Audit and Compliance Manager

Première Urgence - Aide Médicale Internationale (PU-AMI) is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious humanitarian NGO. Its objective is to bring about a global response to the basic needs of populations suffering from acute humanitarian crisis and to allow them to recover their autonomy and dignity. In close respect to humanitarian principles, PU-AMI promotes humanitarian access and dialogue with all components of the civil society in Lebanon, and delivers assistance based on the needs, regardless of religion, politics, and ethnic matters. Today, PU-AMI is intervening in 21 countries in Africa, the Near East, Caucasus, Asia and the Caribbean to cover the needs of populations affected by conflict, natural disasters or economic crises. PU-AMI in Lebanon has been implementing emergency and recovery projects in Health, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Shelter Rehabilitation and in Livelihood Recovery sectors.

Job Description:

1. GENERAL OBJECTIVE

The Audit & Compliance Manager leads the design, structuring and implementation of the mission’s internal control and compliance framework, ensuring alignment with PUI internal procedures, donor requirements and applicable legal frameworks.

He/She is responsible for identifying, assessing and mitigating compliance and fraud risks, and for ensuring that adequate control mechanisms are in place across all departments, including in emergency and high-risk contexts.

He/She provides strategic advisory support to senior management and departments, ensuring that operational decisions remain compliant while adapted to field constraints. This includes the review of contracts, MoUs and partnership agreements prior to signature.

He/She oversees internal audits, investigations and compliance reviews, ensuring findings are properly documented, reported and translated into actionable recommendations, and that corrective actions are effectively implemented and followed up.

He/She leads the coordination and validation of external audits, including preparation, communication with auditors, review of draft reports and management of responses, including contestation of ineligible costs when required.

He/She contributes to strengthening a culture of accountability, compliance and continuous improvement across the mission through capacity building, training and dissemination of best practices.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Internal audit : He/She Lead the design, structuring, and continuous improvement of the mission’s internal control and compliance framework , He/she carries out regular, random or targeted checks to ensure compliance with the PUI procedures. He/she organizes and coordinates the implementation of measures if necessary to ensure that the organization’s goals and objectives are met and drafts and reviews internal audit reports submitted to senior management and HQ
• External audit : He/she leads the coordination and preparation and conduct of external audits in coordination with the departments concerned of the mission and at HQ.
• Recommendation Follow-up: He/she ensures the implementation of internal and external recommendations and leads responses to auditors, including contestation of ineligible costs when required.
• Risk management : He/she participates in the analysis of situations impacting the Organization as a whole, He/she leads the identification, analysis and monitoring of compliance risks at mission level, and ensures mitigation measures are defined, implemented and followed up..
• Training : He/she designs, delivers and adapts compliance and audit trainings to national and expatriate staff, based on identified risks, audit findings and operational needs.Team management and capacity building : He/she leads recruitment, task allocation and supervision of the compliance team, monitors performance, and ensures continuous capacity building and team well-being., defining the strategy of the department and train the newly audit recruited staff.
• Archiving : He/She leads in the monitoring of archiving procedures in coordination with the departments. He/She ensures compliance with retention and destruction policies, oversees warehouse archiving practices, and leads the digitalization of documents in line with HQ requirements.
• Advisory Role : He/She acts as a strategic advisor to senior management on risk, compliance, and internal control matters, ensure alignment between operational constraints and donor/regulatory requirements in complex environments,
• Investigations and Ethics : He/she leads and oversees compliance and fraud investigations, including planning, evidence collection, interviews and analysis. He/she drafts and reviews investigation reports, ensures proper documentation of findings, and provides clear recommendations and escalation to senior management and HQ when required.
• Internal Control and Compliance Structuring : He/She leads the design, development and continuous improvement of internal control systems, compliance tools and procedures across the mission. He/She ensures standardization of practices, strengthens control mechanisms, and supports departments in the effective implementation of compliance frameworks.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE AND LINKED ACTIVITIES 

1. Carry out internal audits in accordance with the internal audit plan and standard procedures

• Prepares and implement an audit plan that identifies risks and priorities, in collaboration with all departments ;
• Lead and oversee internal audits, including methodology design, planning, execution, and reporting
• Carries out audits of documentation, internal and donor procedures and processes, at mission level ;
• Coordinates the internal audit according to the internal audit system at HQ ;
• In general, ensures that the principles of accountability and transparency are at the heart of the mission's spirit and practices.
• Provide compliance clearance and review for key processes (procurement, finance, HR, program, coordination)
• Support and challenge departments on compliance risks in real-time operations
• Ensure systematic follow-up and enforcement of audit recommendations across departments

2. Coordinate and act as focal point for external audits

• Lead high-pressure audit coordination under tight deadlines and operational constraints
• Prepares and monitor an external audit plan; negotiate audit dates with auditors and donors;
• Is the focal point for auditors (the link between the mission and auditors) before, during and after the audit ;
• Prepares the external audits: present the Mission to auditors, shares the requests for documentation to the coordinators, centralizes the feedback and presents consolidated responses to the auditors, along with the support of coordinators ;
• Discusses issues and recommendations with auditors. He/She is involved in drafting the responses to the Management Letters (ML) of audits in coordination with other departments. Consults with HQ on best approaches to respond to ML ;
• Review and validate draft external audit reports prior to submission to donors
• Lead the preparation of audit responses and support departments in addressing audit queries
• Challenge and contest ineligible costs where justified, ensuring proper documentation and argumentation
• Drafts and submits to the CD and HQ audit department a synthesis including the overall audit achievement as well as alerts and risks ;
• Capitalizes on the challenges and lessons learned after each external audit.
  
  3. Ensure the implementation of internal and external recommendations
• Prepares a follow-up of recommendations using the standard tool and share with the relevant coordinator ;
• Establishes and regularly update a follow-up of internal and external recommendations ;
• Shares recommendations with relevant departments and discuss/establish an action plan for implementation with them ;
• Monitors the implementation of external and internal audit recommendations ;
• Reports on progress to the HQ audit department and the CD ;
• As part of a formal and regular process, ensures that HQ recommendations are implemented, and report to the CD and HQ Audit Officer
  
  4. Risk Management
• Identifies and alert to areas of risk identified during internal or external audits;
• Lead the development and implementation of mission-wide risk matrices
• Facilitate periodic risk reviews with departments and senior management
• Ensure risks are properly identified, assessed, mitigated, and monitored
• Proposes solutions and provide advice to mitigate the impact of identified risks.
  
  5. Contribute to the establishment of a culture of learning and quality
• Verifies the knowledge and understanding of internal and donor audit procedures and processes and recommend trainings if necessary ;
• Design, develop, and deliver compliance and anti-fraud trainings to national and international staff
• Build staff capacity on internal controls, donor compliance, and risk mitigation
• Adapt training content to operational realities and departments (logistics, finance, programs, HR)Briefs all coordinators on the audit.
  
  6. Team management and capacity building
• In collaboration with the HR department, participates in the recruitment process(es) of staff under his/her line management;
• Briefs newly recruited personnel under his/her management on their roles and responsibilities;
• Ensures the adherence of his/her subordinates to all PUI’s policies, rules and regulations;
• Ensures the respect and implementation of HR procedures in accordance with PUI’s Policies and Guidelines in collaboration with the Human Resources department;
• Manage and update the monthly compliance tasks tracker to ensure proper monitoring of activities
• Strengthen team capacity through coaching, mentoring, and structured follow-up
• Promote team well-being and ensure a balanced and sustainable workload
• Develop internal capacity within the Compliance team and across departments
• Ensure continuous improvement of team skills and operational effectiveness
• Monitors and provide objective feedback related to the performance of the staff under his/her supervision to promote professional development;
• Provides technical support and guidance to the staff under his/her line management;
• Ensures good communication, coordination and information level of each member of the mission team during regular coordination meetings
• Solves team conflicts and ensure team building and discipline.
• Oversee task allocation, performance monitoring, and validation of team outputs
  
  7. Investigation and Ethics
• Lead and coordinate investigations into suspected fraud, misconduct, and ethical breaches
• Ensure proper documentation, confidentiality, and escalation of sensitive cases
• Provide recommendations to management on corrective and disciplinary measures
• Draft and review investigation reports, ensuring factual accuracy, neutrality, and proper documentation of findings
• Ensure appropriate escalation and follow-up of investigation outcomes
• Ensure confidentiality, integrity of evidence and respect of due process throughout investigations
  
  8. Compliance Advisory
• Review and validate contracts, MoUs, and partnership agreements prior to signature to ensure compliance with internal policies and donor requirements
• Identify legal, financial, and compliance risks in agreements and propose mitigation measures
• Provide preventive compliance advice to all departments to ensure adherence to procedures before issues arise
• Support departments in structuring compliant processes and documentation
• Provide day-to-day compliance advisory to all departments (Finance, Logistics, HR, Programs)
• Support operational teams in identifying compliant solutions in emergency and constrained contexts
• Review and validate exceptional processes (NTFs, derogations, risk-based decisions)
• Ensure proper documentation and justification of deviations from standard procedures
• Provide compliance clearance for key processes and decisions prior to implementation
• Assess and validate exceptional operational decisions balancing compliance and operational constraints
• Ensure compliance enforcement across all departments and has functional authority to challenge, escalate and require corrective actions from any department.
• Provide final arbitration on compliance-related decisions across departments
  
  9. Internal Control and Compliance Structuring
• Design and implement internal control tools, frameworks, and methodologies at mission level
• Develop and standardize compliance tools (audit tools, trackers, SOPs, templates) across departments
• Ensure consistency and proper use of internal control mechanisms across all bases and departments
• Continuously assess gaps and propose system-level improvements
• Drive mission-wide standardization of compliance practices and tools
• Define and drive the mission-wide compliance and internal control strategy, aligned with HQ and donor requirements.
  
  10. Documentation / Archiving coordination
• Ensures that project and support documentation (of all projects) is complete and correctly archived following internal procedures and ensure that departments are informed of all documents to be archived
• Oversee the digitalization of archived documents in HQ systems in compliance with internal and donor requirements
• Supervise physical archiving processes, including storage conditions and document classification
• Ensure proper implementation of document retention and destruction procedures
• Oversee secure destruction of documents in line with compliance and confidentiality standards
  
  11. Representation and Coordination
• Represent the Compliance & Audit function in coordination, senior management meetings and strategic discussions
• Provide regular updates to management on key risks, audit findings, and compliance issues
• Contribute to strategic discussions and decision-making processes from a compliance perspective
• Defines and leads the mission-wide compliance and audit strategy
• Ensures alignment between compliance strategy and mission objectives

Job Requirements:

Language skills:

-              Fluent in English (speaking, reading and writing) (Required)

Education degree:

• Master degree in Audit management, Law, Risk Management or any related file (Required)
• Strong Legal and contractual background (Required)
• Master degree in Finance / Accounting (Desirable)

Work experience:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a similar position
• Experience(s) in NGO in operational complex environments
• Experience in contract review, partnership agreements, or legal/compliance advisory
• Experience in external audit coordination and donor compliance

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Desirable

• Experience(s) with PUI appreciated
• Experience in complex / high-risk / conflict environments
• Experience managing teams

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of audit processes and internal control system Strong knowledge of Analytical and risk assessment skills
• Strong knowledge of contractual risk and legal compliance frameworks
• Strong ability to balance compliance requirements with operational constraints
• Ability to operate in emergency and conflict contexts with pragmatic decision-making
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to challenge operational teams
• Knowledge(s) of donor’s procedures (ECHO, SIDA, AFD, EuropeAid, UN agencies, …)
• Knowledge of PUI procedures (Desirable)
• Computer skills:
• Knowledge of the MS office software including Word, Outlook (Required)
• Excellent in Excel (Required)
• Knowledge of SAGA (Desirable)

Requirements of Behavioral Competencies:

• Ability to work independently, take the initiative and take responsibility in a proactive approach
• Self-motivated, flexible and adaptable to the needs of the team and organization
• Strong commitment in humanitarian principles
• Resilience to stress
• Diplomacy and open-mindedness
• Good analytical skills
• Organization and ability to manage priorities and varied workload
• Ability to guarantee effective and timely outputs
• Problem solving and leadership skills
• Ability to work and manage professionally and maturely
• Ability to integrate into the local environment, taking account of its political, economic and historical characteristics
• Ability to operate in instable and conflicts environments

PUI-AMI Employment Conditions and Benefits:

• Status: A Fixed-Term Contract 
• 40-hour work week from Monday to Friday.
• Monthly Gross Income:  Based on PU-AMIs internal salary scale. PU-AMI deducts income tax and automatically registers employees to NSSF
• Seniority Allowance of +2% monthly increase of your basic salary after 1st year of employment. Seniority allowance is gradual and grows of +2% every year.  
• Insurance Medical Insurance class B for employee and spouse with a possibility to upgrade to class A based on employee’s contributions.
• Life Insurance
• Workmen Accident Compensation Insurance
• Maternity leave of 100 days
• Paternity leave of 5 days
• Paid Leaves Policy: 24 days of paid leaves per year
• 3 paid Sick Child Leaves per year for employees with children
• 1 day of remote work per week after agreement with the line manager
• Opportunities for career progression and transparent internal recruitment system
• Internal trainings and capacity development opportunities
• Staff wellbeing and inclusion activities

Our Commitments

PU-AMI sees diversity of nationalities, genders, beliefs, profiles and statuses among its employees as a major asset for its humanitarian action and therefore compels itself to the strict observance of the principle of non-discrimination throughout its recruitment process.  

PU-AMI applies a policy of zero tolerance towards exploitation, sexual abuse and mistreatment, in all its forms, of men, women, children and all vulnerable persons. It engages all its staff to promote, disseminate and respect the principles set out in its ethical framework.