Finance Officer MENA , Tunisia

Job location: Tunis (Tunisia, hybrid) or Lebanon (working from home), for candidates with an existing right to work in Lebanon.

Target start date: as soon as possible

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a worldwide organization of judges and lawyers united in affirming international law and rule of law principles that advance human rights. Its strategic goals for 2021-2025 are: (1) to develop, defend, and strengthen international institutions, instruments, and standards on rule of law and human rights; (2) to improve domestic implementation of, and compliance with, international law and standards; (3) to bolster the effectiveness and independence of judges and lawyers; and (4) to improve access to justice for all and accountability. With its Headquarters based in Geneva, Switzerland, ICJ has a presence in Africa, Latin America, Asia & the Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, and the Middle East.

The ICJ is seeking to recruit a proactive and flexible Finance Officer (full-time). The ideal candidate has at least five years’ professional experience with focus on financial management. The Finance Officer provides finance and accounting support to all projects implemented through the Regional Programme, including ensuring compliance with ICJs financial procedures and reporting standards and donor requirements, under the supervision of the MENA Programme Director and in close collaboration with the MENA Programme Manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Finance Officer holds the following responsibilities:

Accounting:

• Prepare, process, review, and ensure accuracy and completeness of accounting documents and accounting entries for the region in accordance with internal control system and reporting standards.
• Receive and process invoices, credit cards expenses, staff expense claims and partner expense reports in accounting software.
• Ensure all accounting and supporting documents are accurate, complete, and filed properly.
• Oversee invoice tracking and process all payments/bills advances and reimbursements related to the regional programme.
• Manage preparation of the office petty cash and other regular payments.
• Complete all monthly closing activities and reconciliations for the regional programmes, including calculation of use of funds and overhead, as per time plan communicated by Global Senior Finance Officer
• Lead project and financial audits conducted in region in collaboration with Global Senior Finance Officer and Director Administration & Finance.
• Support project and financial audits conducted globally, under the lead of the Senior Finance Officer.
• Review and approve Purchase Approval Forms from legal team and programme manager.
• Ensure up to date fixed asset ledger exists for the region.

Financial management of programmes:

• Participate in the due diligence of partners and assess their financial capability.
• Process partners payment requests based on terms and conditions in contract.
• Monitor project cash flow and request funds from donors regularly in collaboration with programme manager and Director Administration & Finance.
• Prepare donor quarterly, periodic, and final financial reports before HQ finance review.
• Perform internal cost analyses, monthly and annual budget review.
• Monitor of budget-to-actual variances for all regional grants in coordination with Programme Manager to identify and address any under-or over spendings.
• Draft budget for project proposals for the Regional Programme and align with Director Administration & Finance.
• Prepare budget realignments in collaboration with programme manager; prepare activity budgets for specific activities.
• Support Grants Officer in developing compliance checklists and grant packages for new grants.
• Work with Grants Officer to ensure compliance with internal and donor financial, accounting, and financial reporting requirements; ensure compliance with local regulations.
• Work with Grants Officer to respond to questions from partner organisations about financial requirements and reporting.
• Participate in the implementation of Internal Control System and elaboration of financial control tools and provide guidance to team members on questions relating to finance, procurement, and internal controls.

Administration & Compliance:

• Act as liaison with key stakeholders for banking, accounting, and payroll purposes within the region.
• Ensure all statutory documents, and local statutory audit if applicable, for the region are completed / submitted before deadline.
• Assist in other financial and administrative tasks as needed by the regional programme or the Director Administration & Finance.
• Respect and apply ICJ Internal Control System as well as donor regulations in all financial transactions.

Payroll:

• Respond to questions from HR about taxes and social charges for regional staff members, liaise with HR regarding payroll for staff members on local payroll.
• Prepare and manage salary allocation for the regional staff, based on the projects.
• Coordinate timesheets preparation as supporting document for allocation of staff cost to grants.
• Prepare payroll and payroll journal for staff members on local payroll, including payment for social charges and taxes.

PROFILE

The successful candidate will have:

Education & Experience

• Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or similar field;
• At least five years of professional experience in finance and accounting;
• Experience in a civil society association, and/or in an international NGO an asset.

Essential Skills

• Spoken & written fluency in English and Arabic. French recommended;
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office (particularly Word, Excel), Knowledge of Accounting software an asset (Navision);
• Demonstrated skills in budget preparation and follow-up;
• Demonstrated experience in preparing financial reports to institutional donors (exposure to US funding recommended);
• Knowledge of analytical accounting desirable;
• Experience in remote financial management desirable;
• Strong organisational, planning and time-management skills;
• Ability to take initiative;
• Ability to work under pressure and to adapt to changing priorities and needs;
• Attention to detail and accuracy;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, teamwork;
• Commitment to human rights and the rule of law.

Please note that no relocation package is foreseen.