International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees delivers lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The IRC began planning to reopen an oPt country program in mid-2022 and launched an emergency response in Gaza in October 2023. The organization is currently supporting a network of local partners in both Gaza and the West Bank to sustain critical health, protection, food security, cash, education, and early childhood development interventions. The IRC is also deploying emergency medical teams to provide surge clinical capacity in hospitals and other health facilities.
The IRC is working to scale its emergency response while building a longer-term oPt country program in parallel. This effort is being jointly managed by the Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a view to eventually transition the country program fully under the MENA region.
Position overview
As a member of the Palestine Country Program Senior Management Team (SMT), the Deputy Director Finance provides the leadership and management necessary to ensure that the country program has the appropriate financial infrastructure and systems to support the organization’s strategic vision and mission. The DDF will contribute to developing the Country Program’s strategic and operational plans and be accountable for ensuring and monitoring delivery against the financial plans through targeted and comprehensive financial analytical review. The Deputy Director of Finance is responsible for the overall policy and management for the financial and accounting management of the Country Program. Emphasis will be placed on financial management practices and systems that comply with US and local laws, adhere to donor requirements, and are conducive to the effective implementation of programs.
As Deputy Director of Finance, s/he will be responsible for all aspects of strategic and operational finance in the Country Program, acting as the principal finance business partner to the Senior Management Team and Country Director and conforming to IRC’s financial control environment and CFO standards and objectives. S/He will collaborate closely with the Deputy Directors of Programs and Deputy Director of Operations to ensure acceptable levels of performance of cross-departmental business policies and procedures and collectively troubleshoot and develop solutions.
Based in Amman and then in Palestine (Ramallah, West Bank, oPt), the Deputy Director of Finance will have dual reporting to the Country Director and the Regional Finance Director, including straight-line accountability to the CFO.
Major Responsibilities:
Under the supervision of the Country Director and the Regional Finance Director, the Deputy Director, Finance will be based in Amman and then in Palestine (Ramallah, West Bank, oPt) where he/she will be responsible for the following tasks:
Strategic planning & analysis
• Provides financial information to support the Country Director and SMT in making business decisions in line with IRC, Regional, & Country Program strategies.
• Provides strategic analysis of the overall financial health of the Country Program to the CD and SMT.
Contributes and provides feedback to developing Country Program’s Strategic Annual Plan.
Controllership
• Ensures that all in-country practices comply with IRC and donor policies and procedures.
• Establishes in-country finance procedures to supplement global policies as needed.
• Closely monitors financial activities and advises the Country Director on the financial performance of the office, issues with internal controls or financial management.
• Ensures monthly balance sheet reconciliations are completed on a timely basis.
• Manages the finance department activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by headquarters and donors.
• Identifies requirements for and develops reporting formats to aid in managing country operations and grant expenditures.
• Directs the preparation of and approves all donor financial reports in respect to accounting, legal, and contractual requirements and ensures the review of such reports by the Country Director and Regional Controller before submission.
Work closely with the grants coordinator and programs to ensure partner management complies with the PEERs manual (selection, capacity building, reporting, and monitoring and verifications and the working group etc.)
• Ensures in-country internal control reviews of operations are regularly undertaken.
• Facilitates external, internal, Donor or government audits.
• Oversees the protection of the Country Program’s assets (cash, inventory, fixed assets) by enforcing internal control policies and procedures.
• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to finance and complies with tax and other legal requirements.
• Serves as the principal liaison with IRC HQ on all finance, accounting, grant budget management, and cash management.
Training & Staff Management
• Establishes a finance department roles and responsibilities matrix.
• Ensures staff job descriptions are current.
• Recruits and maintains a qualified staff to perform finance functions.
• Ensures comprehensive and constructive performance reviews are completed annually; career planning and development plans are in place for all finance staff.
• Develop and implement a training program for the country’s finance staff.
• Oversees finance training and technical support to non-finance staff for skills improvement in the areas of accounting, reporting, and internal control.
Compliance & financial risk management
• Identify potential financial risks.
• Analyze and quantify the severity of these risks to operations and programs.
• Develop and implement effective strategies to manage these risks.
• Monitor the success of the strategies and take appropriate action to update them.
• Ensure timely implementation of internal and external audit recommendations related to the Finance Department.
• Contribute to the country’s overall risk management through the management team.
Treasury
• Supervises all country program bank relations and bank account activities, including fees, interest, and currency exchange rates negotiation.
• Oversees the review and approval of all monthly bank accounts and cash reconciliations.
• Maintains accurate forecasts of cash requirements for meeting future spending on a current basis, including commitments that obligate IRC to future spending.
• Ensures that appropriate balances are maintained to facilitate grant implementation and cash held in headquarters in drawn regularly.
• Ensures development and implementation a plan to minimize the Country Program’s foreign exchange exposure to currency gains and losses.
• Supervises the collection of contractual and other receivables.
Budget/Forecast
• Oversees the preparation and revision of grant proposal budgets; supports programs with guidance on costing and inputs in creating budgets for submission.
• Prepares and maintains the Country Program’s annual operating budget; ensures cost coverage for in-country operating costs and updates the operating budget regularly.
• Presents and facilitates the review of actual budget expenditures with the Country Director and program managers.
Job Requirements:
• Master’s degree in accounting, Finance, and Economics or equivalent
• Significant experience and at least five (5) years in a similar position
• Have good experience working in development or humanitarian intervention, including at least five years of living experience, and working in the field concerned with developing countries and countries in transition.
• Knowledge of donor procedures such as ECHO, SIDA, EU, USAID, CDCS, etc.
• Knowledge of ERP-based systems (Microsoft Dynamics 365)
• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimum technical support.
• Ability to work and manage a team and be committed to staff training and development.
• Ability to operate effectively in a complex environment.
• Ability to identify appropriate priorities and respond effectively to multiple simultaneous needs.
• Good knowledge of English and Arabic (good writing and oral communication skills)
• Very good organizational skills
• Pro-active and autonomous
• Proven interpersonal skills enabling him/her to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds.
• Courtesy and good written and oral communication
• Act with integrity while conducting business in the name of IRC and strictly adhering to the IRC Way.
• Proficiency with computer tools
Languages:
Professional fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic is required.
**Standard of Professional Conduct:**The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
How to apply
Deadline: 20 Apr 2024