Chief Financial Officer of the International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral, and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect and assist the victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. The ICRC strives to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening international humanitarian law (IHL) and universal humanitarian principles.

The ICRC is recruiting for its future Chief Financial Officer, an experienced financial professional with an outstanding track record of senior-level leadership, financial management, risk and compliance.

Mission and Scope

The CFO will implement a state-of-the-art global finance function, instilling a culture of accountability, performance drive, and continuous improvement.

The CFO has overall responsibility for strategic planning and budgeting, and the management and conduct of all finance activities of the organisation, including those delivered through Global Shared Services. They are responsible for the financial aspects of income management (cash flow, budgeting, tracking, revenues, and cost matching) and for driving financial risk management and compliance, including internal controls and process improvements – offering strategic analysis and guidance.

Main Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Establish a robust financial function

• Develop and implement financial strategies, policies, and plans to ensure effective and efficient use of resources.
• Elaborate and oversee yearly budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning, act as a single source of financial data integrity, and provide analysis to support the decision-making process at the top leadership level.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, adhering to international accounting standards and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the income management in terms of cash flow, budgeting and tracking, revenues, and cost matching.
• Establish frequent forecasting for the Directorate and the Assembly to align financial strategies with the Institutional Strategy and priorities.

Assess and improve

• Ensure and present relevant critical financial performance indicators for the ICRC to ensure sound, reliable, and credible reporting.
• Act as the guardian of cost containment and efficiencies to ensure optimal enabling support to ICRC operations and activities.
• Monitor financial performance, identifying potential risks and opportunities and providing recommendations for improvement.
• Lead and steer the transformation/modernization of the finance function within the institution.
• Ensure regular monthly financial reporting for the various internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead process improvements through robust internal financial and risk-management control mechanisms.
• Drive ICRC-wide continuous improvement initiatives related to risk management and financial practices.

Manage risk and compliance

• Instill a substantial risk, compliance, and finance culture across the institution by developing and implementing robust risk management frameworks, policies, and procedures.
• Develop risk and compliance metrics to supervise the organization with adequate scrutiny.
• Liaise with the Audit Committee, providing timely, comprehensive, and thorough information.

Promote finance culture

• Provide financial leadership and guidance to the senior managers, the Directorate, the Director General, and the Governance.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and deliver on objectives and outcomes.
• Enhance ownership of ICRC’s financial health across the institution.
• Represent the ICRC in financial discussions with donors, partners, and other relevant entities.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders to strengthen financial management processes and promote transparency, accountability, and trust.

Functional Overview

The CFO oversees the following functions that are part of the financial management system of the ICRC:

• accounting, budgeting, managerial finance-reporting, advice to management, tax, filing, banking and compliance and risk – functions carried out by a global team spread across 80 countries.

The CFO is a member of the Directorate. They regularly report to the Assembly of the ICRC on the organization’s financial performance and counter-sign on all financially or strategically significant decisions presented to the Assembly. They collaborate with the President and the Assembly to develop financial policies and procedures aligned with the ICRC’s strategic goals and values.

Profile and skills

• Financial Leadership: Confirmed ability to manage financial transformation and performance management at a global scale. At least 15 years of progressively responsible financial management experience, including prior experience as CFO in a large institution or business, is expected.
• Budgeting and Planning: Strong budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning expertise to optimize resource utilization.
• Financial Analysis: Ability to provide insightful financial analysis to support decision-making at the executive and governance level.
• Risk Management and Compliance: Expertise in establishing and leading risk management frameworks and experience in developing and implementing compliance strategies.
• Financial Culture: Ability to instill a culture of financial accountability and responsibility across the organization.
• Interpersonal Skills: Proven expertise in fostering a working environment that promotes responsible leadership, integrity, work ethics, accountability, staff engagement, and diversity.
• Education: Advanced degree in finance, accounting, or a related field is required. CPA or CFA certification is highly desirable.
• Language Skills: Fluency in written and spoken English is essential. Proficiency in French and additional relevant languages is an asset.

What we offer

• Global Impact: Play a pivotal executive leadership role in a dynamic global humanitarian environment, shaping strategies, fostering accountability, and ensuring ICRC’s mission.
• Competitive rewards and benefits.