Finance Officer

Helem is the first LGBTQIA+ rights organization in the Arab world, officially established in Beirut, Lebanon in 2001. Its mission is to lead the struggle for the liberation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Intersex, Transgendered, Queer (LGBTQIA+), and other people with non-conforming sexualities and/or gender identities in Lebanon and the SWANA region from all sorts of violations of their individual and collective civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Our goal is to empower young LGBTQIA+ leaders to advocate for their own liberation. We seek to create initiatives and spaces where our communities can leverage unity through diversity and build power. We protect and support individuals with the resources to resist the harm caused by homophobia and transphobia. We empower our youth through education and community building and mobilize to change the laws, policies, and practices that deny us equality and reduce our quality of life.

Helem runs various programs and advocacy campaigns and provides a wide range of services to members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Lebanon, including emergency response, case management, legal assistance, social support, family support, and mental health support. It also runs one of the largest non-commercial queer spaces in the MENA region through its community center and prioritizes decriminalization, labor rights, housing, hate speech, and economic empowerment as advocacy priorities.

    Job Description:

• Maintain financial and accounting systems and procedures to ensure compliance with Helem financial standards and policies and legal and donor requirements;
• Monitor financial expenditures as per approved funds and budget lines (i.e. procurement/admin costs, salaries, direct project costs, etc.);
• Ensure and archive all documents related to internal financial systems of Helem and funded projects (payroll of staff through bank account, cash management, segregation of duties, backup documents for expenses are in place, etc.);
• Prepare, examine, and analyze accounting records, financial statements, and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards;
• Maintain all records related to transactions made in relation to projects;
• Collect bids and quotations and archive all bills and expenses;
• Identify  the need for stationery, supplies, material, and items needed and coordinate purchases and settlement of expenses;
• Analyze trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations, to project future revenues and expenses;
• Establish tables of accounts, and assign entries to proper accounts;
• Maintain and analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs;
• Survey operations to ascertain accounting needs and to recommend, develop, and maintain solutions to business and financial problems;
• Advise management about issues such as resource utilization and assumptions underlying budget forecasts.
• Provide advice and expertise on program and project implementation, including strategic, administrative, and logistical support when needed;
• Assist in any other tasks deemed necessary by the center or organization’s leadership.

    Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Accounting, Corporate Finance, Business Management, or related field
• 2-3 years of work experience, preferably in the non-profit sector
• Excellent communication skills; ability to work effectively and independently in a fast-paced environment
• Accuracy and flexibility
• Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills
• Effective time management, ability to plan workloads, and demonstrate accountability for outputs
• Demonstrable experience in project financial reporting including to donors
• Professional knowledge of the methods of financial analysis and the methodology for the preparation of budgets
• Professional knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations, and/or policies and procedures of the Central Bank
• Professional Experience in the use of Financials Systems/Software