Finance and Administration Officer in Lebanon - Caritas Switzerland

Caritas Switzerland (CACH) prevents, combats and alleviates poverty worldwide in more than 30 countries. With its projects in development cooperation, it works in the areas of food security, water, climate protection, disaster risk reduction, migration as well as education for children and adults. It provides emergency relief in response to disasters and in protracted crises.

In response to the crisis in Syria, CACH has been engaged in relief activities together with its partners since in July 2012. CACH is currently supporting projects in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Vis-à-vis the steadily increasing funding gap of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan and national response plans, CACH has extended its engagement in the region focusing on relief, education and livelihood, managed from its regional office in Beirut, Lebanon. CACH activities are implemented exclusively through partners with local presence and focusing both on refugees and host communities supporting them from the regional office and sub-offices in Jordan and Lebanon.

Purpose of the Position

Under the guidance of Regional Finance and Administration Coordinator (RFAC), the Finance and Administration Officer (FAO) based in Beirut, Lebanon is tasked to support the financial and administration structure for CACH engagement in Lebanon. The tasks include support to all members of CACH delegation and consultants in daily financial and administrative procedures. FAO is also responsible to support all the members of CACH office in daily financial, administrative and logistics procedures. Strong supporting role in logistics, office management and HR-related matters is expected. The goal of CACH is to deliver humanitarian aid efficiently and effectively and at the same time to support and build its partners’ capacities to do so. The FAO needs to acquire a good understanding of the CACH Lebanon and regional office, their key personnel and the organization’s aims and objectives and apply respective CACH policies.

Albeit a full staff of and reporting to CACH, he/she will work under the umbrella of Caritas Lebanon. He/she will be based at CACH’s regional office in Beirut, Lebanon.

Key Responsibilities

1. Finance

1. 1. Supporting development of local finance regulations or adjustment of CACH’s generic regulations.
   2. Supporting preparation of budgets.
   3. Management accounting, financial analyses.
      1. Support in preparation of operating budgets with spending analysis.
      2. Support in preparation of cash-flow forecasts.
      3. Keep up-to-date information about balance of the cash in the cash book keeping.
   4. Financial accounting.
      1. Book-keeping
         1. Ensure all financial transactions are in order; manage records, file invoices, receipts, delivery orders and contracts.
         2. Responsible for formal verification of finance documentation before accepting it into book-keeping.
      2. Cash management.
         1. Accountable for cash management and cash stock-taking at least biweekly. Supports processing and indexing cash payments and corresponding cash vouchers.
         2. Maintaining the integrity of the balance sheet by checking and validating:
            1. Biweekly cash reconciliations.
            2. Purchase reconciliations.
            3. Staff advances and other debtors.
            4. Ensure that payments and repayments are made on time.
      3. Payroll.
         1. Supports preparation of salary slips for staff.
         2. Support in preparation of overview of charges to be paid for mandatory and private insurance, taxes, etc.
         3. Supports preparation of mandates for cash management.
         4. Participation in relevant clusters and coordination groups upon agreement with the supervisor.
         5. Carry out other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

2. Logistics and Procurement

1. 8. Supporting development of local logistics and procurement regulations or adjustment of CACH’s generic regulations.
   9. Supporting asset management.
      1. Registering new assets in fixed asset register.
      2. Support in the in monthly reconciliation of asset registers against the book-keeping.
      3. Asset divestiture and depreciation.
      4. Processing asset transfers to staff.
      5. Arrangement of asset insurance.
      6. Processing of asset (warranty) repairs.
   10. Management of keys and access.
   11. Participation in relevant clusters and coordination groups upon agreement with the supervisor.
   12. Carry out other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

3. Office

1. 13. Supporting office operation which includes:
       1. Filing official correspondence.
       2. Managing office contract register.
       3. Notices and communication to staff.
       4. Support in organizing business travel. Support programme team to manage their travel expenses and reimbursements. Process travel requests and collect travel reports.
       5. Management of communication equipment and contracts with mobile phone carriers.
       6. Office management and administrative support including providing support related to organization of conferences, workshops, retreats, etc.
       7. Organizing IT support.
   14. Carry out other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

4. Human Resources

1. 1. Supporting human resources management which includes:
      1. Filing information on recruitment.
      2. Supporting staff orientation.
      3. Keeping personal folders.
      4. Filing documents related to staff attendance, including filing timesheet for local and delegate staff on monthly basis
2. Carry out other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Competencies and Qualifications

1. Education

1.1. Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or Management.

2. Professional Experience

2.1. At least 3 years of experience in a similar position;

2.2. Previous experience working with I/NGO or other donor agency;

2.3. Substantial experience of Human Resources processed and procedures;

2.4. Good understanding of security procedures.

3. Skills and Competencies

3.1. Highly organized, able to prioritize tasks and commitment to organization’s objectives, values and policies;

3.2. Experience with modern technology and modern management tools including high proficiency in Office Package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet and Email);

3.3. Cultural-sensitivity and strong inter-personal and communication skills;

3.4. Ability to cope with stress and to work independently under difficult circumstances and with minimal supervision;

3.5. A positive and strong problem-solving approach;

3.6. Excellent written and spoken English and Arabic are required, French is an asset;

3.7. Flexibility and readiness to take on additional tasks.