Regional Finance Assistant - MENA

Job Purpose

Under the supervision of the Senior Finance Officer, the incumbent is responsible for providing support to the Regional Delegation in various finance tasks to ensure the smooth day-to-day operation. The Finance Assistant provides support to the Regional Finance Unit in the delivery of finance services in support of the region’s operational programs, with special emphasis in the validation of invoices and expenditures, ensuring they are supported by adequate documentation, correctly coded and duly authorized.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent shall be responsible for day-to-day operations related to validation of expenditures, e-travel requests and claims, daily accounting entries, review of supporting documentation, including working advances, performing reconciliations and replace the Treasurer, during absences.  The incumbent shall:

1. Ensure daily review and validation of transactions

• Review, verify and validate the supplier invoices in the accounts payable module every day, ensuring that all transactions are properly supported with the adequate documentation.
• Proactively obtain any missing information or documentation
• Solve any bottlenecks in the Accounts Payable system
• Review and validate the National Societies’ journal of expenditures and report any findings

2. Ensure daily review and validation of the travel expense claims

• Review the travel claims’ documentation and receipts in hard copy and in the e-travel platform
• Proactively follow-up on the missing information or documentation related to the travel
• Reconcile the staff balances at the end of each month, and coordinate the settlement of the reimbursements to the staff in line with the prevailing procedures

3. Assist in the monthly reconciliation of staff working advances

• Timely monitoring of the staff’s working advance balances
• Calculate, reconcile, and notify the staff on any outstanding working advance balance

4. VAT (Value Added Tax)

• Prepare every month the VAT claims report
• Reconcile the VAT reimbursements vs actual transactions as per the accounting

5. Replace the treasurer during absences

• Prepare daily journal of vouchers for both receipts and payments and update the cash books every day
• Prepare the monthly cash count and obtain the required approvals (signatures)
• Timely processing of all payments with the adequate supporting documentation, approvals, and validations
• Prepare the bank/cash reconciliations for each month-end closing
• Ensure that the transactions and balances of the bank and cash matches with the accounting entries
• Update the payments tracking sheet and other tools on every day and ensure that all the data is accurately registered
• Timely and accurately booking of all the received forecasts prior to the month-end-closing deadline
• Notify to the line manager about the missing forecasts before the closing of the month

6. Assist the Senior Finance Officer during the month and year end closing process

• Verify that all transactions are properly documented
• Organize and file the accounting documents according to the standard filing system
• Support the Senior Finance Officer with the month-end closure routines according to the accounting checklist
• Prepare the monthly field returns files in accordance with the deadlines, ensuring that all the documents are complete

7. Other

• Support finance staff activities to ensure continuity of services without compromising the segregation of duties (e.g., treasurer)
• Establish and ensure effective working relationships with the staff and management of the MENA Regional Delegation
• Ensure and promote compliance with the Federation's policies, procedures, and processes
• Any other tasks assigned by the Finance Manager or Senior Finance Officer

Education

• Relevant degree (minimum bachelor’s degree) or equivalent experience in Administration, financial management accounting - Required
• Relevant professional /academic qualification in finance or accounting - Required

Experience

• At least 3 years relevant working experience in a financial role - Required
• Experience in working with web-based accounting systems - Required
• Work experience with other international organisations, large NGOs and/or governmental development agencies, multi-cultural environment - Preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Language

• Advanced computer skills, working knowledge with windows, spreadsheets, word processing and accounting packages - Required
• Effective time management (e.g., deliver within the deadlines) - Required
• Accuracy and attention to details - Required
• Organised and focused - Required
• Experience working with CODA or similar accounting software - Required

Languages 

• Fluently spoken and written Arabic - Required
• Fluently spoken and written English - Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French) - Preferred