Finance Coordinator - Zahle

ROLE PURPOSE:                                                                                                

To maintain financial systems in Zahle field office, in order to provide appropriate levels of security and internal controls over the organization’s resources; to ensure finances are run in compliance with the policies and standards of Save the Children’s Financial Manual. To implement financial policies in the areas of budgets, cash management and forecasting, recordings and documentation, project auditing and financial reporting.

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 2 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have some contact with or access to children or young people

 SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Area Manager, with dotted line reporting to Finance Director

Reporting to: N/A

 KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Payments

- Ensure all payments are made in a timely manner.

- Verify the accuracy, validity, legitimacy of all payments and the completeness of supporting documents, proper coding and authorisation before payments are made.

- Manage Agresso processes for accuracy and ensure that data is submitted to Beirut office on or before the set deadline for processing.

- Ensure that salary advances are closed as soon as possible and that departing staff have closed all advances.

- Carry out a daily consolidation of the petty cash with the finance officer.

Financial Systems

- Maintain robust and adequate financial internal control systems and cash management across the field office in line with SCI’s Finance Manual and good accounting practices.

- Induct new field staff into SCI financial policies and procedures applicable in the field offices and ensure that changes in policies are communicated to staff at all levels.

- Maintain good working relationships with other stakeholders and support the implementing partners in improving their Finance and Awards Management skills.

- Ensure that audit recommendations are followed up and implemented in good time and field staff fully understand and comply with the standard financial procedures

- Support capacity building of coordinators and managers in grants management and donor compliance.

Financial Planning

- Ensure sufficient cash in the office by producing monthly cash forecasts for the Area Office, sending to Beirut office and following-up to make sure cash is received in time.

- Liaise with the Area Manager to schedule and take lead in planning and convening the monthly Award Review Meetings in the field office ensuring minutes are taken and shared with the AMU and Finance team in Beirut.

- Provide support to budget holders in reviewing and understanding monthly financial budget monitoring reports and follow up on any recommended adjustments.

- Manage and update the master budget for the Area Office with the Area Manager, and pro-actively highlight gaps.

- Actively participate and prepare relevant and adequate financial information for the awards opening and closing meetings in the Area Office in close coordination with programme managers.

Financial Budgeting/Reporting

- Assist Area Manager and budget holders in budget proposal writing.

- Assists in meeting the financial reporting requirements of in-country management and Member.  This function includes ensuring that all financial reports are submitted on or before the deadlines set and contain relevant information for all the users of the financial reports.

- Ensures the maintenance of accurate records of financial transactions of the field office in order to monitor financial status of all project activities.

- Assists in the preparation of all financial reports for external purposes in respect to accounting, compliance and contractual requirements.

- Provides assistance in the preparation and revision of grant proposals and budgets. This includes ensuring that all budget proposals are thoroughly reviewed and approved by relevant budget holders and Area Manager.

- Ensures that all charges to donor grants are in compliance with donor requirements and SCI policy.  This responsibility extends to thorough understanding and application of specific donor rules and regulations and compliance to donors grant administrative requirements.

- Working offline on the budget uploading and DEA creation templates.

- Working on phasing donor budgets as per the forecasts; this also includes uploading all budgets into Agresso on a quarterly basis.

- Assisting on preparing re-classes sheet and posting them into the system.

- Business partnering with budget holders

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES:

- University degree in Commerce Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Finance, or related field. Post-graduate diploma preferred

- Minimum 3 years’ similar work experience within a fast paced work environment

- Excellent communication skills (Verbal and Written)

- Fluency (Verbal and Written) in English and Arabic is required

- Excellent presentation and facilitation skills

- Strong team player, collaborative and capable of building effective relationships across all levels

- Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mind-sets

- Problem solving and risk mitigating skills

- Proficiency in Microsoft Officer Products (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and financial software such as Agresso

- Comply with the requirements of Save the Children’s Safeguarding Policy and other Global Policies

- Commitment to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity in employment and empathy with SC values and objective