Financial Compliance Officer – REMOTE

Who We Are

The Free Yezidi Foundation is one of the leading Yezidi organizations providing humanitarian and human rights support to Yezidi civilians. The Free Yezidi Foundation is a humanitarian, apolitical, women-led non-profit organization formally registered in the Netherlands and the United States and licensed to operate in Iraq.

The Free Yezidi Foundation is designed to assist Yezidis in need. The Foundation was established shortly after ISIS attempted to eradicate the Yezidi people in August 2014. The Free Yezidi Foundation seeks to implement projects to protect and support the most vulnerable members of the Yezidi community.

The Free Yezidi Foundation is virtually headquartered in the Netherlands and the United States, with its operational base in Duhok, Iraq. The Foundation is particularly engaged with services for Yezidi survivors, with a special focus on Yezidi women and children. FYF also works to assist for all Yezidis seeking justice and accountability. FYF also plays an important advocacy role in promoting better and broader humanitarian and human rights support to Yezidis.

Operations in Iraq include a women’s center and a children’s center, a trauma team, a justice team, an enterprise & training center campus, a center to combat gender-based violence and gender discrimination in the community, and a variety of other activities to support Yezidi recovery and growth.

The Foundation currently employs a number of staff members, both national and international, and is now growing rapidly to manage the implementation of a number of projects.

Background

Yezidis have suffered from a very different sort of trauma than Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs and refugees in general. It is true that all have experienced devastating losses. But the Yezidi community is recovering from a deliberate attempt by ISIS to exterminate their people specifically because of their religion. This has been recognized as genocide already by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, the US State Department and Congress, the European Parliament, the UK Parliament, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The decision to target a small minority group for extermination based on identity has created a sense of horror not unlike that found in populations in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, post-WWII Germany, and so on. FYF is sensitive to the particular nature of the suffering of Yezidi survivors, and all projects and activities have been tailored in this regard. The horrific crisis currently facing Yezidis is one in which an external group perpetrated unspeakable crimes against a religious minority, which is now in need of care and support.

Job Summary

The Financial Compliance Officer will be responsible for ensuring financial compliance for FYF activities, including compliance with donor and government regulations. The Officer will also help to ensure accuracy and correct financial transactions, in coordination with other members of the finance team, review field finance documents, and contribute to internal financial controls and reporting.

We are looking for an individual with a passion for making a difference in the lives of religious minority members recovering from severe persecution, and someone who believes in the importance and value of civil society organizations, and the value of trauma treatment, justice and accountability, and critically, in women’s rights.

The Financial Compliance Officer will be accountable to the Finance Manager and, in some areas, to FYF’s Operations Manager. (S)he will be expected to work remotely.

Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform a number of functions.

Internal Controls

· Conduct a monthly review of supporting documentation within FYF departments (finance, operations, and programs) and all sub-awardees to ensure compliance to FYF procedures and donor eligibility requirements.

· Report any identified documentation gaps/risks and develop related mitigation plans in coordination with FYF’s Leadership Team.

· Contribute to the training of relevant staff on FYF procedures and donors’ and partners’ procedures.

Organizational and Donor Audits

· Anticipate future external audits by analyzing the audit procedures for new grant contracts and as required by government charity regulations.

· Identify possible pre-audit / due diligence requirements to access potential new funding sources and develop plan to meet requirements.

· Assist or lead on external audits with FYF auditors and donor auditors including preparation of documents, communication management, Terms of Reference, and responses to audit recommendations.

· Prepare and lead internal audit reviews and provide feedback to the Leadership Team.

Qualifications and Competencies: Education, Knowledge and Experience

· A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, development finance, or related field is a distinct advantage. Master’s degree and/or accounting designation preferred.

· Three to four years of finance administration experience in development or humanitarian programs is an advantage.

· A good understanding of overall project cycle management. This should include an understanding of working with donor guidelines and following up on program compliance.

· Proven capabilities in integrity and strong attention to detail are required, with the ability to work independently and with a diverse team, communicate effectively with individuals from a variety of background, and contribute to overall team capacity building.

· Fluency in English and the ability to write documents, reports, and present information in English is required.

· Experience working with audits and formal financial reports a distinct advantage.

Base of Operations

Remote

Start Date

ASAP

Daily Routine

· The successful candidates will be expected to work from 8am to 4pm Monday to Friday, and will in some cases have to work flexibly to complete assignments after hours. The position could possibly be part-time.

Salary and Benefits

· Salary is determined according to the organization’s salary scale and commensurate with experience.

Upon Joining FYF

FYF has non-disclosure and liability waiver clauses in the contract for all employees upon joining the team. All paperwork will be managed between the time the job offer is sent and the candidate begins work.