gender, disability, values, lifestyle, perspectives or interests; creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes diversity.
Critical Competencies for SA position:
- Customer Focus – Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relations.
- Information Monitoring – Setting up ongoing procedures to collect and review information needed to manage an organization or ongoing activities within it.
- Planning and Organizing – Establishing courses of action for self to ensure that work is completed efficiently and effectively in accordance with CARE’s core values.
- Collaboration – Working effectively and cooperatively with others toward shared goals; establishing and maintaining principle-centered working relationships.
- Initiating Action – Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking decisive action to achieve goals in times of uncertainty or in fluid contexts; being proactive.
- Follow-up – Monitoring the results of assignments, or projects, considering the skills, knowledge, and experience of the assigned individual and the characteristics of the assignment or project.
- PROBLEM SOLVING
Thinking Environment: considers the rules, instructions, practices, precedents, standards, principles, policies, goals, and objectives that create the context in which a job is authorized to deal with unusual situations. It describes the degree of freedom permitted to the job to initiate the thinking process as a result of external conditions, as well as internal conditions of the organization.
This position requires Clearly Defined thinking environment
Thinking Challenge: describes the situation, nature and degree of difficulty of mental effort required to come to conclusions, make decisions, provide answers, or discover new things.
This position requires Interpolative thinking challenge
ACCOUNTABILITY
A) Freedom to Act is the degree to which personal or procedural control and guidance for work (or lack thereof) exists. This is a function of the organizational framework, the personnel and policy direction, and the flows, processes, and systems that are established in the organization.
This position would be designated as Regulated
B) Impact on End Results considers the principal nature of the job’s influence on end results, which ranges from very direct control to very indirect support. Choose the Impact category that reflects the basic purpose of the job most clearly.
This position would be shared
C) Magnitude: Financial: What parts of CARE’s revenue and/or expenses are impacted by the job’s primary goals? Use current fiscal year amounts. e.g. project budget, fundraising or contract goal, budget managed or monitored, donations processed, purchases made, contracts negotiated/signed, benefits costs.
- What is the $/EUR amount related to job’s primary goals? > $10M
- What is the $/EUR amount of signing authority for this position? CONTACTS/KEY RELATIONSHIPS:
CONTACTS/KEY RELATIONSHIPS
The Finance Manager will interact externally with banks for financial transactions, vendors to clarify bills, donors for reporting purposes, and auditors during the course of audits. S/he will also work closely with relevant staff members within the Partnerships and Implementation team on donor reporting and budgeting issues and the other team members in the regular course of duties. S/he will be required to coordinate with CARE HQ in Atlanta for advice and guidance on certain policies or issues and with other CI members for cross charges, etc.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
CARE International has offices in Jordan. The incumbent will be based in the CARE Syria office in Amman.
- Travel: Travel within the Middle East is required, including inside Syria.
- Safety and Security: Working conditions can be difficult due to the political situation. Care must be taken when traveling in the region. Travel between offices may be slow or interrupted due to closures, curfews, and checkpoints blocking traffic flow. CARE has a safety and security team available for advice and guidance. The staff member will be provided with security training.
