Senior Finance Officer (seconded to Qatar Red Crescent - QRC)

Main Role

The Senior Finance Officer holds the following key responsibilities:

• Manage the finances of the Lebanon Office, in terms of cash flow, overseeing payments, and entries of ongoing projects as well as the operating budget  accounts and its allocation setting and control;
• Oversee the financial management of the projects, in coordination with Head of Projects, and HQ finance staff;
• Ensure timely, accurate and complete accounting and reporting in compliance with QRC standard operating procedures (SOPs) and donor requirements;
• Troubleshoot financial and administrative problems as they are identified, seeking to limit their impact and rectify their cause so they do not recur;
• Advise the HoD on all issues related to financial management, particularly in relation to longer-term planning of income and expenditure;
• Provide input to the continuous development of the QRC financial system and procedures, routines, and processes by suggesting revisions to the manuals.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Oversee all financial management aspects of QRCS country programmes and projects

• Proactively support QRCS in preparing partner cooperation and project agreements and modifications and project budgets in accordance with QRC and donor guidelines.
• Ensures compliance of project financial arrangements and reporting with QRCS and relevant donor regulations.
• Monitors project budgets and expenditure, advice on budget performance and, if applicable, suggest budget revisions.
• Monitor and quality control the cash requests submitted by country teams and partners according to the agreed upon lines of submission.
• Ensure that grant income and expenditure budgets for the projects are kept up to date.
• Support the QRCS country programme team, in the development of new project proposal budgets and allocations and provide quality technical advice on budget templates and guidelines.
• Coordinate and support the annual audit of all QRC programmes and supervise their tendering and overall execution.
• When asked by HoD, undertake investigations or internal audit missions for programmes / projects.
• Ensure compliant closure of projects, including final financial reporting, external audit, and updating the QRC accounts.

Manage QRC finances and support the HoD in its administration

• Facilitate efficient communication and coordination between QRC HQ on finance issues
• Manage the QRC payroll, cash flow, including the preparation and processing of transfer requests from QRC HQ.
• Ensure effective, correct and timely bookkeeping of expenditure data into, and correct payment processing.
• Ensure preparation of accurate, complete and timely financial reports (including reconciliations) in accordance with QRC and donor requirements.
• Follow-up on monthly time registration on project budgets by staff on a regular basis.
• Initiate, plan and support conduct of the external audit of QRC projects, and respond to findings.
• Ensure that the management of the delegation’s finances complies with QRC manuals.
• Ensure that appropriate physical and electronic filing of relevant documents is maintained.
• Ensure the maintenance of a fixed asset inventory list for the region, covering assets

Support QRC Country Coordinators

• Advise and assist project teams on budget responsibilities on operational financial management.
• Provide collegial support and back-up to the joint QRC/ Programme on co-funded projects
• Review financial reports sent by Implementing partners
• Oversee the level of working advancements made on ongoing projects.
• Ensure that delegation’s working advances are properly accounted for and replenished as needed.
• Ensure that the country teams’ financial management procedures comply with QRC SOPs and manuals.

Capacity building

• Mentor the Finance staff on finance roles to further develop their technical skills.
• Assist in implementing measures and building capacity to comply with QRC’s anti-corruption policy.
• Assist in developing standard accounting tools and systems, e.g. finance templates
• Advise in ensuring that its internal financial systems and procedures are fit for purpose / best practice.
• Advise in the development of relevant materials for the financial management training of staff.

General responsibilities

• Understand and communicate the financial management and reporting compliance requirements of QRCS and its key donors, and communicate changes and new developments in their respective guidelines.
• Participate in relevant internal meetings, development fora, workshops and courses of QRCS and the Movement.
• Provide suggestions and input to the continuous development of the financial systems and procedures, routines, and processes; e.g. by suggesting revisions the SOPs.
• Other tasks as may be requested by the Head of Delegation.

Experience

• Extensive experience in management of finance teams, and development of staff.
• Experience in developing and executing project and programme budgets and scrutiny of financial reports.
• Experience with donor agencies, e.g. ECHO, Europe Aid, etc.
• Technical knowledge and experience in facilitating, supporting, monitoring and supervising activity plans, budgets and financial management.
• Full proficiency in a standard financial accounting (ERP).
• Excellent analytical skills, particularly of complex financial documents and questions.
• The ability to advise upon, establish and enforce sound internal financial controls.
• Good knowledge of donor financial management and reporting requirements.
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office Package, especially Excel)

Industry Related Experience

• Experience in working for a humanitarian organization, especially within the Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement.

Years of Experience

• Five years or more experience in financial management and reporting, budgeting and accounting, and financial audits.